Shopify Migration Checklist: 40+ Steps in Sequence

Use this checklist whether you’re migrating yourself or managing an agency. Every item is sequenced in the order it must happen. Skip a step and you’ll find out why it mattered in the first 7 days after launch — when 78% of Shopify stores require at least one critical fix.

Key Takeaways

Sequence matters: import products before collections, customers before orders. Out-of-sequence imports break data relationships.

All 301 redirects must be in place before you switch DNS — not after.

Download images from Squarespace or Wix before canceling those subscriptions — their CDNs become inaccessible after cancellation.

Post-launch monitoring for 30 days is not optional — most critical issues surface in the first week.

Phase 1 — Pre-Migration Preparation (Do This Before Touching Shopify)

This phase is the most skipped. It’s also the most important. Everything you fail to document before migration has to be reconstructed from memory or discovered through post-launch errors.

Business and Goals Audit

Define your migration success criteria: what does a successful migration look like at 30 days? (Traffic maintained, conversion rate at baseline, all integrations functional)
Document current store performance baseline: conversion rate, AOV, organic traffic (from GA4 and Search Console) — you’ll need this to measure post-launch recovery
Decide on your target go-live date and work backwards to determine realistic phase timelines

Full Site Crawl and URL Inventory

Crawl your entire current store using Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs) or Sitebulb
Export all crawled URLs — every product page, collection page, blog post, custom page, and legacy URL
Note: crawl your site, not just your sitemap. Sitemaps miss orphaned pages, parameterized URLs, and legacy content that’s still indexed

Export Top-Performing URLs from Google Search Console

Log in to Google Search Console > Performance > Pages report
Export your top 50–100 pages by impressions and clicks — these are your priority redirect URLs
Cross-reference with GA4 organic landing page data for the past 90 days

Document All Metadata

Export all page title tags and meta descriptions from your current platform (use the Screaming Frog export or your current SEO plugin’s export function)
Note your current H1 structure on key pages
Save this file — Shopify will generate default metadata if you don’t manually re-enter yours

Screenshot Key Page Designs for Reference

Screenshot homepage, category pages, product pages, and any landing pages
Note any custom layout elements that need to be rebuilt in Shopify

Inventory All Current Integrations and Third-Party Tools

List every connected tool: email platform (Klaviyo, Mailchimp), analytics (GA4, Meta Pixel), payment gateways, shipping carriers, ERP, 3PL, subscription platform
For each: note the integration method, any API credentials, and the Shopify equivalent (native feature, Shopify app, or rebuild required)

Download All Images Locally (Critical for Squarespace and Wix)

Squarespace only: Download entire Media Library before canceling subscription. CDN URLs break on cancellation.
Wix only: Download all images before switching away. Wix CDN URLs may become inaccessible.
All platforms: ensure high-resolution original files are saved locally, not just platform-compressed versions

Export Customer, Order, and Product Data from Source Platform

Export product catalog (CSV format — check platform-specific export instructions)
Export customer list (name, email, address, tags)
Export order history (for historical reference on Shopify)
Export blog content (platform-specific format)
If migrating from Squarespace: export blog as WordPress XML

Jamie managed a migration of a 400-product home goods store from WooCommerce to Shopify. She ran a Screaming Frog crawl before migration and found 140 indexed product URLs that weren’t in her sitemap — legacy products that had been removed from navigation but were still indexed. She set up 301 redirects for all of them pointing to her new collection pages. Post-migration, her organic traffic dipped 11% in week 1 and recovered to 103% of baseline by week 7. Every missed redirect in her pre-migration audit would have become a 404 that took weeks to recover.

Phase 2 — Shopify Store Setup

Create Shopify Account and Choose Correct Plan

Create Shopify account under your own business email — you should be the account owner, not your agency
Choose plan based on your needs: Basic ($39) for new stores, Shopify ($105) for growing stores, Advanced ($399) for high-volume or lowest transaction fees
Enable annual billing if you’re committed to Shopify for the next 12 months (25% savings)

Configure Domain

Option A: Transfer domain to Shopify (simplifies management)
Option B: Update DNS records at your current registrar to point to Shopify
Do NOT switch DNS until your Shopify store is fully built and tested — keep the old store live until launch

Set Up Payment Gateway

Enable Shopify Payments if available in your country (eliminates additional platform transaction fee)
Configure tax settings by country/region
Enable Apple Pay and Google Pay in Shopify Payments settings (one-tap mobile checkout)
Test a real transaction via test payment method before launch

Configure Shipping Zones and Rates

Set up shipping zones matching your service regions
Configure shipping rates (flat rate, weight-based, carrier-calculated, or free shipping threshold)
Verify free shipping threshold displays correctly on product pages and cart

Set Up Tax Rules

Configure US state tax collection (nexus-based)
Enable automatic tax calculation or configure manual rates
Verify VAT/GST settings for international stores

Phase 3 — Data Migration (Sequence Matters)

Critical: follow this sequence exactly. Out-of-sequence imports break data relationships.

