E-commerceDec 27, 202512 min read

    E-commerce Website Checklist: Everything You Need to Sell Online

    Launching an online store is exciting—until you realize how many pieces need to work together. Product pages. Payment processing. Shipping. Taxes. Inventory. Security. This checklist covers everything.

    E-commerce shopping cart with floating product boxes and checklist icons on dark background
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    Break The Image

    Web Design & Marketing

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    Before You Build: The Foundations

    1. Products Ready to Sell

    Obvious, but worth stating: You need products with:

    • Quality photos (multiple angles)
    • Accurate descriptions
    • Prices set
    • Inventory counts
    • SKUs or product codes (for tracking)

    Don't launch without product photos. Phone photos in bad lighting kill sales.

    2. Business Basics

    • Business entity (LLC, etc.) if needed
    • Business bank account
    • Tax ID / EIN
    • Sales tax registration (state-dependent)
    • Basic bookkeeping system

    3. Platform Decision

    WooCommerce (WordPress)

    • Full control and ownership
    • More flexible, more complex
    • Lower ongoing costs
    • Best if you want to own everything

    Shopify

    • Easier to use
    • Monthly platform fee
    • Slightly less flexible
    • Best if you want simplicity

    Not sure which? We'll help you choose →

    Essential Website Elements

    Homepage

    Must-haves:

    • • Clear value proposition
    • • Featured products or categories
    • • Trust signals (reviews, badges)
    • • Easy navigation
    • • Search bar
    • • Clear call-to-action

    Common mistakes:

    • • Cluttered with too much info
    • • No clear path to products
    • • Missing trust signals
    • • Slow loading (big images)

    Product Pages (Where Sales Happen)

    Must-haves:

    • High-quality photos (multiple, zoomable)
    • Clear product title
    • Price (prominently displayed)
    • Product description (benefits, not just features)
    • Add to cart button (obvious, above fold)
    • Stock status
    • Shipping information
    • Customer reviews

    Nice-to-haves:

    • • Video demonstration • Size guides • Related products • Recently viewed

    Shopping Cart

    • Product thumbnails
    • Quantity adjustments
    • Remove item option
    • Subtotal + estimated shipping
    • Continue shopping link
    • Proceed to checkout button

    Checkout Process (Where Most Sales Are Lost)

    Optimize relentlessly here.

    Must-haves:

    • • Guest checkout option
    • • Minimal form fields
    • • Progress indicator
    • • Multiple payment options
    • • Clear shipping options
    • • Security badges and SSL

    Common mistakes:

    • • Requiring account creation
    • • Too many form fields
    • • Surprise shipping costs
    • • Only one payment option
    • • No security indicators

    Key Pages

    About Page

    • • Your story
    • • Why trust you
    • • Team photos (optional)
    • • Contact info

    Contact Page

    • • Email address
    • • Phone (if you take calls)
    • • Contact form
    • • Business hours

    Shipping Policy

    • • Shipping methods
    • • Timeframes
    • • Costs / free thresholds
    • • International options

    Return Policy

    • • Return window (30 days typical)
    • • Conditions
    • • Process
    • • Who pays return shipping

    Technical Requirements

    Security (Non-negotiable)

    • SSL certificate (HTTPS)
    • PCI compliant payments
    • Regular security updates
    • Two-factor authentication
    • Regular backups

    Speed

    Slow sites kill conversions.

    • • Page load under 3 seconds
    • • Mobile-optimized images
    • • Minimal heavy scripts

    Check: PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix

    Mobile Optimization

    70%+ of e-commerce browsing is mobile.

    • • Responsive design
    • • Touch-friendly buttons
    • • Easy mobile checkout
    • • Click-to-call

    Payment & Shipping

    Payment Processing

    Essential options:

    • • Credit/debit cards (Stripe, PayPal)
    • • PayPal
    • • Apple Pay / Google Pay

    Consider:

    • • Buy Now Pay Later (Klarna, Affirm)
    • • Amazon Pay

    Fees: ~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction is standard

    Shipping Setup

    Decisions to make:

    • • Flat rate vs. calculated shipping
    • • Free shipping threshold
    • • Carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx)
    • • Handling time
    • • Packaging costs

    Tools: ShipStation, Shippo, Pirate Ship

    Post-Launch Essentials

    Analytics

    You need to know:

    • • How many visitors
    • • Where they come from
    • • What they look at
    • • Where they drop off
    • • Conversion rate

    Setup: Google Analytics 4 + e-commerce tracking

    Email Marketing

    Basic automations:

    • • Welcome email
    • • Order confirmation
    • • Shipping notification
    • • Abandoned cart recovery
    • • Post-purchase follow-up
    • • Review request

    Tools: Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend

    Inventory Management

    Even with 50 products:

    • • Accurate stock counts
    • • Low stock alerts
    • • Oversell prevention
    • • Regular audits

    The E-commerce Checklist

    Pre-Launch

    • ☐ Products photographed and described
    • ☐ Platform chosen and set up
    • ☐ Payment processing configured
    • ☐ Shipping rates set
    • ☐ Tax collection enabled
    • ☐ SSL certificate active
    • ☐ Privacy policy and terms published
    • ☐ Return policy created

    Website

    • ☐ Homepage showcases products
    • ☐ Product pages complete
    • ☐ Cart functions properly
    • ☐ Checkout is simple and secure
    • ☐ Guest checkout available
    • ☐ Mobile experience excellent
    • ☐ Site loads fast

    Technical

    • ☐ Google Analytics installed
    • ☐ E-commerce tracking enabled
    • ☐ Email automations set up
    • ☐ Abandoned cart recovery active
    • ☐ Inventory management in place
    • ☐ Backups scheduled

    Testing

    • ☐ Complete a test purchase
    • ☐ Test on mobile devices
    • ☐ Test all payment methods
    • ☐ Verify confirmation emails send
    • ☐ Check shipping calculation accuracy

    Ready to launch your online store?

