WordPress to Shopify migration checklist for SEO and content

A WordPress to Shopify migration can improve checkout, product management, campaign speed, and maintenance. It can also damage search visibility if the team treats it like a design refresh instead of a content, data, URL, and SEO migration.

This WordPress to Shopify migration checklist is for teams moving a WordPress or WooCommerce site into Shopify, either with a Shopify theme or a custom storefront. Use it before design starts, again before content entry, and once more before launch. The goal is to protect what already works while making the new store easier to operate.

Start with the old site, not the new Shopify theme. List every page type, post type, product type, taxonomy, form, plugin, media library pattern, SEO field, redirect rule, tracking script, and integration that currently matters. WordPress sites often carry important business logic inside plugins, shortcodes, custom fields, page builders, or WooCommerce extensions.

Do not assume Shopify has to recreate every old field. The inventory is a decision tool. It helps the team decide what should become Shopify products, collections, pages, metaobjects, metafields, blog posts, redirects, app configuration, or content that can be removed.

• Page types: homepage, service pages, landing pages, blog posts, product pages, category pages, policy pages, and campaign pages.
• Data sources: WooCommerce products, variations, attributes, tags, categories, custom fields, reviews, forms, and media.
• Integrations: email marketing, reviews, subscriptions, CRM, analytics, consent tools, search, shipping, tax, and payment tools.
• Decision status: keep, rewrite, merge, redirect, rebuild in Shopify, replace with an app, or remove.

The redirect map should be started before Shopify routes are finalized. Export the WordPress sitemap, crawl the site, pull analytics landing pages, review Google Search Console pages, collect paid campaign URLs, and check backlinks. Then map every important old URL to the closest new destination.

Match intent, not only page names. A WooCommerce category should usually redirect to the equivalent Shopify collection, not the homepage. A WordPress article that still ranks should redirect to the new article or the most relevant guide. If no replacement exists, mark the URL for a deliberate 404 or 410 instead of hiding the decision.

• Keep stable URLs when the old URL is clean, useful, and technically possible in Shopify.
• Use 301 redirects for pages that move or merge.
• Avoid redirect chains from WordPress to Shopify to a localized or trailing-slash variant.
• Test the old URL list in staging and again after launch.

WooCommerce and Shopify do not model products exactly the same way. Before importing data, decide how Shopify should handle products, variants, options, collections, product types, vendors, tags, metafields, media, inventory, subscriptions, bundles, and search filters.

This step is where many migrations become messy. If every WordPress custom field becomes a Shopify metafield without review, the new store inherits old complexity. If variants are imported without checking option names, filters and analytics can become unreliable. Treat the import as a chance to clean the operating model.

• Normalize product titles, handles, option names, SKUs, barcodes, prices, and variant rules.
• Decide which product attributes belong in metafields, tags, collections, or app data.
• Check image ratios, alt text, gallery order, video embeds, downloads, and documents.
• Run a test import before the final import and compare product counts, variants, and missing fields.

A migration should not turn Shopify into a storage closet for copied WordPress pages. Decide which content belongs in Shopify pages, blog posts, metaobjects, theme sections, product templates, collection templates, or external CMS content. The structure should match how the team will publish after launch.

For service pages, buying guides, brand pages, store policies, and campaign landing pages, define reusable sections before content entry starts. Editors should know image ratios, title limits, CTA rules, SEO fields, and which blocks can be safely reordered. That prevents the new store from needing developer help for every content update.

• Rewrite thin or outdated WordPress pages before migration instead of copying them blindly.
• Preserve high-value blog posts, buying guides, and support content with matching intent.
• Create editor notes for title length, image crops, CTA labels, and optional fields.
• Keep internal links current so old WordPress URLs do not appear inside migrated content.

Before launch, QA the signals that search engines and reporting tools depend on. Check title tags, meta descriptions, headings, canonical URLs, noindex rules, Open Graph text, image alt text, structured data, XML sitemap output, robots rules, internal links, and language alternates if the store is multilingual.

Then test measurement. Shopify checkout, add-to-cart events, product views, collection filters, newsletter forms, contact forms, booking links, campaign parameters, and consent behavior should be visible in the analytics stack. If the migration changes event names or URL patterns, document that before comparing reports.

• Validate Product, BreadcrumbList, Organization, Article, and FAQ schema where relevant.
• Confirm Search Console, analytics, tag manager, pixels, and consent tools on production.
• Save a pre-launch baseline for organic landing pages, queries, indexed pages, and conversions.
• Test mobile and desktop pages with real products, real forms, and campaign URLs.

A Shopify migration is not approved when the homepage looks correct. It is approved when the buying path works. Test product discovery, search, filters, product detail pages, variant selection, add to cart, cart editing, discounts, gift cards, shipping, tax, checkout, payment methods, account flows, order emails, abandoned checkout emails, and return or support paths.

Include edge cases. Test sold-out products, draft products, unpublished collections, missing images, old product URLs, redirected blog posts, long product names, translated content, app blocks, and mobile navigation. These are the issues that usually appear after real customers arrive.

• Test at least one simple product, one product with variants, and one unavailable product.
• Confirm transactional emails, form notifications, and CRM handoff.
• Verify discount logic, shipping messages, taxes, and payment methods in the target markets.
• Keep a launch log with issue, URL, severity, owner, fix, and verification note.