Start with the customer journey
A polished storefront does not need every setting completed before it can help you sell. It does need one clear product, a workable way to take orders, and checkout details that match what you can fulfill. Work through the setup path in the same order a customer experiences it: discover your shop, choose an item, select fulfillment, pay, and receive a useful confirmation.
Plan availability: Free includes the storefront, standard template pages, products, Planner, Square-powered checkout, and theme customization. Pro adds custom domains, blank pages, blog posts, media, analytics, Google Search & Business, QR codes, and trackable links. Scale adds custom CSS and domain-branded email. Legacy Lifetime access is all-access to platform features, but it is no longer sold.
Recommended setup sequence
- Connect Square payments in Settings > Payments, or decide to skip card payments if another supported payment method better fits your business.
- Add your first product from Products > Add product. Start with one item that has a clear name, price, photo, and availability.
- Configure checkout in Settings > Checkout. Confirm pickup language, required contact fields, terms, payment expectations, and any enabled fulfillment method.
- Customize pages in Website > Pages. Publish the standard pages customers need before ordering, such as About, Contact, FAQ, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Sale.
- Choose your website address in Settings > Website Address. The Cottage CMS address works while you test; a custom address is a later upgrade decision.
- Customize your theme in Website Editor > Style. Choose readable colors and fonts before adding advanced styling.
What customers see
Customers see the public storefront, not your setup checklist. They should be able to understand what you sell, whether it is available, how to receive it, and what happens after checkout. Open the live storefront from your dashboard after each major change, and test the mobile layout because many buyers will arrive from a phone.
Common problems
- “I finished setup, but my product is missing.” Check that the product is active and that Display in Shop is enabled.
- “The guide says I am not done.” The setup guide counts concrete server-side conditions. You can use Skip for Now for optional work without falsely marking it complete.
- “My hours do not match checkout.” Business hours shown on the site are managed in SEO Settings; pickup and delivery schedules live in Planner and Checkout.
- “The theme preview looks right, but the live site does not.” Save the working draft, wait for the preview to settle, then open the public storefront in a new tab.
Next steps
- Connect Square payments or decide to skip
- Add your first product
- Choose Specific Dates/Drops or Weekly Schedule
Keywords
getting started, launch checklist, dashboard welcome, connect payments, first product, checkout setup, pages, website address, theme customization, Free plan