Shopify Migration Checklist 2026: 25 Steps to Migrate Safely

Moving your store to Shopify is simple when you do it in the right order. Most problems, like lost rankings, missing orders or customers who can't log in, happen because one step was skipped.

This Shopify migration checklist gives you 25 clear steps, with the exact place to do each one in your Shopify admin. It's the same process the Crawlapps team uses for migrations from WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Wix and custom platforms.

Key takeaways

• Most stores take 2 to 6 weeks to migrate to Shopify.

• Themes and plugins can't be moved, so plan replacements early. Passwords don't need to move: new Shopify stores use password less customer login.

• Shopify changes your URLs, so you need 301 redirects for every old page.
• Don't launch in the six weeks before Black Friday.

Shopify migration checklist (quick list)

Before migration

1. Set your goals and launch date

2. Back up your current store

3. Export your URLs, SEO data and traffic reports

4. List the apps and integrations you need

5. Choose a migration method

Shopify store setup

6. Choose a Shopify plan

7. Install and set up your theme

8. Set up payments, taxes and shipping

9. Install apps and connect integrations

10. Add policies, notifications and customer accounts

Data migration

11. Clean your data and stop changes on the old store

12. Import products

13. Import customers

14. Import orders

15. Move blog posts, pages and reviews

16. Check that all data imported correctly

Shopify SEO migration

17. Map old URLs to new Shopify URLs

18. Set up 301 redirects

19. Add meta titles, descriptions and alt text

20. Make sure Google and AI search can crawl your store

Pre-launch and launch

21. Test checkout, payments and emails

22. Test mobile, speed and tracking

23. Connect your domain and remove the password

24. Submit your sitemap and tell customers about the new login

After migration

25. Monitor traffic, rankings and orders for 90 days

What data can you migrate to Shopify?

You can migrate products, customers, orders, blog posts and most reviews to Shopify. Themes, plugins and your URL structure can't be moved and must be replaced. Customer passwords don't need to move, because new Shopify stores use passwordless login.

Note: Shopify's free Store Migration app imports products and customers only. It doesn't import orders, reviews, blog posts or SEO data.

Before migration: how to prepare your store for Shopify

1. Set your goals and launch date

Write down why you are moving (for example: faster pages, lower costs, better checkout) and how you will measure success. Pick a launch date in a quiet sales period, at least six weeks before your peak season. If BFCM is close, finish it on your old platform first. Our Shopify BFCM checklist helps with that.

2. Back up your current store

Export a full copy of your products, customers, orders, pages, images and theme files. Save it outside your current host. Also take screenshots of your key pages to use as a design reference.

3. Export your URLs, SEO data and traffic reports

This protects your Google rankings. Do it before anything changes.

• Crawl your site with Screaming Frog and export every URL, title tag and meta description.
• Export your top pages and keywords from Google Search Console (last 12 months).
• Save 90 days of traffic, conversion rate and revenue from GA4 so you can compare after launch.

4. List the apps and integrations you need

List every plugin and connected tool (email, reviews, loyalty, subscriptions, shipping, ERP). For each one, find the Shopify app or integration that replaces it. Our list of free Shopify apps every store should have is a good starting point.

5. Choose a migration method: CSV, app or agency

How to set up your Shopify store before migration

Set up your store first, then import data. Keep your old store live and selling during this time.

6. Choose the right Shopify plan

Most stores start on a standard Shopify plan. Choose Shopify Plus if you need checkout customization, advanced B2B or very high order volumes.

7. Install and set up your Shopify theme

Go to Online Store > Themes and pick a theme that fits your products. Add your logo, colors and menus, and check the design on mobile first. Need a unique design? See our custom Shopify theme development service.

8. Set up payments, taxes and shipping in Shopify

• Payments: Settings > Payments
• Taxes: Settings > Taxes and duties
• Shipping: Settings > Shipping and delivery

Place a test order with Shopify's Bogus Gateway to confirm prices, tax and shipping are correct.

9. Install apps and connect integrations

Install the apps from your Step 4 list and connect tools like your email platform, reviews and ERP. Test each one before adding the next. For complex setups, see our guide to Shopify ERP integration.

10. Add store policies, notifications and customer accounts

• Policies: Settings > Policies (refund, privacy, terms, shipping)
• Emails: Settings > Notifications. Add your logo to order and shipping emails.
• Customer accounts: Settings > Customer accounts. New stores use passwordless sign-in: customers enter their email and get a one-time 6-digit code (Shopify Help Center). Check that your loyalty, subscription and wishlist apps support this.

