Migrating an online store to a new platform can unlock better performance, lower costs and features your business has been missing. But a badly planned migration can wipe out years of search rankings overnight, break customer accounts, and lose order history.
Whether you’re moving from WooCommerce to Shopify, Shopify to WooCommerce, Magento to either, or rebuilding on a custom stack, this checklist covers what needs to happen before, during and after the move.
Before the migration
1. Define why you’re migrating
Write down the specific problems you’re solving: cost, speed, missing features, maintenance burden. This keeps the project focused and helps you confirm the new platform actually solves them.
2. Take a full backup
Back up your database, files, and media library. Export products, customers and orders to CSV as an extra safety net. Keep the old site accessible on a temporary domain until the migration is confirmed successful.
3. Crawl your current site
Use a crawler to export every URL on your site: products, categories, blog posts, pages and images. Record each page’s title, meta description and H1. This list becomes the foundation of your redirect plan.
4. Benchmark your SEO and traffic
Export your top pages and queries from Google Search Console, and record organic traffic and revenue by landing page from your analytics. Without a baseline, you can’t tell whether the migration caused a drop.
5. Map every URL
Different platforms use different URL structures. For example, Shopify uses /products/ and /collections/, while WooCommerce commonly uses /product/ and /product-category/. Build a spreadsheet mapping every old URL to its new URL. Prioritize pages that get traffic or have backlinks.
During the migration
6. Migrate data in the right order
Typically: products and variations, then categories and tags, then customers, then orders, then reviews, then blog content. Check that SKUs, variants, stock levels, prices, sale prices and product images all transferred correctly.
7. Handle customer passwords
Customer passwords usually can’t be transferred between platforms because they’re stored encrypted. Plan a friendly email asking customers to set a new password, and make the reset flow easy.
8. Preserve on-page SEO
Carry over page titles, meta descriptions, headings, product descriptions, image alt text, and structured data. Don’t rewrite all your content during the migration. Change one thing at a time so you can measure the impact.
9. Set up 301 redirects
Implement permanent (301) redirects from every old URL to its matching new URL. Avoid redirecting everything to the homepage. Search engines treat that as a soft 404, and you lose the ranking value of those pages.
10. Rebuild integrations
List every integration: payment gateways, shipping, accounting, ERP, email marketing, reviews, analytics and ad pixels. Reconnect and test each one on the new platform before launch.
11. Test everything on staging
Before going live, test: browsing, search, filters, add to cart, coupons, taxes, shipping rates, every payment method, order emails, customer accounts, and mobile layout. Place real test orders end to end.
Launch day
12. Pick a low-traffic window
Launch when traffic and orders are lowest, and avoid sale periods. Freeze product and content changes on the old site shortly before switching so no new orders get lost.
13. Switch DNS and verify
Point your domain to the new platform, confirm the SSL certificate works, and spot-check redirects for your top 50 URLs immediately.
14. Submit your new sitemap
Submit the new XML sitemap in Google Search Console and request indexing for your most important pages.
After the migration
15. Monitor closely for 4–8 weeks
Watch Search Console for crawl errors and 404s, and fix missing redirects as you find them. Compare organic traffic and revenue against your baseline. A small, temporary fluctuation is normal; a sustained drop means something needs attention.
16. Check page speed
Run your key pages through PageSpeed Insights. A migration is a good opportunity to come out faster than before.
The bottom line
Most migration disasters come from the same few mistakes: missing redirects, lost metadata, and untested checkouts. With a complete URL map, careful data checks, and thorough testing, you can switch platforms and keep the rankings and sales you’ve worked hard to build.
Need help with your project?
The HSM Tech builds eCommerce stores, SaaS platforms and AI automation for growing businesses. Get in touch for a free consultation and we’ll send you a clear scope, timeline and quote.
