Publish and password-protect your storefront
On this page
A new store starts private. Nobody can browse it until you publish it, so you can add products, design your pages and test checkout at your own pace.
Two switches in Online Store decide what visitors see: Publish the storefront and Password protection.
Where to find the switches#
Open Online Store from your desk. The Storefront card shows your store name and address, with these switches underneath:
| Switch | What it does |
|---|---|
| Publish the storefront | Makes the store reachable at its address. |
| Password protection | Requires a password before anyone can browse the store. |
| Hide sold-out products | Keeps products off the storefront while every variant is out of stock. |
| Storefront language | The language and reading direction shoppers see. |
The Status card at the top of the page sums it up: Live or Not published, and Password protected or Open to visitors.
What visitors see#
| Publish the storefront | Password protection | Visitors see |
|---|---|---|
| Off | On or off | A page saying the store is not open yet and to check back soon. |
| On | On | Your store name and a password box with the message that the store is opening soon. |
| On | Off | Your full storefront. Anyone can browse and buy. |
Search engines#
While your storefront is not published, Kartlo asks search engines not to list it. The password page is also kept out of search results. Your store can appear in search results once it is published and open to visitors.
Open your store to shoppers#
When you are ready to sell:
- Open Online Store from your desk.
- Turn on Publish the storefront.
- Turn off Password protection.
- Click Visit to open your storefront in a new tab and check it.
The Get your store ready checklist at the top of the page walks you through the steps before launch, such as adding a product, choosing how you get paid and setting up delivery. Its last step, Open your store, is ticked once the storefront is published and the password is off. If you use the first-run setup guide on your desk, its final step opens the store for you by doing both at once.
Keep your store behind a password#
Turn on Password protection to keep the store closed while it is published, for example before a launch date. Visitors land on a page with your store name, the message that the store is opening soon, and a password box. After too many wrong tries, a visitor has to wait a few minutes before trying again.
Shoppers cannot add to cart or place orders on a password-protected store, even through an old link.
Preview your store while it is private#
You do not need to open your store to see it. In Design Studio, use Preview on a design. It opens the full store in a new tab that only you can see, even while the storefront is unpublished or behind a password.
Hide sold-out products#
Turn on Hide sold-out products to keep products out of the storefront while every variant is out of stock. They come back on their own once stock is added.
Leave it off if you want shoppers to see sold-out items, for example so they can add them to a wishlist.