How to migrate your store to shopify without losing Traffic

Thinking of Moving to Shopify? Read This First.

So, you’ve decided to switch your eCommerce store to Shopify smart move! Whether you’re fed up with your current platform or looking for better scalability, Shopify is one of the most powerful and user-friendly eCommerce platforms in 2025.

But there’s a catch: migration isn’t just copy-paste. Done wrong, you could lose your website’s SEO rankings, customer data, or even entire product catalogs.

This guide will walk you through how to migrate to Shopify without losing SEO or critical data, step-by-step.

Why Migrate to Shopify in 2025?

Let’s be honest Shopify’s ecosystem has matured big time. Here’s why many store owners are switching:

• ✅ Intuitive UI and store builder

• ✅ Mobile-optimized themes out of the box

• ✅ Massive app ecosystem

• ✅ Strong SEO capabilities and fast loading

• ✅ Easy third-party integrations (CRM, shipping, payments)

  Step-by-Step: How to migrate your store to shopify (Safely)

  1. Create Your Shopify Account

  Start with a 3-day free trial or pick a plan based on your store size. No credit card required at signup.

2. Backup Your Existing Store

Before anything, back up:

• Product data (names, SKUs, prices)

• Customer lists and orders

• URLs and redirects

• Blog content (if any)

Use CSV exports or plugins depending on your current platform (e.g., WooCommerce, Magento, Wix).

3. Use a shopify migration app or service

Popular tools:

• **LitExtension

  **

• **Cart2Cart

  **

• **Matrixify (formerly Excelify)

  **

They help you migrate:

• Products

• Categories

• Orders

• Customers

SEO meta data
4. Manually Set Up Design & Theme

Choose a Shopify theme and rebuild the visual parts:

• Home page layout

• Navigation menu

• Collections

• Product filters
  *Note: You’ll need to re-do custom HTML/CSS manually.

  *

5. Set Up Redirects (301) to Protect SEO

This is crucial.

Redirect old URLs to their new Shopify equivalents. Shopify allows you to create 301 redirects directly from the admin panel under “Navigation > URL Redirects”.

✅ This preserves your Google rankings
✅ Avoids broken links

6. Check Your SEO Settings

Go to each product/page and verify:

• Title tags

• Meta descriptions

• ALT text for images

• URL slugs

Tip: Install apps like SEO Manager or Plug in SEO to make optimization easier.

7. Integrate Google Analytics & Search Console

After launching your new Shopify site:

• Reconnect **Google Analytics 4

  **

• Submit your new **XML Sitemap

  **

• Monitor crawl errors in **Search Console

  **

8. Test your store thoroughly

Before going live:

• Test payments

• Review all redirects

• Check mobile responsiveness

• Validate checkout flow

• Send test emails

9. Launch & Monitor

Once live, monitor:

• Traffic drop (if any)

• Keyword ranking shifts

• Page speed

• Cart abandonment rate

You may see a dip for 1–2 weeks, but SEO will recover if redirects and metadata were handled properly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping 301 redirects

• Forgetting to migrate customer passwords (you can’t—they must reset them)

• Ignoring image SEO

• Losing structured data (schema)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs

1. Will I lose my SEO if I migrate to Shopify?

Not if you do it right. Use 301 redirects and migrate meta tags properly to maintain SEO.

2. Can I migrate my customer passwords to Shopify?

No. Shopify doesn’t allow direct password migration. Customers will need to reset them.

3. How long does a Shopify migration take?

Anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks, depending on your store size and complexity.

4. Is it better to hire a Shopify developer for migration?

Yes, especially for large or custom stores. A Shopify expert can ensure data, SEO, and design are migrated properly.