These 37 Items Are Required for Magento 2 Launch

More than one hundred thousand online stores are currently run on Magento 2. Do you have any plans to open a Magento 2 store? If so, you might be concerned about how to make sure everything goes smoothly. You should think about and pay attention to a number of important aspects in this regard.

Therefore, we have created this comprehensive guide to help make things easier for you. Here, we'll provide you with a detailed list of everything you need for Magento 2 to go live that will help you launch your store. Let's get going.

37 Essential Items That Every Magento 2 Checklist Must Contain

1. System Prerequisites

Memory

At least 2GB of RAM

Operating System

Distributors of the Linux operating system, including CentOS, Debian, RedHat Enterprise Linux, or Ubuntu. Note: MacOS and Microsoft Windows are not supported by Magento. 

Composer

The newest stable composer version

PHP Extensions

curl;

ImageMagick > 6.3.7, gd

intl;

mbstring;

mcrypt;

mhash;

OpenSSL;

PDO/MySQL;

SimpleXML;

soap;

XML;

xsl;

zip;

JSON (PHP 7 only); iconv (PHP 7 only)

Online Service

Nginx 1.8,

Apache 2.2, or 2.4

SSL

A security certificate for HTTPS

Self-signed SSL certificates are often disregarded.

To ensure safe connections, both repo.magento.com and PayPal require TLS 1.2 or later.

Message Server

Gateway SMTP

MTA stands for Mail Transferring Agent.

2. System the Latest Version

Make sure you are running the most recent Magento 2 version by doing this critical check.

3. Setting SSL

You should never skip installing a trustworthy security certificate as a Magento 2 store owner. You should utilize HTTPS in the settings as part of it to secure your front-end URL.

The key steps to setting up SSL in your Magento 2 store are listed below:

• Take a look under Stores > Configuration > General > Web > Base URLs (Secure) first.
• The next step is to choose an HTTPS URL for a reliable and secure website.

4. Favicon

A favicon, or little icon, should always be present in the browser address bar of your website. In Content > Design > Configuration, you can add your favicon. Next, modify your store and upload the image, paying close attention to the HTML Head parameters. Tap the button that says save to finish.

5. 404 Not Found Page

You must have a 404 error page on your website. It is essential since it reassures your clients that the problem with your website is only temporary.

The procedures for configuring your Magento 2 404 page error are listed below:

• Go to Stores > Configurations > Web > Default Pages, for example.
• The 404 page should then be customized to make it easy to use by going over all the parameters.

6. Keep URLs

The points that you should review are as follows:

• Verify that the frontend URLs are working properly.
• Make sure the store URLs are easy to use.
• Think about removing "index.php" from the URLs.
• Verify that the status is 200 OK.
• Make sure that both "www" and "http/https" are active.

7. Redirects With 301

All of the redirects in your Magento 2 store should be checked again, and any that are broken should be fixed right away.

8. SEO Setting

One of the finest strategies to raise brand exposure is through SEO. Therefore, to raise your store's rating on search engines.

Be sure to take into account all of the SEO factors listed below:

• Make sure that your meta descriptions and titles get optimized.
• Verify that the Robots.txt file in your Magento store is acceptable. If it's not there, you must make one.
• For automated sitemap regeneration, configure your Magento XML sitemap under Stores > Configuration > Catalog. 
• For improved Search Result Page performance, use FAQ schema and page-level markup. 
• Finally, you need to look for any broken links and fix them.

9. Promotion

Sending a thank-you email to clients after making a purchase or sign-up is one of the finest ways to promote your Magento 2 store. To encourage customers to make additional purchases, you could even include an offer or promo code.

Send newsletters to the recipients at least once every month. Additionally, think about promoting your store on popular social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

10. Store Details

Verify all of your important store details again. Consider navigating to Stores > Settings > Configuration > General > General > Store details to confirm the details.

11. Integration of Google Tools

To analyze data and monitor growth, Magento 2 should be integrated with Google Analytics. If you intend to use Ad words, Magento 2 also provides API integration. You must go to Stores > Settings > Configuration > Sales > Google API to set up both options.

12. A Cdn, or Delivery of Content Networks

Setting up your CDN to provide website content to users around the world with the least amount of latency is another crucial step.

13. Email Configurations

With the actual company Email addresses, you should change the test Email IDs in the staging environment. Go to Stores > Settings > Configuration > General > Store Email Addresses to accomplish this.

