Guide. Last reviewed 3 November 2026
WooCommerce to Shopify migration
A WooCommerce to Shopify migration moves products and customers by CSV file or app. Orders, reviews and coupons need apps or manual work, and customer passwords cannot move. Then you redirect old URLs to new ones. Plan the redirects before you switch your domain.
Should you move from WooCommerce to Shopify?
Move when you have a clear reason and a plan for the risks. A migration changes your URLs, your admin and your costs, so do not do it just because the idea is tidy.
These questions help you decide. The answers are our judgement, not rules.
- What problem will the move solve, and can you name it in one sentence?
- Which of your WooCommerce plugins have no clear Shopify equivalent?
- Does your site rely on WordPress content, such as a large blog, that you would need to rebuild or keep running?
- Do you have the time to check products, tax, shipping and payments before launch?
- Would improving your current store solve the same problem for less risk?
Staying on WooCommerce can be the better choice when the store works and the reason to move is vague. Read about WooCommerce development if you want to improve the store you have.
What moves
What can you move and what cannot be moved?
This table follows Shopify’s own WooCommerce migration guide. Check the guide for the current position before you plan.
| Data | Can it move? | How, according to Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Yes | Export from WooCommerce as CSV, reformat to Shopify's template and import, or use the Store Migration app. Products can have a maximum of three options |
| Customers | Yes | Import by CSV. Shopify says WooCommerce's own export lacks full address details, so a plugin export is needed |
| Order history | With an app | Shopify says orders cannot be imported by CSV file. Third party apps are needed |
| Reviews | With an app | They are not in the product export. Shopify points to third party apps |
| Blog posts and pages | Recreate or use an app | Not in the WooCommerce exports Shopify describes |
| Coupons | Recreate or use an app | Recreate them as discounts, or use an app |
| Customer passwords | No | Shopify says customer passwords cannot be migrated. With new customer accounts, imported customers sign in with their email address and a one time verification code; with legacy customer accounts, invite them to create new passwords |
Shopify’s guide also says to import products first, then customers, then orders, so orders link to the right products and customers.
Step by step: WooCommerce to Shopify migration
Shopify’s guide has 19 numbered steps, and seven of them are marked optional. We group them into six stages. This is the order we would follow, in our own words.
- Choose a method for each type of data. Decide what moves by CSV, by app, by hand or not at all.
- Export and prepare product data. Reformat it to Shopify’s template and import it.
- Check the products. Verify and organise them after import.
- Move customers, reviews and orders if you need them.
- Set up the store. Choose a theme, then configure shipping, taxes and payments. Place test orders.
- Prepare the switch. Add staff, set up redirects and sitemaps, disconnect the domain from the old platform and connect it to Shopify.
Shopify warns that if you do not disconnect the domain from your previous platform first, you might hit errors with SSL certificates. It also says a store in private mode blocks search engines from reading your sitemap.
Protecting your SEO during the move
Shopify says its link structure for individual pages is likely different from your previous service. That means your product and collection URLs will change, so redirects are essential.
Map every old URL
Google’s guidance on site moves with URL changes starts with a mapping from each old URL to its new counterpart. Begin with the URLs in your sitemap and those with the most traffic.
Redirect to the final page
Google recommends permanent server side redirects such as 301 and 308. It advises redirecting each old URL straight to its final destination.
In Shopify you can add redirects one at a time or import them from a CSV file. Shopify allows a maximum of 100,000 on most plans. It says only broken URLs can be redirected, and fixed paths such as /products and /collections cannot.
Launch and monitor
Submit the new sitemap, update internal links and watch traffic in Search Console and analytics. Google says most pages on a small to medium sized site take a few weeks to move. Rankings may fluctuate in that time.
Keep the redirects for as long as possible. Google says generally at least one year. For the wider checklist, read our website migration SEO checklist or see our SEO migration service.
What does a migration cost and take?
No public source gives a figure that fits your store, so we do not quote one. The cost and time depend on how many products, variants, customers and orders you move, and how much is custom.
Ask for a written scope that lists what moves, what is rebuilt and what is not included.
App or agency?
Shopify lists five options: manual data copy and paste, its free Store Migration app, CSV import, third party migration apps and a migration expert. A migration expert means hiring a Shopify Partner.
An app suits a small catalogue with clean data. Help from an agency suits a large catalogue, custom features or a store where redirects matter most.
If you want help with a Shopify store, see our Shopify development service. Pricing depends on scope. Book a 15 minute call or email contact@zemash.com.
You may also want to read our guide to website redesign cost.
Sources
Every figure or rule on this page comes from a public page we opened and read. Last reviewed 3 November 2026.
- Shopify Help Centre: Migrating from WooCommerce, for what can and cannot be moved, the five options and the 19 numbered steps.
- Shopify Help Centre: Considerations for migrating to Shopify, for import order, domains, link structure and private mode.
- Shopify Help Centre: URL redirects, for creating and importing redirects and their limits.
- Google Search Central: Site moves with URL changes, for URL mapping, permanent redirects, timing and how long to keep redirects.
This guide is general information. Shopify and Google update their guidance, so check the current pages before you plan.
FAQ
Migration questions
How do I migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify?
Export your products as CSV, reformat them to Shopify’s template and import them, or use the free Store Migration app. Then move customers, orders and reviews with CSV or apps, set up the store, create redirects and connect your domain.
Will I lose my SEO if I migrate?
Your URLs change, so rankings can move while Google reprocesses the site. Google says a small to medium sized site can take a few weeks. A complete URL map and redirects reduce the risk but cannot remove it.
What data can be transferred?
Products and customers by CSV. Order history, reviews and coupons need third party apps or manual work. Customer passwords cannot be migrated. With new customer accounts, imported customers sign in with their email address and a one time verification code; with legacy customer accounts, invite them to create new passwords.
How long does a migration take?
It depends on the size of your catalogue, the data you move and how much is custom. We do not quote a figure. Ask for a written scope and plan.
Can I keep my domain and URLs?
You can keep your domain by disconnecting it from the old platform and connecting it to Shopify. Individual page URLs will probably differ, so set up redirects from the old ones.
Should I use an app or an agency?
Use an app for a small, clean catalogue. Consider an agency when you have many variants, custom features or a lot of traffic to protect. Shopify lists hiring a Shopify Partner as one of its options.
Related service
Shopify development from Zemash
Read about our Shopify development service.
Pricing depends on scope. Book a 15 minute call or email contact@zemash.com.
Last reviewed 3 November 2026. Written by Zemash Ltd.
Planning a move to Shopify?
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