Publishing a website makes a reviewed project version available at a public address. Runner AI separates storefront editing and preview from publication, checks access and readiness, and reports the publication result. Start with your current store, saved changes, and verified operating details. The useful output is a public storefront you can open and inspect, not a preview mistaken for a live launch.
Prepare the current version before publishing a website
A storefront can look finished while still containing an incorrect product price, a missing shipping option, or a link to the wrong collection. Before publishing a website, review the actual version you intend customers to see. In Runner AI, saving an edit updates the project; it does not, by itself, update the public store. A preview lets you inspect that project state before making a separate publication decision.
Bring verified product information, approved brand copy, the intended customer path, and the changes you want to release. Ask Runner AI for a focused revision if the storefront does not match that brief. The AI website editor covers selected-element changes and source-file review. For a larger change to navigation or page hierarchy, ecommerce website redesign helps you organize what should change before you reach the publication step.
Review desktop, tablet, and phone layouts. Follow the route from the homepage to a collection, product, and cart instead of stopping at the hero section. Check that the visible copy matches the products you actually sell and that customer-facing policies are accurate. Product availability, payments, shipping, taxes, and legal obligations remain operating responsibilities; a generated page is not evidence that these are configured correctly.
Use the current storefront version and wait for active Runner work to finish. If you were inspecting an older version, return to the current one before preparing the launch. A restored version also needs review and publication before customers should be expected to see it. The AI store builder covers the broader creation workflow; this page concerns the separate decision to put reviewed work online.
Read publication checks before confirming
Open your store’s Online Store view and use the publication action shown for its state. Publish starts the first launch. Publish Changes sends newer work to an existing published store with a usable address. Republish is the recovery action when the last attempt failed or did not provide a usable store link. These labels describe different starting states, not different levels of customer readiness.
Runner checks publication eligibility and the available source before continuing. Access can depend on your plan and project state. If Runner shows a plan requirement, resolve that requirement rather than assuming that every account can publish. If the control is disabled, read the reason. An active request, unavailable source, or no saved changes can prevent the action from proceeding.
The confirmation flow exposes checks and setup information for the applicable workspace. A failed build is not something a launch button can bypass. When Fix with AI is offered, use the diagnostic to request a repair, inspect the result, and run the checks again. A workspace-access failure needs its own recovery; rerunning unchanged storefront work is not a substitute for restoring access.
Read any setup warning before acknowledging it. When the flow permits publication with incomplete operating setup, acknowledgment does not finish that setup. It records your decision to continue with the stated limitation. Confirm only when the required checks allow it and you intend to make the version public. Cancel leaves this publication decision unconfirmed. Some source-backed flows require further review of the proposed publication, so follow the actual confirmation shown rather than treating one click as a universal launch shortcut.
Verify the public result and handle an incomplete launch
After confirmation, follow the publication to a reported result. Runner can show progress while preparing, building, saving a checkpoint, or publishing. Progress is evidence that work is underway, not that the new storefront is already live. Do not share a preview address as the final store address simply because the preview rendered successfully.
When Runner reports a successful publication with a public URL, open that URL. Where available, View Site, View store, and Copy URL provide ways to inspect or share the address. Compare the public storefront with the reviewed version. Check the changed section, navigation, product path, and cart on the devices your customers use. A successful publication result still needs this direct review.
Verify checkout separately. Depending on the workspace flow, Runner can show payment status or a payment-connection prompt after publication. A storefront can be available for browsing while checkout remains paused. Connect the required payment service and test the buying journey before telling customers they can order. If checkout status cannot be read, that is an unresolved check, not confirmation that payments work.
If publication fails, use the reported error to identify what needs repair and then retry through Republish when it is available. If publication completes without a usable URL, do not invent an address or assume the handoff succeeded. Return to a ready workspace and use the offered recovery action. An older public version may still be visible after a later attempt fails, so verify the content, not only whether an address opens.
A custom domain is another separate step. Connect it after the first successful publication and after verifying the existing public URL. DNS configuration and domain ownership checks determine whether the branded address connects; they do not prove that the storefront or checkout works. For the operating steps, use the publication guide. Explore the Runner AI feature catalog for adjacent storefront capabilities.
Publishing a website FAQ
Does saving a storefront edit publish it?
No. Saving changes the project state, while publishing makes a selected release available at the public store address. Review the saved result in Preview and then follow the publication action offered for the current store. Publishing a website should remain a deliberate release decision rather than an assumed side effect of editing.
Can I publish while Runner AI is still working?
The publication control can be blocked while an active request is running. Wait for that work to finish, return to the current version, and review the result before opening publication checks. A finished conversation or a ready preview does not remove plan, access, build, or setup requirements shown by the publication flow.
Does a successful publication mean checkout is ready?
No. Publication and payment readiness are different outcomes. Open the public storefront and verify product selection, cart behavior, and checkout with the required payment connection in place. If a payment prompt or unavailable checkout status appears, resolve it before inviting customers to place orders. Browsing availability alone does not establish that purchases can complete.
What should I do if the public store still shows old content?
Compare the public page with the current reviewed version and read the latest publication result. Saved or restored project work is not automatically live. Repair any reported failure and use Publish Changes or Republish, as Runner offers for the store’s state. Reopen the public URL and inspect the changed content after the new attempt finishes.