Black Friday is November 27 this year and Cyber Monday is November 30. Shoppers decide fast that weekend, and a missing photo, a blank description or a sale price that doesn't show can cost you the sale. Here are eight checks to run on your catalog in the next few weeks, with the export column that shows each problem.
In your Shopify admin, open Products and click Export, then choose all products and the CSV format. Open the file in a spreadsheet and turn on filters. Each check below names the column to look at, using the column names in Shopify's current export format.
Filter Product image URL for blanks on each product's first row. A product with no photo looks unfinished, and Google Shopping won't list a product without an image.
Filter Description for blanks, then skim for one-line descriptions that only repeat the title. Shoppers use the description to decide, and search engines use it to understand what you sell.
Shopify only shows a sale when the Compare-at price is higher than the Price. Compare the two columns and look for compare-at prices equal to or below the price, plus any price of 0.00 on a product you sell.
Sort by Title and read down the list. Look for misspelled brand names, leftover words like Copy of, duplicate titles, and titles typed in all caps. Brand typos matter most, because shoppers often search by brand.
Filter SKU and Barcodes for blanks and duplicates. Gaps make inventory and fulfillment harder during a rush, and shopping channels like Google ask for barcodes (GTINs) on branded products.
Filter Weight value (grams) for 0 on products you ship. If your shipping rates are based on weight, a zero weight can undercharge shipping on every order.
Check SEO title and SEO description for your top products. If the SEO title is blank, your theme builds the page title from the product name, and without a meta description, search engines pick their own snippet from the page. Write both for the products you expect to sell most.
Filter Type, Vendor and Tags for blanks. Automated collections and storefront filters are often built from these fields, so a blank one can hide a product from the pages shoppers browse.
TidyUp is a Shopify app from Pat's Designs that runs checks like these across your whole catalog, lists the products behind each problem, and fixes them in place with undo on every change. It's free for up to 20 products, and the first 50 paying stores get the full plan for $10 a month.