Keep your store password-protected until launch day.

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How to import products, customers and orders to Shopify

Import in this order: products, then customers, then orders. Check each import before starting the next one.

11. Clean your data and stop changes on the old store

Remove duplicate products and customers, fix variant names (for example, use "M" everywhere, not "M", "Med" and "Medium"), and archive products you no longer sell. Then pick a date after which nobody adds products or changes prices on the old store. Shopify recommends this "change freeze" in its migration guide.

12. How to import products to Shopify

1. Go to Products > Import.
2. Download Shopify's sample CSV and match your columns to it.
3. Import 20 to 50 products first as a test and check them.
4. Import the rest, then check prices, variants, stock, images and weights.

Keep product handles the same as your old URL slugs where you can. It makes redirects easier.

13. How to import customers to Shopify

Go to Customers > Import and upload a CSV with names, emails, addresses, tags and marketing consent. Passwords aren't imported, and that's fine: every imported customer already has an account and can sign in with their email address and a one-time code.

14. How to import orders to Shopify

Shopify's admin can't import past orders on its own, so use an app such as Matrixify, LitExtension or Cart2Cart. Mark old orders as fulfilled and make sure the import doesn't email customers.

15. Move blog posts, pages and reviews

• Pages and blog posts: copy them over or use a migration app. Fix links that still point to old URLs.
• Reviews: export from your old platform and import into your Shopify review app.
• Gift cards and loyalty points: recreate balances before launch.

16. Check that all data imported correctly

Compare totals between your old store and Shopify: products, variants, customers and orders. Then open your top 50 products and check price, stock and images.

Right before launch, import any new orders, customers and stock changes made on the old store since your main import.

Shopify SEO migration: how to keep your rankings

You keep your Google rankings when every old URL redirects to the right new page and your SEO titles carry over. A small dip for 2 to 4 weeks is normal while Google recrawls.

17. Map old URLs to new Shopify URLs

Shopify uses fixed URL paths, so most of your URLs will change. Make a spreadsheet with each old URL (from Step 3) and its new Shopify URL.

Redirect deleted products to the closest collection, not the homepage.

18. How to set up 301 redirects in Shopify

1. Go to Online Store > Navigation > View URL redirects (or type "URL redirects" in the admin search bar) (Shopify Help Center).
2. Click Import and upload your redirect map as a CSV.
3. Test your top 20 old URLs in a browser.

Two things to know:

• A Shopify redirect won't work if a live page already exists at the old URL. Delete or rename that page.
• Keep redirects for at least one year, as Google recommends (Search Engine Journal).

19. Add meta titles, descriptions and image alt text

CSV imports often drop SEO fields. Copy your old titles and meta descriptions (from Step 3) into each product, collection and page under Search engine listing. Add alt text to product images, since Shopify doesn't create it for you.

20. Make sure Google and AI search can crawl your store

• Check that no page has a leftover "noindex" tag and that robots.txt doesn't block important pages.
• Keep Googlebot, Bingbot and AI crawlers like OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT) and PerplexityBot allowed, so your store can appear in AI answers.
• Make sure your theme includes Product structured data.

Google says its AI features use the same index and ranking systems as normal search, so good SEO also helps your store show in AI Overviews (Google Search Central). Want an expert check before launch? Our Shopify SEO team can review it.

Shopify pre-launch checklist

21. Test checkout, payments and emails

• Place test orders with the Bogus Gateway, then with each real payment method.
• Test discount codes, gift cards and free shipping rules.
• Check tax and shipping for local and international addresses.
• Make sure order confirmation and shipping emails look right.

22. Test mobile, speed and tracking

• Test the store on a real iPhone and Android phone: menus, search, cart and login.
• Run PageSpeed Insights on your homepage and a product page. Remove apps you don't need if pages are slow.
• Connect GA4 and your ad pixels (Settings > Customer events) and check that a test purchase is recorded.
• Reconnect Google Merchant Center so your products keep showing in Google Shopping.

Launch day: how to connect your domain to Shopify

Launch on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning, so your team is available if anything needs fixing.

23. Connect your domain and remove the password

1. The day before, lower the DNS TTL at your domain provider (for example, GoDaddy or Namecheap) so changes apply faster.
2. Run a final import of new orders, customers and stock from the old store.
3. Go to Settings > Domains > Connect existing domain and follow the steps to update your A record and CNAME.
4. Go to Online Store > Preferences and turn off password protection.
5. Place one real order with a real card, then refund it.

