As an ecommerce store owner, one of the most important things you need to know is whether your online Shopify store is live and publicly accessible to customers. There are a few easy ways to check if your Shopify store is live and verify that it’s up and running properly.
Check your store’s URL
The most basic way to check if your Shopify store is live is by visiting your store’s URL (the web address you purchased) in your browser. This is the first place your customers will go to access your store.
Simply type your store’s custom URL into your browser’s address bar and hit enter. For example, if your store domain is “yourstore.com”, you would type that into the browser and load the page.
If your store loads successfully, with your theme, products, and branding displayed properly, then congratulations – your Shopify store is live! This means the core elements like your domain, hosting, and theme are correctly set up and publicly accessible online.
What if my store domain doesn’t load?
If your custom store domain does not load at all, or you see an error page, then your store is not properly live yet. There are a few possible reasons for this:
- Your domain is not pointed correctly to your Shopify store. Double check it is set up with your domain registrar.
- You have not published your theme yet. Go to Online Store > Themes in your Shopify admin and make sure at least one theme is published.
- Your billing details or payment method for your Shopify plan are not complete. Make sure your account plan is paid and active.
Check over these items to troubleshoot and get your domain loading your live store correctly.
Verifying with a test order
Another way to validate your Shopify store is live is by placing a test order yourself. This checks not just your storefront, but also your checkout process and order management system.
To test with an order:
- Add a product to your cart and proceed to checkout.
- Enter payment and shipping details as a normal customer would.
- Complete checkout and verify you can view the placed order in your Shopify admin.
If you’re able to fully checkout and view the new order within your admin, your store’s ecommerce functionality is working properly.
Check your store’s admin settings
You can also verify your Shopify store is live right within your Shopify admin. There are a few settings and indicators there that confirm your store is published and customer-ready.
Online Store tab
Start by going to the Online Store tab in your Shopify admin. This is where you manage settings related to your storefront and theme.
On the Online Store page, check the following:
- Themes – At least one theme should be published. Unpublished themes are not live.
- Preferences – Buy Button checkout should be enabled.
- Domain – Should show your custom domain URL.
If all those are properly configured, it’s a good sign your online storefront is live.
Orders page
Next, go to the Orders page in your Shopify admin. This is where any orders placed on your live store will appear.
On the Orders page:
- Look for any real or test orders you’ve placed through your store checkout.
- Make sure the order status column shows “Paid” for completed checkouts.
Visible orders, especially with “Paid” status, confirm your checkout and order management systems are correctly integrated and operational.
Public status
One final indicator is your store’s public / private status. This is shown on the Preferences page within your Shopify admin.
Make sure the preference toggle for “Make my store visible” is turned ON. This makes your store public and accessible to all visitors. If it is OFF, only logged-in users can view your storefront.
Set up live store monitoring
Once your Shopify store is confirmed to be live, it’s important to monitor it regularly to make sure it stays accessible to customers. Here are some recommended ways to monitor your live production store:
Setup automatic uptime monitoring
Uptime monitoring tools can automatically check your store URL on a regular basis from multiple global locations. They alert you if your store ever becomes unreachable.
Popular uptime monitoring tools include:
- UptimeRobot
- Pingdom
- Freshping
Most have affordable starter plans for basic URL monitoring. This gives you peace of mind that your store remains publicly accessible.
Monitor with analytics
Reviewing your store analytics can also tell you if your store is up and getting traffic from real customers.
Tools like Google Analytics and Shopify’s built-in analytics provide real-time data on:
- Store visitors and customers
- Traffic sources
- Most visited pages
If you see accurate new visitor and traffic data coming in, that’s a sign your storefront is live and reachable.
Set up error monitoring
Error monitoring tools like Sentry can notify you anytime a customer encounters JavaScript, network, or API errors on your live store.
Knowing as soon as errors occur allows you to quickly diagnose and fix problems on your production site that may cause downtime or impact the customer experience.
Regularly test orders
It’s good practice to periodically place test orders yourself in your live Shopify store to verify smooth checkout.
This confirms core store functionality like adding to cart, entering shipping and billing info, payment processing, and order creation are all still working properly.
How do I know my store is live? – Summary
In summary, here are the key ways you can verify your Shopify store is fully live and ready to start selling:
- Check your custom domain loads your store properly
- Review required settings in your Shopify admin backend
- Test checkout and order completion yourself
- Set up uptime, error, and analytics monitoring
- Frequently place test orders to confirm smooth customer experience
Following these best practices ensures your Shopify ecommerce store remains healthy, online, and ready to handle real customer orders 24/7.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I verify my store is publicly accessible?
Visit your live store URL, place test orders, check for visitor analytics data, and set up uptime monitoring to confirm your Shopify store is publicly reachable online.
Does my domain need to be pointed to Shopify?
Yes, you need to point your custom domain to your Shopify store through your domain registrar for your URL to load the Shopify storefront properly.
Where do I find orders placed on my live store?
All orders placed on your live Shopify store will appear in the Orders section of your Shopify admin. You can also get order notifications via email.
How often should I test my live store?
It’s a good idea to place test orders yourself at least 1-2 times per month to verify your Shopify store checkout is functioning properly.
Can I create a live store on Shopify for free?
No, you need an active monthly subscription plan on Shopify to set up a live production store. Shopify does offer a free trial to test out the platform.
Conclusion
Keeping your Shopify store live and continuously accessible for customers to browse and purchase from is critical. By verifying your site functionality and setting up monitoring tools, you can ensure your ecommerce store stays online 24/7.
Checking your live orders, analytics, and uptime data provides confidence that your store is running smoothly. Place regular test orders yourself to confirm flawless customer checkout. Follow these best practices to keep your Shopify store online and optimize the customer shopping experience.
