WooCommerce to Shopify Migration: The SEO Checklist

Moving from WooCommerce or WordPress to Shopify is a good move for many stores, but it changes every URL structure and template at once. Search engines notice. Most ranking losses after a migration come from a handful of avoidable mistakes: missing redirects, lost metadata, and launching with the wrong settings. This is the checklist I work through, in the order I do it. Even with all of it done, a short-term wobble in traffic is normal, so plan for one rather than expecting none.

1. Record a baseline before you touch anything

• Crawl the old site with a tool such as Screaming Frog and export every URL with its title, meta description, H1, status code and canonical.
• Export Search Console data: top pages and top queries for the last 12 months, so you know which URLs earn traffic and must not break.
• Export analytics: landing pages by organic sessions and by revenue.
• Keep a full backup of the old site (database and uploads) until you are well past launch.

2. Build the URL map

Shopify's URL structure is fixed: products live under /products/, collections under /collections/, pages under /pages/ and blog posts under /blogs/<blog-handle>/. You can't change those prefixes, so WooCommerce URLs such as /product/blue-mug/ or /shop/ will change.

1. List every old URL that gets traffic or has backlinks.
2. Map each one to its closest new URL. Use the most relevant page, not the homepage.
3. Where possible, keep the same handle (the last part of the URL) so the mapping stays simple.
4. Decide what to do with pages that have no equivalent. Redirect to the closest category, or let them return 404/410 if they have no value.

3. Set up 301 redirects

Shopify has a built-in redirect manager (Content → Menus → View URL Redirects) that accepts a CSV import of old path to new path. Things to watch:

• Use 301 (permanent) redirects, and redirect old path to final new path in one hop. Avoid chains.
• Shopify redirects match exact paths. There is no pattern or regex matching, so you need a row per URL. Generate the CSV from your crawl rather than typing it by hand.
• Check query-string and trailing-slash variants of high-value URLs.
• Test a sample of redirects right after cutover, and fix any that don't land where you expect.

4. Carry over titles, descriptions and content

• Copy each page's title tag and meta description into Shopify's search listing fields. Importers often skip these.
• Keep headings and body copy the same where it ranks, even if the design changes.
• Move image alt text and use descriptive file names where you can.
• Migrate blog posts with their dates and authors, and keep their internal links working.

5. Check the technical SEO Shopify handles (and what it doesn't)

• Sitemap: Shopify generates /sitemap.xml automatically. You will submit it in Search Console after launch.
• Canonicals: products reachable through a collection path point their canonical to the main /products/ URL. Confirm your theme outputs the canonical tag.
• Structured data: check product, breadcrumb and organisation markup with Google's Rich Results Test. Many themes ship basic product markup, but not always complete.
• robots.txt: you can edit it through a robots.txt.liquid template if you need to. Don't block anything you want indexed.
• Variants and filters: make sure parameter URLs (such as ?variant= or filter URLs) aren't creating thin duplicate pages in the index.
• International stores: if you serve several countries, set up Shopify Markets and hreflang deliberately instead of by accident.

6. Don't give back the speed gains

A common surprise: a new Shopify store gets slow because of apps and heavy themes. Before launch, test the home, a collection and a product page on mobile, and keep third-party scripts to what you actually need. My Shopify speed checklist covers this in detail.

7. Launch day

1. Remove the storefront password and make sure no page is set to hide from search engines.
2. Lower your domain's DNS TTL a day or two before, so the change takes effect quickly.
3. Point the domain to Shopify, wait for SSL to be issued, and check HTTPS and the www or non-www version you want.
4. Import or confirm the redirects, then spot-check your top 30 URLs by hand.
5. Re-check checkout, payment methods, tax and shipping with a real test order.

8. After launch: watch and fix

• Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and inspect a few key URLs.
• Watch the Pages and Crawl stats reports for 404s and server errors. Add a redirect for any old URL that still gets traffic.
• Compare organic landing pages and rankings against your baseline weekly for the first couple of months.
• Update links you control: social profiles, email signatures, Google Business Profile, marketplaces and partner sites.
• Keep the old site backup until traffic has settled.

Common questions

Will I lose rankings when I migrate?

A temporary dip is common because Google has to re-crawl and re-evaluate your URLs. Careful redirects, preserved content and metadata, and a clean launch keep the dip small and short, but nobody can honestly promise zero change.

Can I keep my WooCommerce URLs on Shopify?

Not exactly, because Shopify's prefixes are fixed. You redirect old URLs to the new ones instead.

How long does a migration take?

It depends on the number of products, customers, orders and custom features. A small catalogue can move in days. Larger stores with custom functionality take longer to plan and test.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on a planned migration, I can review your URL map and redirect plan before you launch. See the migration service or send me your store details through the quote form.