A Shopify migration changes more than the appearance of a shop. Customers, search engines and old marketing links may still request addresses from the previous site.
Prepare the URL work alongside product and operational migration. Leaving it until the domain moves makes problems harder to investigate.
Migration tracking table
Keep one row per important old URL. The example rows are hypothetical.
| Old URL | New destination | Redirect test | Destination check | Owner | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| /collections/linen | /collections/linen | Pass: one 301, no chain | Products and prices match | Store manager | None |
| /products/old-throw | /collections/throws (closest match) | Fail: two hops | Not checked | Developer | Redirect straight to the destination, retest |
| (your URL) |
Google’s site-move guidance recommends permanent server-side redirects mapped from old to new URLs, redirecting to the final destination directly (or keeping chains short), and not sending many unrelated pages to the home page. It advises keeping redirects for as long as possible, generally at least a year, and expects temporary ranking fluctuation during a move. Shopify’s migration guide suggests importing products first, then customers, then historical orders, setting up redirects in advance, and running test orders (including failed payments, refunds and cancellations). Staff who receive new-order notifications may get an email for each imported order, so consider turning those off first. Check both pages again before you launch, because guidance changes.
Inventory the existing store
Export important product, collection, page and article addresses. Add URLs from available search, analytics and backlink records where appropriate.
Record the destination content and whether it is being retained, merged or removed. Keep copies of product information and other business records according to the migration plan.
Shopify’s migration guide is a starting reference for organising the wider move. Confirm the transfer method for each data type instead of assuming one import includes everything.
Map to relevant destinations
Create an old-to-new URL table. Match each old page to the closest genuine replacement. Do not send unrelated discontinued pages to the homepage simply to eliminate an error count.
For a hypothetical homewares store, an old linen collection might map to the new linen collection, while a removed product may need a different decision depending on the available replacement.
Google’s site-move guidance recommends preparing URL mapping and redirects. Search visibility may fluctuate during a move; a migration plan cannot guarantee unchanged rankings.
Test the whole journey
Check representative old URLs, redirect destinations and important internal links. Look for loops, unnecessary chains and redirects to unrelated content.
Then test products, variants, shipping choices, payment and order notifications in the appropriate test environment. A technically correct redirect is not enough if the destination product has the wrong information.
Verify the live domain setup, canonical destinations and intended indexing settings. Keep a rollback or recovery plan appropriate to the migration.
Monitor after launch
Check important pages and customer journeys immediately after the switch. Review errors, orders and available search reporting over time.
Keep the mapping document, test results and issue log. Assign owners rather than leaving each alert for someone else to investigate.
Avoid combining every possible redesign, catalogue and system change into an undocumented launch. When several changes are necessary, record them clearly so faults can be traced.
DonutLabs’ Shopify development service can help coordinate the move. Bring the old URL inventory, product complexity and operational requirements before settling the launch date.
For the wider planning context, read Shopify or WooCommerce: a practical choice for Australian businesses.
