5 Things to Get Right Before Migrating Your Store to Shopify

Thinking about migrating your store to Shopify? It is one of the best decisions you can make for your eCommerce business, but only if you approach it the right way. Here are five things to get right before you start.

1. Audit Your Current Data First

Products, customers, orders and content all need to be mapped and cleaned before migration. Messy data in means messy data out. Taking the time to audit and clean your existing data before the migration begins will save significant time and headaches down the track.

2. Understand Your Integration Requirements

Does your store connect to an ERP, PIM or OMS? These integrations need to be scoped early. They are often the most complex part of any migration and discovering them late in the process can cause costly delays and rework.

3. Do Not Just Lift and Shift Your Existing Theme

A migration is the perfect opportunity to improve your store design and UX. Starting fresh on Shopify with a conversion-optimised theme will outperform a direct copy of your old store. Think of it as a relaunch, not just a platform switch.

4. Plan for SEO Continuity

URL redirects, meta data and site structure all need careful handling to protect your organic rankings during and after migration. SEO is often an afterthought in migrations, so do not let it be. A drop in rankings post-migration can significantly impact revenue in the weeks that follow.

5. Choose the Right Migration Partner

Platform migrations are complex. Work with a team that has done it before, ideally one that understands your industry. The right partner will have a proven process, ask the right questions early and keep your store trading throughout the migration.

At beCommerce, we have successfully migrated stores from WordPress, WooCommerce and Magento to Shopify. If you are planning a migration and have questions, get in touch with our team. We are happy to help.