WooCommerce to Shopify Migration Guide — Move Your Store Without Losing Sales [2026]
WooCommerce is powerful and flexible, but managing WordPress hosting, plugin compatibility, security patches, and performance optimization consumes time and budget that should go toward growing your business. Shopify handles all infrastructure, security, and performance as a fully managed platform, freeing your team to focus on marketing and sales. Stores migrating from WooCommerce typically see 20-40% improvement in page load speed, reduced downtime, and significantly lower maintenance overhead. Shopify also provides native multi-channel selling, built-in payment processing, and a robust app ecosystem without the plugin conflict issues that plague WooCommerce.
What Gets Migrated
Products with variants, images, and descriptions
Customer accounts and contact information
Historical order data and fulfillment records
Discount codes and promotional rules
Blog posts and CMS page content
Product reviews and star ratings
SEO metadata including titles and descriptions
Step-by-Step Migration Process
WooCommerce Store Audit
Catalog all WooCommerce products, variants, categories, and tags. Document active plugins, custom functionality, payment gateways, and shipping configurations. Screenshot your current URL structure for SEO redirect planning.
Data Export from WooCommerce
Export products, customers, orders, and coupons using WooCommerce built-in CSV export or the REST API. For stores with custom fields, use WP All Export or direct database queries to capture all product metadata. Export blog posts and pages as HTML or Markdown.
Shopify Store Setup and Configuration
Create your Shopify store, select and customize a theme, configure shipping zones and rates, set up payment providers (Shopify Payments, PayPal, Stripe), and configure tax settings. Install essential Shopify apps to replace WooCommerce plugin functionality.
Product and Collection Migration
Import products with all variants, images, descriptions, SEO titles, and meta descriptions. Map WooCommerce categories to Shopify collections (both manual and automated). Preserve product URLs or create redirect mappings for changed URLs.
Customer and Order Data Migration
Import customer accounts with order history using Shopify CSV import or a migration app. Note that customer passwords cannot be transferred — customers will need to reset passwords on first login. Send a branded password reset email to minimize friction.
SEO Preservation and 301 Redirects
Map every WooCommerce URL to its Shopify equivalent and configure 301 redirects in Shopify. This includes product URLs, category pages, blog posts, and any custom pages. Submit the updated sitemap to Google Search Console after migration.
Theme Customization and Content Migration
Recreate your store design in Shopify theme editor or Liquid templates. Migrate blog posts, static pages, and custom landing pages. Test the checkout flow, mobile responsiveness, and page load speed across all devices.
DNS Cutover and Go-Live
Point your domain DNS to Shopify servers. Enable the Shopify storefront, disable the WooCommerce site, and verify that all redirects work correctly. Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors and fix any broken redirects within the first week.
Data Categories
Risks & Mitigation
SEO ranking drop due to URL structure changes
Mitigation: Create comprehensive 301 redirect maps before migration. Preserve product SEO titles and meta descriptions. Monitor Search Console daily for the first month and address crawl errors immediately.
Customer password reset friction causing lost sales
Mitigation: Send a well-designed password reset email to all customers before migration with clear instructions. Offer a first-purchase discount as an incentive to re-engage and complete the password reset process.
WooCommerce plugin functionality with no Shopify equivalent
Mitigation: Audit all active plugins during the planning phase. Research Shopify app alternatives for each plugin. For unique functionality, evaluate Shopify custom app development or Shopify Functions as replacements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my Google rankings drop after migrating to Shopify?
Not if 301 redirects are properly configured. A well-planned migration preserves your domain authority and page rankings. You may see a brief fluctuation in the first 2-4 weeks as Google recrawls your site, but rankings typically recover fully.
Can I migrate customer passwords from WooCommerce to Shopify?
No, WordPress and Shopify use different password hashing algorithms. Customers will need to create new passwords. We recommend sending a branded password reset campaign before go-live to minimize friction and keep customers engaged.
How do I handle WooCommerce subscriptions in Shopify?
Shopify supports subscriptions through apps like Recharge, Bold Subscriptions, or Shopify native subscriptions. Active WooCommerce subscriptions are migrated to the Shopify subscription app, preserving billing cycles and customer payment methods where possible.
What happens to my WooCommerce plugins and custom functions?
Each WooCommerce plugin is mapped to a Shopify app equivalent during planning. Shopify has over 8,000 apps covering most use cases. For highly custom functionality, Shopify custom apps or Shopify Functions provide extensibility without the security and compatibility risks of WordPress plugins.
Should I migrate during a slow sales period?
Yes, timing the migration during your lowest-traffic period minimizes risk. Avoid migrating during holiday seasons, major promotions, or product launches. A weekend cutover works well for most stores because it provides recovery time before the business week.
Ready to Migrate?
ECOSIRE handles the entire migration — from planning and data mapping to testing and go-live support. Zero data loss guaranteed.