If you are a WordPress website owner and plan to migrate your site to Shopify, you are not alone. Thousands of e-commerce businesses are moving from WordPress or WooCommerce to Shopify stores because it is easier to manage, secure, and fast. And it’s built for eCommerce stores.

But you need to focus on SEO migration – if you don’t plan the migration properly, you may lose your Google rankings, traffic, and SEO value. That’s why it’s important to follow the right steps and use an SEO migration checklist.

 

In this guide, I will explain how to migrate WordPress to Shopify without losing SEO, step by step. By the end, you will know exactly what to do and what mistakes to avoid.

 

Why Businesses Move WordPress to Shopify

Many Indian businesses start on WordPress, but as they grow, Shopify becomes a better option. Here’s why:

• Shopify is made for e-commerce businesses, but WordPress is a CMS for blogs and services.
  
• You don’t need too many plugins to run a store on Shopify.
  
• Shopify is more secure and easier to maintain.
  
• It’s easier to add and manage products, payments, and shipping.
  

So, if you want to focus on your products, inventory and store instead of fixing plugins, Shopify is the right choice.

SEO Challenges in Website Migration

When you move your website from one platform to another, Google treats it as a new site. If you don’t plan properly, you may face:

• Drop in search traffic.
  
• Broken links or 404 errors.
  
• Missing meta tags (titles, descriptions, alt text).
  
• Duplicate content issues.
  
• Loss of keyword rankings.

Want to avoid these problems? Then follow a proper WordPress to Shopify SEO migration checklist.

Step-by-Step WordPress to Shopify SEO Migration Guide

Let’s go step by step.

Step 1: Pre-Migration SEO Audit

Before touching your website, first create a backup of your current SEO setup.

• Take a backup of your WordPress site.
  
• Export all your URLs.
  
• Create a Sheet to note down meta titles, descriptions, and image alt tags.
• Backup your old Search console verification tag, Google Analytics tag and other pixels.
• Backup your old custom schemas (if required)
  
• Check your current traffic and keyword rankings using Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Semrush.
• Collect a list of top-ranking keywords using Semrush, Ubersuggest or other ranking checker tools.

This step will help you compare your SEO before and after the migration.

Step 2: Set Up Your Shopify Store

Now it’s time to set up the base.

• Choose the right Shopify plan.
  
• Pick a mobile-friendly theme.
• Install important apps like Smart SEO, Plug in SEO, or Schema apps.

Step 3: Export Content from WordPress

You need to move all your data.

• Export products, pages, and blog posts.
  
• Save product descriptions and categories.
  
• Download images and make sure they are optimised.
  
• Keep all metadata safe (titles, meta descriptions, alt tags).
• Export your sitemap.xml file.
• Export your robots.txt file.

Step 4: Import Content to Shopify

Now import the data into Shopify.

• Import products and categories.
  
• Recreate blog posts and pages.
  
• Upload all images and make sure to cross-check.
• Add product descriptions and cross-check.
• Add schema data, or you can create it with the Shopify plugin
  

Step 5: Optimise SEO in Shopify

Shopify has built-in SEO features. Use them wisely.

• Add unique meta titles and descriptions for each page.
  
• Use keywords in product names and descriptions.
  
• Add alt tags to images.
  
• Improve speed by using compressed images.
  

Step 6: Set Up 301 Redirects

This is the most important SEO step.

• Make a map of old WordPress URLs → new Shopify URLs. (Use a Google sheet or an Excel sheet)
  
• Add 301 redirections so visitors can go to the right page.
  
• Test redirects with tools like Screaming Frog.

Check 404 pages and add 301 redirection to the right page.

Step 7: Submit New Sitemap to Google

Once your store is live:

• Shopify automatically creates a sitemap.
  
• Submit the sitemap to Google Search Console.
  
• This will get your site pages re-indexed
  

Step 8: Fix Technical SEO

After migration, check the basics again.

• Ensure your site is mobile-friendly.
  
• Check speed with PageSpeed Insights.
  
• Set up Google Analytics tag and Google Tag Manager.
  
• Update robots.txt if required.

Step 9: Monitor After Migration

After the migration, you need to cross-check check your website’s ranking is good.

• Track keyword rankings for 4–6 weeks.
  
• Monitor traffic daily.
  
• Fix any crawl errors or 404 pages quickly.
  

SEO Migration Checklist

Here’s a simple checklist for safe migration:

• Backup old WordPress site
  
• Export URLs, sitemap, and metadata, schema data, and alt text (backup your old website data in a doc)
• Export all product data to a Google Sheet so you can easily find all product descriptions, name, HSN, category and all product information
• Old tracking scripts and tags
  
• Set up a Shopify store with SEO apps
  
• Import products, pages, and blogs
  
• Apply 301 redirections correctly
  
• Submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console
  
• Monitor rankings and fix issues
  

Cost of WordPress to Shopify SEO Migration in India

The cost depends on your store size and complexity.

• Small stores (under 100 products): ₹25,000 – ₹40,000 or above.
  
• Medium stores (100–500 products): ₹50,000 – ₹70,000 or above.
  
• Large stores (custom features): ₹80,000+
  

You can hire Shopify experts in Indore from ThirdEssential IT Solutions. We handle SEO-safe website migrations for any businesses that want to migrate their website to the Shopify platform.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many store owners can make these mistakes, and it impacts their SEO

• Skipping 301 redirects.
• Not migrating meta tags.
• Ignoring mobile optimisation.
• not to resubmit sitemap.

Why Hire Shopify Experts for Migration

Migrating a WordPress site to Shopify can look easy, but SEO makes it tricky. Your small mistakes can cause traffic loss. That’s why many businesses hire Shopify developers for website and SEO migration.

we:

• Deliver SEO-friendly Shopify migrations.
  
• Map all URLs and apply redirects properly.
  
• Ensure smooth transfer of content, metadata, and product information.
  
• Provide post-migration SEO monitoring.
  

If you want a stress-free online store migration, you can hire our Shopify expert team.

Conclusion

Migrating from WordPress to Shopify is a smart move for your business growth, but you have to do it with proper SEO planning. By following this step-by-step WordPress to Shopify SEO migration checklist, your Google rankings will be safe. And enjoy Shopify’s powerful eCommerce features and fast and secure website.

Ready to move your website? Contact Us to hire a Shopify expert in Indore. Call Now!