WooCommerce to Shopify migration checklist (2026)

Most migration problems aren't technical. They're steps that got skipped: a redirect nobody added, a tax setting nobody tested, a customer email nobody sent. A checklist fixes that. Work through it in order, tick each step off, and don't switch the domain until every box in the first three phases is ticked.

Your WooCommerce store keeps selling the whole time. Nothing changes for customers until launch day.

Phase 1: Plan (before you touch Shopify)

• Take a full backup of your WordPress files and database, and download it somewhere off the server.
• Count everything: products, variants, customers, orders, coupons, reviews, blog posts and pages. You'll check these numbers again after the import.
• Export every URL from your sitemap (/sitemap_index.xml or /wp-sitemap.xml).
• Export your top pages from Google Search Console (Performance, then Pages, last 12 months). These must not break.
• List every active plugin and what it does. Then find the Shopify replacement for each one. The free plugin to app finder does most of this for you.
• Flag the hard ones early: subscriptions, bookings, memberships, product add-ons and multi-vendor plugins. They decide your timeline.
• Check products with more than 3 options. Shopify allows 3 options per product (for example size, colour and material) and up to 2,048 variants. Plan how to handle a fourth.
• Compare monthly costs before you commit, using the WooCommerce vs Shopify cost calculator.
• Pick a launch window outside your busy season, on your quietest day of the week.

Phase 2: Build (on a Shopify store nobody can see yet)

• Start the Shopify store and keep it password-protected until launch.
• Import products with their images, variants, SKUs, prices, stock and weights. Keep the same slugs as your WooCommerce products wherever you can.
• Import customers, with each one's email marketing consent status so you don't email people who unsubscribed.
• Import order history so returning customers see their past orders.
• Recreate categories as collections, one to one where possible.
• Move reviews into your new review app, with dates and star ratings.
• Move blog posts and pages, with their images, titles and meta descriptions.
• Copy every SEO title and meta description from Yoast or Rank Math.
• Install and set up the replacement apps from your plugin list. Import gift card balances and loyalty points so nobody loses money or rewards.
• Set up payments: Shopify Payments, PayPal and any buy-now-pay-later options.
• Set up shipping rates and tax to match what customers pay today.
• Recreate discount codes that still appear in old emails or ads.
• Set up the theme, menus, footer, policies and contact page.
• Reconnect tracking: GA4, Google Ads, Meta pixel and your email platform.
• Check the counts from step 2 against what's now in Shopify. They should match.

Phase 3: Launch day

• Build the redirect file from your URL export. The free redirect generator turns a sitemap into a CSV that Shopify imports.
• Import the redirects and spot-check 20 old URLs, including your top pages from Search Console.
• Place real test orders: a card payment, a discount code, a shipping rate and a refund. Check that the confirmation emails arrive.
• Do a final sync of any orders and customers that came in since the import.
• Switch the domain to Shopify, remove the store password and check that HTTPS works on both the www and non-www addresses.
• Keep WooCommerce online on a temporary address for at least a few weeks, in case you need to check something or switch back.

Phase 4: The first 30 days

• Submit the new sitemap (/sitemap.xml) in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• Check Search Console daily for the first week for 404 errors, and add a redirect for each one.
• Send the account activation email to customers, so they can set a new password. WooCommerce passwords can't move to Shopify.
• Compare organic clicks with your benchmark each week. A small dip for 2 to 3 weeks is normal; a large drop almost always means missing redirects.
• Check every order for the first two weeks: payments captured, tax right, shipping right, emails sent.
• Cancel what you no longer need: hosting, premium plugin licences and maintenance plans, once you're sure you won't switch back.

The steps people skip most

If you only remember three things from this list:

1. Redirects. Skipping them is the most common reason a store loses Google traffic after a move. The SEO migration guide covers them in detail.
2. Test orders. A tax or shipping setting that's slightly off can stop orders for hours before anyone notices.
3. The activation email. Without it, returning customers try their old password, fail, and give up.

Questions