The Complete WooCommerce to Shopify Migration Checklist

Most WooCommerce to Shopify migrations that go wrong don't fail because the technology is hard. They fail because something gets skipped — a redirect that wasn't set up, a customer record that didn't transfer, a payment gateway that wasn't reconfigured. This checklist exists so that doesn't happen to you.

Work through this in order. Each section builds on the last.

Before You Start: Pre-Migration Preparation

• Audit your current store. Document every product, collection, customer segment, discount code, and active integration. You can't migrate what you haven't inventoried.
• Export your WooCommerce data. Products (with variants, images, SKUs), customers (emails, addresses, order history), orders (at minimum the last 2 years). Use WooCommerce's built-in export tools or a plugin like Store Exporter Deluxe.
• Crawl your current URLs. Use Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to capture every live URL on your store. You'll need this list to build 301 redirects after migration.
• Note your current Google rankings. Screenshot or export your top 50 keyword rankings. This gives you a baseline to verify that SEO held up post-migration.
• Choose your Shopify plan. Basic ($29/month) suits most stores under $100K/year. Shopify ($79/month) adds better reporting. Advanced ($299/month) is for stores needing calculated shipping or advanced reporting at scale.
• Set up your Shopify store. Create the account, add your domain (don't point DNS yet), and install your theme before importing any data.

Data Migration

• Import products. Use Shopify's CSV importer or a migration tool like Matrixify. Verify that variants, images, SKUs, weights, and metafields transferred correctly. Spot-check 10–20 products manually.
• Import customers. Shopify's customer CSV import handles names, emails, addresses, and tags. Passwords cannot transfer (Shopify will prompt customers to reset). Warn your customers before you go live.
• Import order history. Historical orders help with customer segmentation and loyalty. Matrixify handles this well. You won't be able to reprocess old orders, but the data will be visible in Shopify admin.
• Recreate discount codes. Shopify doesn't import WooCommerce coupons. List every active discount code and recreate them manually in Shopify's Discounts section.
• Recreate shipping zones and rates. Set up your shipping zones, carrier integrations, and rate rules in Shopify Shipping. Test each zone with a dummy checkout.
• Configure taxes. Shopify has a built-in tax engine. Set up your tax rules for each region you sell in. If you use a tax compliance service (TaxJar, Avalara), install and configure the Shopify integration.

Theme and Storefront

• Build or configure your Shopify theme. Either customise a Shopify theme or work with a developer to build a custom one. Ensure all pages (homepage, collection, product, cart, checkout) are fully designed.
• Recreate navigation menus. Set up header and footer navigation in Shopify. Don't forget secondary menus (account, footer links).
• Migrate blog content. If you have WordPress blog posts, migrate them to Shopify's built-in blog. Use Matrixify or a manual copy-paste process for smaller blogs.
• Set up standard pages. About Us, Contact, Returns Policy, Privacy Policy, Terms of Service. Shopify generates legal page templates you can customise.

Apps and Integrations

• Identify WooCommerce plugin equivalents. For every plugin you rely on, find its Shopify App Store equivalent. Common replacements: Yotpo or Stamped.io for reviews, Klaviyo for email, ReCharge or Seal Subscriptions for subscriptions, Gorgias for helpdesk.
• Install and configure Shopify apps. Don't install everything at once — apps add page load time. Only install what you need for launch.
• Set up Shopify Payments or your payment gateway. Enable Shopify Payments if available in your country, or connect Stripe/PayPal. Test a real transaction with a small amount before going live.
• Connect Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console. Install GA4 via Shopify's Google channel or a dedicated app. Verify Search Console ownership.

SEO: The Most Overlooked Step

• Set up 301 redirects. For every URL that changes between WooCommerce and Shopify (and they will change — Shopify has fixed URL structures), create a 301 redirect. Use Shopify's built-in URL redirect tool or Matrixify for bulk imports.
• Verify meta titles and descriptions. Check that your top 50 pages have accurate meta titles and descriptions in Shopify. Don't leave them blank.
• Submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console. Your Shopify sitemap is at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Submit it in Search Console after going live.
• Set up canonical URLs. Shopify handles canonicals automatically, but verify that no duplicate content issues were created during migration.

Go-Live

• Test everything before switching DNS. Use Shopify's password-protected preview to test checkout, payments, emails, and all pages.
• Switch your DNS to Shopify. Update your domain's DNS records to point to Shopify. Propagation takes 24–48 hours. Keep your WooCommerce store live (read-only) during this window.
• Test again immediately after DNS propagation. Place a real test order. Verify emails send. Check that redirects are working.
• Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors. In the first 2 weeks, check daily for 404 errors. Any 404 that gets traffic needs a redirect.

This checklist covers the full migration process, but execution matters as much as the list. A missed redirect or a misconfigured payment gateway can cost real revenue.

WebContrive handles every step of this process for you. We've run this checklist dozens of times across stores of all sizes. If you'd rather have experts manage the migration while you focus on your business, book a free consultation with WebContrive — we'll scope your migration and give you a clear timeline and cost.