Shopify Migration Checklist

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Shopify Plus Experts · 1,100+ Shopify stores built · 400+ five star reviews

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A Shopify migration checklist covers seven stages: planning, data mapping, the build, SEO and redirects, testing, launch day and the first 30 days after launch. The 60 steps below follow that order, so data moves in the right sequence and every old URL is redirected, and our Shopify migration services team can run the whole list for you.

The 60 step Shopify migration checklist

Work through the stages in order. Tick items as you go, or print the list for your team. The notes below the checklist explain the steps where most migrations go wrong.

60 steps

1. Before migration

2. Data mapping

3. Build

4. SEO and redirects

5. Testing

6. Launch day

7. First 30 days after launch

Notes on the steps that need more context

Import order and historical orders

Shopify asks you to import products first, then customers, then historical orders, so each order connects to the right product and customer. Products and customers can be imported with CSV files, but historical orders need a migration app or the Order API and Transaction API (Shopify Help Center). Gift cards and store credit move with an app or the GiftCard API.

Products with many options

Each Shopify product can have up to three options and up to 2,048 variants (Shopify Help Center). Products that use more attributes on the old platform need a plan before import: attributes that do not change price or stock can move to metafields, and repeated structured content can move to metaobjects.

Customer passwords

Passwords cannot be moved, because platforms store them as one way hashes. With Shopify new customer accounts, customers enter their email and receive a one time 6 digit code, so no password is needed (Shopify Help Center). Tell customers about the change in your launch email.

Redirects

A Shopify URL redirect only works when the old URL no longer loads a page. Stores can hold up to 100,000 redirects, or 20,000,000 on the Shopify Plus plan. URLs with query strings might not redirect as expected, and redirects do not apply automatically to every market subfolder (Shopify Help Center). Google treats a replatform with new URLs as a site move and advises preparing a URL mapping, redirecting old URLs to new ones and monitoring both. It also says to expect temporary ranking fluctuation while the site is recrawled (Google Search Central).

Private mode and test orders

Private mode lets you keep the store behind a password page while you build (Shopify Help Center). For checkout tests, use the test payment gateway or Shopify Payments test mode. Customers cannot place live orders while payment providers are in test mode, which is why switching it off is a launch day step (Shopify Help Center). Shopify generates your sitemap.xml automatically (Shopify Help Center), so on launch day you only need to submit it.

Shopify migration checklist FAQ

What should a Shopify migration checklist include?

It should cover planning, data mapping, the build, SEO and redirects, testing, launch day and the weeks after launch. The most important items are a full data backup, a field by field data map, a one to one redirect map, test orders before launch and a delta migration at cutover.

In what order should data be imported into Shopify?

Products first, then customers, then historical orders, so orders link to the right products and customers. Other data such as pages, blog posts and gift cards can be imported in any order (Shopify Help Center).

Can I move historical orders to Shopify?

Yes, but not with a CSV file in the admin. Shopify lists migration apps, the Order API and the Transaction API as the options for historical orders (Shopify Help Center).

Do customers need new passwords after a Shopify migration?

Passwords cannot be transferred. With new customer accounts, customers sign in with a one time 6 digit code sent to their email, so they do not need a password at all (Shopify Help Center).

How do I keep my SEO rankings when I migrate to Shopify?

Redirect every indexed and linked old URL to its exact new URL, keep your metadata and content, and submit the new sitemap. Shopify supports up to 100,000 redirects, or 20,000,000 on Shopify Plus (Shopify Help Center). Google says some temporary ranking movement is normal during a site move (Google Search Central).

How do I test a Shopify store before it goes live?

Keep the store in private mode behind a password page (Shopify Help Center), then place orders with the test payment gateway or Shopify Payments test mode (Shopify Help Center). Check data counts, shipping, taxes, discounts, integrations and a sample of redirects before launch.

Want a team to run this checklist for you?

Every step above is part of our Shopify migration services. Ecomzier is a Shopify Plus Expert agency that has built 1,100+ Shopify stores. Book a free consultation and we will review your current store and turn this checklist into a migration plan for it.
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