24. Submit your sitemap and tell customers about the new login

• Submit yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Bing's index is also used by Microsoft Copilot and is one of the sources for ChatGPT search.
• Email your customers that the store has moved. Tell them they now sign in with their email address and a one-time code, with no password needed.
• Check that order history, loyalty points and subscriptions show correctly when a test customer signs in.

Keep your old platform running privately for at least 30 days, just in case.

After migration: what to check in the first 90 days

25. Monitor traffic, rankings and orders

Avoid other big changes, like a redesign, during these 90 days, so you can see clearly what the migration changed. Shopify gives the same advice in its CMS migration guide. Once traffic is stable, focus on conversion rate optimization to grow sales.

Migrate WooCommerce, Magento and Wix to Shopify: what changes

More detail: Magento to Shopify migration guide and BigCommerce to Shopify migration guide.

How long does a Shopify migration take?

Most stores take 2 to 6 weeks to migrate to Shopify, based on Crawlapps' projects. Shopify says most businesses finish in under three months.

How much does a Shopify migration cost?

The cost depends on store size, how much data you have, your apps and integrations, and whether you need a custom design. A small store using CSV import may only pay for a theme and apps. Larger stores usually need paid migration tools or an agency.

Common Shopify migration mistakes to avoid

• Changing DNS before testing is finished
• Not setting up redirects for every old URL
• Redirecting old pages to the homepage
• Not telling customers how to sign in to the new store
• Launching close to Black Friday or another peak season

Should you hire a Shopify migration agency?

You can migrate yourself if you have a small catalog, few apps and little traffic from Google. Hire a Shopify migration agency if you have thousands of products, order history to move, subscriptions, B2B pricing, ERP integrations or a lot of organic traffic to protect.

Crawlapps has completed 50+ Shopify migrations with zero downtime. Our Shopify migration service covers data, design, redirects, SEO and post-launch support. Not sure what you need? Start with a free Shopify store audit.

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Shopify migration FAQs

Q: Will I lose my SEO rankings if I migrate to Shopify?

Not if you redirect every old URL with a 301 to its closest new page, carry over titles and meta descriptions, and submit your new sitemap on launch day. Rankings often move for two to four weeks while Google recrawls. A drop that lasts beyond six to eight weeks usually means gaps in the redirect map.

Q: Can I migrate customer passwords to Shopify?

No, and you don't need to. New Shopify stores use passwordless customer accounts: customers enter their email address and get a one-time 6-digit code. Every customer you import already has an account, so they can sign in right away. Just email them on launch day to explain the new sign-in.

Q: Can I move my order history to Shopify?

Yes, but not with Shopify's free Store Migration app, which only imports products and customers. Use a migration tool such as Matrixify, LitExtension or Cart2Cart, or a migration partner. Import history before launch, then import any orders placed during the switch.

Q: Will my store go offline during the migration?

It shouldn't. Your new store is built behind a password while the old store keeps selling. The only switch-over moment is the DNS change on launch day, and lowering your DNS TTL the day before keeps that window to minutes.

Q: How long should I keep 301 redirects after migrating?

At least one year, and ideally permanently. Google needs to see a redirect several times before it fully records the move, and old backlinks and bookmarks keep sending visitors to old URLs for years.

Q: Do I need Shopify Plus to migrate?

No. Most stores migrate to a standard Shopify plan. Shopify Plus makes sense if you need checkout customization, advanced B2B, multiple expansion stores, very high order volumes or higher API limits for integrations.

Q: What's the best tool for a Shopify data migration?

For small, simple catalogs, Shopify's CSV import or free Store Migration app is enough. For order history, metafields, blogs and larger catalogs, Matrixify and LitExtension are popular choices. For complex stores with ERP, B2B or heavy SEO, a migration partner is usually safer than any single tool.

Q: When is the best time to migrate to Shopify?

During your slowest sales period, at least six weeks before your peak season. For most stores, that means January to August. Avoid launching on a Friday or just before a holiday, when fewer people are around to fix issues.

Next steps for your Shopify migration

A successful Shopify migration comes down to doing the steps in order, setting up redirects for every old URL, and testing before you change your domain. Use the 25-step list above as your tracker.

Want help? Talk to Crawlapps Team about your Shopify migration.