Why a checklist

Most Shopify stores launch a new locale by translating the homepage and crossing their fingers. The result is the same every time: bounced traffic, broken SEO and angry support tickets. This checklist captures the twelve items we see merchants forget most often.

1. Decide your locale strategy first

Before you translate a single string, decide whether you ship per-domain (`example.fr`), per-subfolder (`example.com/fr`) or per-subdomain (`fr.example.com`). Shopify Markets supports all three, but each affects analytics, SEO and your CDN config differently.

2. Translate metafields, not just visible copy

Metafields drive size guides, shipping notes, ingredient lists and "people also bought" widgets. Skipping them is the #1 reason a translated PDP "feels half-done".

3. Don't forget transactional email

Order confirmations, shipping updates and refund mails are the most-read content you ever send. Translate them before launch, not after the first complaint.

4. Audit theme JSON keys

Modern Shopify themes hide dozens of strings inside JSON templates and section schemas. Datora extracts them automatically – manual workflows usually miss them.

5. Set up hreflang correctly

Every translated page needs a `<link rel="alternate" hreflang="...">` tag pointing to all locale variants, including an `x-default`. Get this wrong and Google will collapse your locales into one.

6 – 12. Quick fire

Translate alt text for every product image.
Localize currency, units and date formats.
Translate filter and facet labels.
Translate 404 and search-empty pages.
Test checkout in every locale on a real device.
Localize your cookie banner and privacy notice.
Add a language switcher that doesn't reset the cart.

Ship the checklist once, then automate the rest. That's exactly what Datora was built for.