Import Products First (Before Collections)

Reformat product CSV to match Shopify’s import template (column headers must match exactly)
Use Shopify’s built-in product import for catalogs under 200 products
Use Matrixify for catalogs over 200 products or complex variant structures
Verify 10% sample of products after import: variants, images, pricing, SKUs
Check that product handles match your redirect mapping (product handles become product URLs)

Create Collections and Assign Products

Create collection structure in Shopify (manual collections or automated rules)
Assign products to collections
Add collection descriptions to maintain SEO value from category pages
Verify collection navigation matches your redirect mapping (collection handles become collection URLs)

Import Customers (Before Orders)

Reformat customer CSV to Shopify’s import template
Import customers via Shopify’s customer import
Verify sample of customer records imported correctly
Note: customer passwords do not transfer — plan for password reset communication

Import Orders (Linked to Customers)

Import order history via Shopify’s order import or a migration tool
Verify orders link correctly to customer records
Orders import as “closed” historical data — they don’t trigger fulfillment workflows

Migrate Blog Content

Transfer blog posts to Shopify’s Blog (Online Store > Blog Posts)
For each post: verify the URL handle matches your redirect mapping
Re-enter SEO metadata (title, meta description) for each post — doesn’t transfer automatically
Add tags and author information

Set Up Metafields and Custom Data

Configure any custom data fields (product specifications, certification data, size guides) via Shopify’s native metafields or a metafield app

Phase 4 — SEO Setup (Do This Before Launch)

Set Up All 301 Redirects

Build redirect CSV from your Phase 1 URL inventory: two columns — old URL path, new URL path
Upload via Shopify’s URL Redirects tool (Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects > Import CSV)
Verify the CSV imported correctly (check the URL Redirects list for count accuracy)

Verify Redirect Mapping Covers Every Indexed Page

Cross-reference your redirect list against your Screaming Frog crawl export — every crawled URL should have a corresponding redirect
Check specifically for: product variant URLs, filtered collection URLs, search result page URLs, and any AMP versions

Install SEO App or Configure Shopify’s Native Meta Fields

Enter optimized title tags and meta descriptions for all products, collections, and pages
Use your Phase 1 metadata export as source data — don’t let Shopify’s auto-generated defaults replace optimized tags
For collections: ensure collection descriptions are visible in the theme (check theme code for {{ collection.description }})

Submit XML Sitemap to Google Search Console

Add your new Shopify domain to Google Search Console
Submit sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Verify sitemap loads correctly (all products, collections, pages, and blog posts listed)

Set Canonical Tags on Duplicate URLs

Shopify automatically generates canonical tags — verify they’re pointing to the correct primary URL for any products appearing in multiple collections

Handling a complex migration? Our Shopify migration service covers all phases, including SEO audit, redirect mapping, and post-launch monitoring. See our Shopify agency for pricing. If you want to understand the full cost breakdown before starting, see our guide on what drives Shopify migration costs.

Phase 5 — Pre-Launch Testing

Do not switch DNS until every item in this phase is checked.

Test Every Redirect

Run your redirect CSV through a redirect checker tool (Redirect Checker, Screaming Frog redirect check)
Verify each old URL returns a 301 status code (not 302, not 404)
Verify each redirect leads to the correct destination URL
Check for redirect chains (A → B → C) and resolve to direct redirects (A → C)

Test Checkout Flow End-to-End

Add product to cart → proceed to checkout → enter customer details → select shipping → complete payment
Test with Shopify Payments test mode first, then with a real transaction
Test on mobile (iOS Safari, Android Chrome) — not just desktop
Verify order confirmation email delivers

Test All Payment Methods

Test All Email Automations

Order confirmation: triggers immediately after purchase ✓
Shipping confirmation: triggers when fulfillment created ✓
Abandoned cart email: triggers after checkout initiated but not completed (test via Klaviyo’s preview/test function) ✓
Welcome email (if configured): triggers on new customer account creation ✓

Mobile Usability Check

Test homepage, product pages, cart, and checkout on actual mobile devices
Verify Add to Cart button is visible above fold on mobile
Check that product images display correctly in mobile swipe gallery
Verify checkout form is usable on mobile keyboard

