If you’re considering making the switch, you’re in good company – many businesses have successfully transferred their eCom websites or online stores to Shopify, providing them with the tools and control needed to grow their enterprises..

Audit Your Existing Store

Before migrating to Shopify, you should audit your current e-commerce store.

Why? 

To get this migration right!

So, analyse your store’s assets:

• including products
• customers
• data
• and images.

Create a content inventory to ensure that important data is not lost during the migration process.

Keep track of your store’s customer accounts and consider how to preserve existing relationships during the migration. This may involve exporting customer data and providing guidance on accessing their new accounts on the Shopify platform.

Oh yes. 

You need to check any URL redirects, as your customers may have bookmarked pages from your old store.

So, make sure your old URL redirects to the new domain in order to maintain a consistent user experience and minimise migration errors… Do this part wrong and you will create a disaster for your manual migration.

What do before a Shopify Migration?

There are several factors to consider when migrating to Shopify to avoid chaos:

• Store assets: You’ll need to transfer your list of products, product names, product price, product variants, product images, product attribute list, and other content to Shopify. Have a clear plan in place for organising and transferring these assets.

• Domain: If you have a custom domain for your store, you’ll need to change domain settings to point to your Shopify store. You may want to consider domain transfer protocols which provide a seamless transition for your customers.

• URL redirects: As mentioned earlier, ensure that old URLs are redirected to new ones to maintain a consistent user experience and reduce the risk of broken links.

• Account settings: Don’t forget to configure your new Shopify account settings to match those of your old ecommerce platform. Customise your taxes, payment gateways, and shipping settings as needed.

• Error minimisation: Be mindful of potential migration errors or lost data. Keep backups of your existing data and double-check your new Shopify store for any inconsistencies before making it live.

How to migrate to Shopify?

Step1: Setting Up Your Shopify Store

To begin migrating your store to Shopify, you’ll first need to set up your Shopify store.

This is easy!

Register for a Shopify account and choose a suitable subscription plan for your business. Once you’ve completed the registration process, configure your store’s basic settings such as currency, time zone, and shipping options… Nothing fun about this, but it’s easy.

Remember that you’ll want to learn about the platform’s features and limitations to maximise your store’s growth strategy

Step2: Importing Products, Customers, and Other Data

After you’ve set up Shopify store basics, it’s time to import your products, customer data, and other related information… Top tip, make sure this is done right!

You can use the built-in Shopify import tool or opt for third-party migration apps to facilitate the data transfer process.

Safety and accuracy are key during this stage, so ensure that you review each aspect of the import carefully. Pay close attention to product details, collections, inventory, and languages to prevent errors in the data migration… The goal here is to reduce room for error, right?

Step 3: Transferring Your Domain

An obvious step in your store migration, you’ll want to transfer your existing domain to Shopify.

To do this, access your domain provider’s dashboard and update the DNS settings, directing them to the Shopify platform.

Oh.

Don’t forget to also remove any previous website forwarding settings that may be in place. Be prepared for some downtime while the DNS changes propagate – this can take up to 48 hours in some cases.

Step 4: Shopify Theme Selection and Customisation

Now that your Shopify store is populated with products and data, focus on the appearance and functionality of your site.

Browse the variety of available themes in the Shopify Theme Store, taking into consideration your brand image, target audience, and desired user experience.

Once you’ve selected a theme, customise it to create a unique and visually appealing online store. Make certain that your theme files are protocol-independent to ensure easy access during the migration process.

I’ve helped a lot of brands build custom Shopify themes and custom pages for better user experience (UX)

Step 5: Setting Up Your Payment Gateways

Before launching your Shopify store, set up the necessary payment gateways to enable smooth customer transactions… This is key to better conversion – think conversion rate optimisation (CRO).

Familiarise yourself with Shopify’s supported payment providers, choosing one or multiple gateways that best suit your business needs. Moreover, verify that your store complies with the relevant security requirements, such as SSL certification and PCI-DSS standards, to guarantee safe transactions for your customers.

Post Shopify Migration Tasks

Okay so we’ve done the tough part, now we need to check everything is done correctly.

After migrating to Shopify, there are a few essential tasks to ensure your store’s success. In this section, we will walk you through post-migration steps, such as setting up your SEO and redirects, completing platform testing, and launching your store.

Setting Up Your SEO and Redirects

To maintain your store’s online presence and preserve search engine rankings, it is crucial to set up SEO correctly. Start by updating your metadata and ensuring that all SEO elements like titles and descriptions are optimised.

Next, create 301 redirects to maintain the traffic flow from your old store URLs to the new ones on Shopify. This process is essential to prevent broken links and maintain your store’s search rankings. Upload a CSV file containing the old and new URLs to easily set up redirects in bulk.

Complete Platform Testing

Before officially launching your store, perform thorough testing to ensure a seamless user experience.

Make sure you check:

• Protocol-independent assets: Check that your assets are not hardcoded to a specific protocol (such as “http:”). This ensures the smooth loading of content regardless of the connection type.
• Payments: Test your payment system to ensure it is working correctly and that customers can successfully complete transactions.
• Product and category pages: Review your product listings to confirm that all information is accurate and visually appealing.
• Site functionality: Test your website’s navigation and functionality, ensuring all links direct visitors to the correct pages.

Store Launch

After completing the necessary SEO setup, redirects, and platform testing, you’re ready to launch your store.

Announce your new awesome Shopify store through marketing channels (e.g. email, social media) and be prepared to assist customers with any enquiries regarding the new site… This one is important to be honest.

It can be helpful to provide a FAQ section to answer common concerns for your customers, build trust – this goes a long way with your customers.

Remember, migrating a large amount of data or dealing with multiple sets might require additional time and effort during this process. Stay patient, and with careful planning and execution, your Shopify store should be on its way to a successful launch.

Ongoing Website Management on Shopify

Marketing Strategy

As you manage your online store on Shopify, it’s essential to develop a robust marketing strategy. By creating a marketing plan, you can effectively target your audience, streamline your marketing efforts, and increase conversion rates.

Here’s the thing.

Shopify offers a range of marketing tools such as email marketing campaigns, discount codes, and APIs for integrating other marketing services.

Also, make sure you think about user trust, pricing, and the countries you’re targeting while developing your plan.

Merchant Support on Shopify

Shopify provides excellent merchant support, both online and in-person.

Their support channels are designed to help you manage your store efficiently, whether you require assistance with your site structure, stylesheets, credit card processing, or any other areas in your business.

It’s important to make use of the available resources to ensure a smooth, streamlined experience for both you and your customers.

Growing Your Business

Ongoing management of your Shopify store involves constant growth and improvement. As your business expands, consider Shopify’s scalability features, such as increased site speed, support for multiple languages, and powerful APIs to help your website grow.

By focusing on improving your store’s conversion rates and ensuring optimal site performance, you can effectively grow your business and reach new customers across various countries.

Remember, ongoing website management on Shopify is a vital aspect of running a successful online store. By developing a strong marketing strategy, utilising merchant support, and continuously focusing on growing your business, you can ensure a successful, thriving online presence.