WooCommerce to Shopify migration checklist

Commercial disclosure: this page may mention Shopify. Recommendations should be weighed against the stated testing status and native Shopify alternatives.

Use This Checklist In Order

Do not use this as a random task list. Use it in sequence:

1. Evidence collection.
2. URL and content classification.
3. Shopify information architecture.
4. Redirect mapping.
5. Metadata and content transfer.
6. Technical QA.
7. Launch QA.
8. Post-launch monitoring.

That order matters because every later decision depends on what the current WooCommerce store already owns.

Phase 1: Evidence Collection

Before building the Shopify store, collect:

• Full crawl export of the WooCommerce site.
• Search Console page and query exports.
• Analytics landing pages by organic traffic, revenue and conversions.
• XML sitemap URLs.
• Backlink export for linked pages.
• Product URL list.
• Category, tag and attribute archive URL list.
• Blog posts and guides.
• Landing pages and campaign pages.
• Existing redirects.
• Current title tags and meta descriptions.
• Current canonical tags.
• Current noindex rules.
• Important internal links.

The goal is to understand value, not just volume. A small number of URLs may be responsible for most of the search risk.

Phase 2: URL Classification

Classify each URL before mapping it.

This prevents the common mistake of treating every URL equally.

Phase 3: Shopify Architecture

Before importing products, decide:

• Which WooCommerce categories become Shopify collections.
• Which categories should merge.
• Which tags or attributes should become Shopify product data, metafields or filters.
• Which collection pages should be indexable.
• Which collections are for merchandising only.
• Which blog posts and guides should move.
• Which old landing pages need Shopify equivalents.
• Which URLs will inevitably change.

Shopify collections should be designed around search intent and merchandising, not merely copied from WooCommerce category history.

Phase 4: Redirect Mapping

Create a redirect sheet with:

• Old URL.
• New Shopify URL.
• Page type.
• Priority.
• Traffic value.
• Backlink value.
• Redirect status.
• QA status.
• Notes.

Map:

• Product to product.
• Category to collection.
• Subcategory to collection/subcollection equivalent.
• Blog post to blog post.
• Guide to guide/page.
• Discontinued product to close replacement, parent collection or useful buying guide.

Avoid lazy homepage redirects. If the old URL had specific intent, the destination should satisfy that intent.

Phase 5: Metadata And Content Transfer

For priority pages, preserve or improve:

• Title tag.
• Meta description.
• H1.
• Product descriptions.
• Collection copy.
• Internal links.
• Image alt text.
• Schema-relevant product information.
• FAQ or buying-guide content.

Do not mechanically copy weak metadata. Preserve what works, improve what does not, and avoid losing context during the move.

Phase 6: Tracking And Analytics

Before launch, confirm:

• GA4 or analytics equivalent is installed.
• Ecommerce events are working.
• Consent setup is correct for the market.
• Search Console access is available.
• Ad pixels are firing where needed.
• Thank-you/order confirmation tracking is tested.
• UTM handling still works.
• Launch date annotation is planned.

If analytics breaks during migration, you lose the ability to judge whether SEO dropped, tracking dropped, or both.

Phase 7: Pre-Launch Technical QA

Check:

• Priority pages return 200 status in staging where possible.
• Titles and meta descriptions are present.
• H1s are sensible.
• Canonicals are correct.
• Important pages are indexable.
• Robots.txt and noindex rules are not blocking important pages.
• Product structured data renders in the page HTML.
• Breadcrumbs work.
• Internal links point to intended Shopify URLs.
• Collection pages show crawlable product links.
• Product images are compressed and relevant.
• Apps are not adding unnecessary scripts to key templates.

Phase 8: Launch-Day QA

Immediately after launch:

• Test old high-value URLs.
• Test redirect imports/rules.
• Crawl a sample of old URLs.
• Check homepage, top collections, top products and top guides.
• Submit or confirm sitemap access.
• Confirm Search Console property access.
• Test analytics and ecommerce events.
• Check checkout path.
• Check robots.txt.
• Check canonical tags.
• Check 404 page behaviour.
• Capture screenshots and notes for the launch log.

Phase 9: Post-Launch Monitoring

For the first two weeks, check daily:

• 404s.
• Redirect chains.
• Redirect loops.
• Search Console indexing.
• Organic landing page traffic.
• Organic revenue or enquiries.
• Top queries.
• Crawled status codes.
• Sitemap processing.

For the first quarter, review weekly or monthly depending on traffic value.

Escalation Triggers

Request a technical audit if:

• Organic traffic drops sharply after launch.
• Top commercial URLs are not indexed.
• Many valuable old URLs return 404.
• Redirects point to irrelevant destinations.
• Search Console shows unexpected canonical/indexing behaviour.
• Analytics cannot explain the performance change.
• Collections are not replacing old category visibility.

Suggested Next Reads

• Move WooCommerce to Shopify without losing SEO
• Shopify redirect mapping guide
• Shopify migration QA checklist
• WordPress to Shopify SEO migration guide

Sources Used

• Shopify migration checklist
• Shopify URL redirects
• Google Search Central: site moves with URL changes