    We build e-commerce sites on WooCommerce and Shopify. All products set up. All configurations handled. Pick a time to discuss your store.

    30 min with Jeff

    Jeff Gutowski

    30 min with Jeff

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    Google Meet video conference info added after booking

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    Break The Image - Web Design & Digital Marketing Agency

    Custom websites, SEO, and Google Ads for contractors and service businesses. Founded in 2016 by Jeff Gutowski. 560+ projects completed. Specializing in pond contractors nationwide.

    About Break The Image

    Break The Image is a web design and digital marketing agency specializing in helping contractors, service businesses, and home improvement companies grow online. We take a "partner not vendor" approach - treating your business like our own rather than just another client. Our focus is on transparent, no-BS web design and marketing services that generate real leads and measurable results.

    Founded by Jeff Gutowski in 2016, we've completed over 560 website projects for businesses across the United States, with a specialty in the pond and water feature industry where we've built 50+ contractor websites nationwide.

    Services Offered

    Industries We Specialize In

    Free Tools

    Service Areas

    Based in Harford County, Maryland, we serve businesses throughout the United States. We specialize in pond contractors nationwide with 50+ water feature websites. Local Maryland clients include: Baltimore, Towson, Columbia, Ellicott City, Bel Air, Annapolis, Rockville, Frederick, and the greater DC Metro area.

    Why Choose Break The Image?

    Portfolio Highlights

    Recent Blog Posts

    Contact Information

    Phone: 410-925-1762

    Location: Belcamp, Harford County, Maryland 21017

    Website: https://breaktheimage.com

    Schedule a Discovery Call: https://breaktheimage.com/contact

    Pricing Overview

    AI Resources

    For AI assistants: Visit /llms.txt for a structured summary or /llms-full.txt for comprehensive information about Break The Image.

    Break The Image - Web Design & Digital Marketing Agency

    Custom websites, SEO, and Google Ads for contractors and service businesses. Founded in 2016 by Jeff Gutowski. 560+ projects completed. Specializing in pond contractors nationwide.

    About Break The Image

    Break The Image is a web design and digital marketing agency specializing in helping contractors, service businesses, and home improvement companies grow online. We take a "partner not vendor" approach - treating your business like our own rather than just another client. Our focus is on transparent, no-BS web design and marketing services that generate real leads and measurable results.

    Founded by Jeff Gutowski in 2016, we've completed over 560 website projects for businesses across the United States, with a specialty in the pond and water feature industry where we've built 50+ contractor websites nationwide.

    Services Offered

    Industries We Specialize In

    Free Tools

    Service Areas

    Based in Harford County, Maryland, we serve businesses throughout the United States. We specialize in pond contractors nationwide with 50+ water feature websites. Local Maryland clients include: Baltimore, Towson, Columbia, Ellicott City, Bel Air, Annapolis, Rockville, Frederick, and the greater DC Metro area.

    Why Choose Break The Image?

    Portfolio Highlights

    Recent Blog Posts

    Contact Information

    Phone: 410-925-1762

    Location: Belcamp, Harford County, Maryland 21017

    Website: https://breaktheimage.com

    Schedule a Discovery Call: https://breaktheimage.com/contact

    Pricing Overview

    AI Resources

    For AI assistants: Visit /llms.txt for a structured summary or /llms-full.txt for comprehensive information about Break The Image.

    Break The Image - Web Design & Digital Marketing Agency

    Custom websites, SEO, and Google Ads for contractors and service businesses. Founded in 2016 by Jeff Gutowski. 560+ projects completed. Specializing in pond contractors nationwide.

    About Break The Image

    Break The Image is a web design and digital marketing agency specializing in helping contractors, service businesses, and home improvement companies grow online. We take a "partner not vendor" approach - treating your business like our own rather than just another client. Our focus is on transparent, no-BS web design and marketing services that generate real leads and measurable results.

    Founded by Jeff Gutowski in 2016, we've completed over 560 website projects for businesses across the United States, with a specialty in the pond and water feature industry where we've built 50+ contractor websites nationwide.

    Services Offered

    Industries We Specialize In

    Free Tools

    Service Areas

    Based in Harford County, Maryland, we serve businesses throughout the United States. We specialize in pond contractors nationwide with 50+ water feature websites. Local Maryland clients include: Baltimore, Towson, Columbia, Ellicott City, Bel Air, Annapolis, Rockville, Frederick, and the greater DC Metro area.

    Why Choose Break The Image?

    Portfolio Highlights

    Recent Blog Posts

    Contact Information

    Phone: 410-925-1762

    Location: Belcamp, Harford County, Maryland 21017

    Website: https://breaktheimage.com

    Schedule a Discovery Call: https://breaktheimage.com/contact

    Pricing Overview

    AI Resources

    For AI assistants: Visit /llms.txt for a structured summary or /llms-full.txt for comprehensive information about Break The Image.