To modify the contact Email address, go back to Stores > Settings > Configuration > General > Contacts.

14. Shipping Techniques

You must make sure that the setup and performance of the shipping methods from the backend have been appropriately validated.

15. Cart Options

Ensuring the cart's functionalities are functional and the computations are accurate is also essential. Don't forget to check the cart's editing, adding, and removing product features as well.

16. Process of Checkout

Checking the procedure for making purchases is essential before launching your Magento 2 store because it has a significant impact on the consumer experience. Most likely, you will have a choice between two options: page checkout and guest checkout. Based on your preferences, pick any of these options. Your ultimate objective should be to provide your clients with a positive checkout experience.

17. The Tax Settings

To make sure that the tax settings are completed correctly, take a look under Stores > Settings > Configuration > Sales > Tax.

18. Payment Procedures

Because it affects your entire sales, you should always have a simple system in place for accepting payments online. By going to Stores > Settings > Configuration > Sales > Payment Methods, you should carefully review the settings for the configuration to avoid mistakes.

19. Inventory

The two stock management alternatives you have in this situation are as follows:

• Stock management combined with the management of inventories.
• Inventory control without stock control.
• Always check this section twice.

20. The Admin URL

Avoid using the default/admin URLs because they might be readily guessed and compromise the security of your store. Here's how to add additional security by changing the Magento 2 admin URL and creating a strong password.

SSH should be used:

setup:config:set --backend-frontname= "admin_path" in the php bin/magento script.

Then, you must swap out "admin_path" for your preferred URL.

21. Data From Tests Removal

Before opening your store, verify that you have to delete all test data. Test orders, customer data, and items are all included.

22. License for Extensions

It's possible that you'll have to submit a license key while installing a module. Make sure the key is still valid for your new domain if you used it in the test shop. If you discover that it is invalid, you must obtain a new key.

23. Compiling a System, Page

You should enter the command listed below to start system compilation:

PHP bin/magento setup:di:compile

24. Image Placeholders

Make sure that the catalog/products/placeholder/small_image.jpg, catalog/products/placeholder/image.jpg, and catalog/products/placeholder/thumbnail.jpg are set to the store's default settings.

25. Cron Status

It's crucial to make sure Magento 2's cron system is set up to handle recurring chores like creating Google sitemaps and reindexing.

26. Activating the Varnish Cache

The varnish cache section must be activated, which can be done by selecting Varnish Cache as the Caching Application. Stores > Configuration > Advanced > System > Full Page Cache is where you may find it.

27. Indexing and Caching

Consider enabling the caching and refreshing it afterward. To verify that indexing is prepared, go to System Index Management.

28. CSS

Use a CSS compressor to speed up the loading of your website. In this regard, think about keeping two CSS files on hand: one with a minified version, called styles.css, and the other in a readable format.

29. Image Optimization

To quickly evaluate picture optimization, utilize specialized programs like Short Pixel, Tiny PNG, etc.

30. JavaScript

Consolidating and minimizing HTTP queries, mostly through Stores > Configuration > Advanced > Developer > Javascript Settings, is another crucial activity. It facilitates faster loading times.

31. Website Loading Time, Number

Never undervalue the significance of checking your website's loading speed. Utilizing programs like WebPageTest, GTMetrix, and GooglePageSpeed Insights can be done. Make the necessary changes before opening your store.

32. Email Templates

Always make sure the default email template is correctly customized to reflect your brand.

33. Activation While Crawling

It's also crucial to enable Google crawling and indexing so that Googlebot can visit your store frequently.

34. CMS Pages

Always double-check that your customized CMS pages are present. Terms and conditions and privacy policies are included.

35. Subscriptions to Newsletters

It is advised that you carefully check your newsletter subscription process to make sure that clients may subscribe or unsubscribe with ease.

36. Backup of Database

To ensure timely and frequent database backups, you may want to use the Magento 2 Cloud Backup plugin.

37. Mode of Production

After completing all admin panel and development chores successfully, you must finally transition to production mode.

A Conclusion

Undoubtedly, opening a Magento 2 business is a thrilling experience. However, meticulous planning and attention to detail are necessary for a successful launch. You will undoubtedly benefit from all 37 of the points covered in this blog post as you navigate the challenges of setting up your Magento 2 store. Contact a seasoned Magento development business if you require any support in this regard.