PageSpeed Insights Baseline

Run PageSpeed Insights on homepage, product page, and collection page
Record baseline scores — you’ll want these post-launch for comparison
Target: mobile score above 70 before launch

Check for Orphaned Pages

Run Screaming Frog on your Shopify development store — look for any pages returning 404 errors
Verify all collection/category redirects resolve (not just product redirects)

Phase 6 — Launch

Final DNS Switch

Update DNS records to point to Shopify (or transfer domain)
DNS propagation takes 24–48 hours — account for this in your launch timing
Do not cancel your previous platform account until you’ve confirmed Shopify is live and working

Remove Password Protection

Online Store > Preferences > turn off password protection
Verify store is accessible without password from a private/incognito browser

Verify Analytics Firing Correctly

Open GA4 real-time events while placing a test order — verify “purchase” event fires
Check Meta Pixel with Facebook Pixel Helper Chrome extension
Confirm Google Ads conversion tag fires on the order confirmation page
Check Klaviyo event stream — verify “Checkout Started” and “Order Placed” events arrive

Notify Email List of Migration

Send “Welcome Back” campaign to existing customers explaining the platform change
Include password reset link for any customer who has an account
Include any welcome-back incentive (discount code, loyalty points)

Phase 7 — Post-Launch Monitoring (First 30 Days)

Monitor Google Search Console for 404 Errors Daily

Check Coverage > Excluded > Not found (404) every day for the first 2 weeks
Any new 404 errors indicate a missed redirect — trace the URL and set up the redirect within 24–48 hours

Watch Organic Traffic in GA4 for Anomalies

Check organic channel traffic weekly in GA4
Expected: 10–20% dip in weeks 1–2, stabilization by week 3–4, recovery by week 6–8
Alert pattern: 40%+ drop that doesn’t stabilize — indicates significant redirect failures

Check Crawl Coverage in GSC After Sitemap Resubmission

In Search Console: Sitemaps > verify sitemap is processed
Coverage > Indexed — monitor that page count returns to expected levels over 2–4 weeks

Fix Any Errors Within 48 Hours of Identification

Broken redirects: add the missing redirect immediately
404 errors from customer navigation: investigate and fix same-day
Integration failures (email not firing, analytics not tracking): escalate to agency or app developer immediately

Conclusion

A Shopify migration succeeds or fails on the strength of its pre-migration preparation. The launch itself — switching DNS and removing password protection — is 5 minutes. The 40+ steps before it are the actual migration.

The four highest-impact items from this checklist:

Full site crawl before any changes — captures every URL that needs a redirect
Complete 301 redirect mapping installed before DNS switch
Checkout flow tested end-to-end on mobile before launch
Daily Search Console monitoring for the first 2 weeks

Execute these four things thoroughly and most migration problems are either prevented or caught within 48 hours — before they become lasting traffic losses. For a deeper dive into protecting your search rankings through the migration, see our Shopify migration SEO preservation guide.

Want a Shopify migration managed by a team that follows this process? See our Shopify migration services →

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the most critical step in a Shopify migration checklist?

The 301 redirect mapping. A complete, accurate redirect map — every indexed URL from your old store pointing to the correct Shopify URL — determines whether your organic traffic survives the migration intact. All other steps can be fixed post-launch. Missed redirects take weeks to recover from once pages are de-indexed.

How long does it take to complete the Shopify migration checklist?

For a small store (under 200 products, minimal blog, straightforward integrations): 1–2 weeks of focused effort. For a medium store (200–1,000 products, existing SEO, multiple integrations): 3–5 weeks. For a complex migration (Magento, large catalog, ERP integration): 8–16 weeks.

What data can’t be migrated to Shopify?

Customer passwords (security standard — different hashing between platforms), custom plugin or extension functionality (needs to be rebuilt as Shopify apps or Liquid code), Squarespace/Wix template designs (theme needs to be rebuilt), and platform-specific metadata formats (need to be reformatted for Shopify’s fields).

Should I migrate all at once or in phases?

For most stores: migrate everything at once. Phased migrations create a mixed-signal environment (some URLs on old platform, some on Shopify) that complicates redirect management and canonicalization. Phase-based migration is only warranted for very large stores (5,000+ SKUs) or stores with custom functionality that can’t be rebuilt simultaneously.

What happens to my SEO during the Shopify migration?

With complete 301 redirects and proper metadata migration, expect a temporary 10–20% traffic dip over 2–4 weeks. Google recrawls and re-indexes your site following the redirect signals. Recovery to baseline typically completes within 6–8 weeks. Migrations with incomplete redirects see longer, steeper drops that can take months to recover.

Shopify Migration Checklist: 40+ Steps in Sequence | Designodin