Every successful eCommerce migration follows the same proven blueprint. While 80% of businesses lose significant traffic during platform changes, the 20% that thrive aren't just lucky, they're methodical. This comprehensive guide provides the exact checklist used by enterprise brands to not only maintain their SEO equity but also dramatically improve it.
Whether you're moving to Shopify, Shopify Plus, or any modern eCommerce platform, this step-by-step framework will help you join the elite group that sees revenue increase post-migration instead of the devastating losses that plague rushed implementations.
Phase 1: Pre-Migration Audit & Planning
(8-12 weeks before launch)
SEO Equity Assessment
✅ Comprehensive Site Crawl
- Use Screaming Frog or Semrush to crawl your entire site
- Export complete URL inventory with response codes
- Document all existing redirects and redirect chains
- Identify orphaned pages and broken internal links
- Map out current site architecture and navigation flow
✅ Traffic & Performance Baseline
- Export 12 months of Google Analytics data by landing page
- Download Search Console performance data for all pages
- Document current keyword rankings using tools like Semrush or Ahrefs
- Calculate revenue attribution for top-performing organic pages
- Screenshot current Core Web Vitals scores
✅ Content & Metadata Inventory
- Export all page titles, meta descriptions, and H1 tags
- Document existing schema markup implementations
- Catalog all image alt text and file names
- Map out internal linking structure and anchor text usage
- List all canonical tags and their purposes
✅ Technical SEO Audit
- Review robots.txt file and sitemap structure
- Identify all 404 errors and server issues
- Document current URL structure and naming conventions
- List all parameters and faceted navigation systems
- Check international SEO setup (hreflang, domains, subdirectories)
Platform-Specific Planning
✅ Shopify Constraint Analysis
- Map current URLs to Shopify's required structure (/products/, /collections/, /pages/)
- Plan for the 255-character URL limit
- Identify products appearing in multiple collections (duplicate content risk)
- Plan redirect strategy within Shopify's 100,000 redirect maximum
- Design workarounds for robots.txt limitations
✅ Performance Planning
- Set Core Web Vitals targets (LCP <2.5s, INP <200ms, CLS <0.1)
- Plan image optimization strategy for faster loading
- Design mobile-first responsive layouts
- Plan JavaScript optimisation for better INP scores
- Consider CDN implementation for global performance
Phase 2: URL Mapping & Redirect Strategy
(4-6 weeks before launch)
URL Mapping Strategy
✅ Complete URL Inventory
- Create a spreadsheet with old URL → new URL mappings
- Ensure every important page has a specific destination
- Avoid many-to-one redirects that destroy ranking signals
- Plan for URL variations (with/without trailing slashes, www/non-www)
- Document any URLs that will be consolidated or discontinued
✅ Redirect Implementation Planning
- Prioritise redirects by traffic volume and revenue impact
- Use 301 redirects for permanent moves (preserve SEO equity)
- Plan regex patterns for bulk redirects where appropriate
- Test redirect chains to avoid multiple hops
- Create backup redirect files for emergency use
✅ Internal Linking Strategy
- Map out new site architecture and navigation
- Plan internal linking to distribute PageRank effectively
- Ensure important pages aren't buried more than 3 clicks deep
- Design breadcrumb structure for better user experience
- Plan contextual linking within content
Content Migration Planning
✅ Metadata Transfer Strategy
- Map existing titles and descriptions to the new page structure
- Optimise metadata for Shopify's character limits and requirements
- Plan schema markup implementation (Product, Organisation, BreadcrumbList)
- Design rich snippet strategy for enhanced SERP visibility
- Create templates for consistent metadata across product categories
✅ Image Optimisation
- Plan alt text migration and optimisation
- Design an image compression strategy for faster loading
- Consider WebP format implementation for better performance
- Plan image sizing strategy for different device types
- Create a naming convention for SEO-friendly image URLs
Phase 3: Technical Implementation
(2-4 weeks before launch)
Platform Setup & Configuration
✅ Shopify SEO Settings
- Configure basic SEO settings in the Shopify admin
- Set up Google Analytics 4 and Search Console
- Install necessary SEO apps (redirects, schema, optimisation)
- Configure sitemap generation and submission
- Set up robots.txt alternatives within Shopify constraints
✅ Theme & Template Optimisation
- Ensure clean HTML structure and semantic markup
- Implement proper heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3)
- Optimise template loading speed and JavaScript execution
- Ensure mobile-responsive design meets Google standards
- Test cross-browser compatibility and device rendering
✅ Content Management System Setup
- Create content templates that maintain SEO best practices
- Set up automated metadata generation where appropriate
- Configure URL structure and slug generation
- Plan for bulk content import with preserved formatting
- Test content editing workflows for non-technical users
Performance Optimisation
✅ Core Web Vitals Optimisation
- Optimise Largest Contentful Paint through image and CSS optimisation
- Minimise Interaction to Next Paint with efficient JavaScript
- Reduce Cumulative Layout Shift through proper image sizing
- Implement lazy loading for images and non-critical resources
- Test performance across different devices and connection speeds
✅ Mobile Optimisation
- Ensure mobile-first responsive design
- Test touch interactions and button sizing
- Optimise for various screen sizes and orientations
- Verify mobile page speed meets performance targets
- Test mobile usability in Google's Mobile-Friendly Test
✅ Development Team Collaboration
- We work together with our Digital team for technical implementation tasks
- Coordinate custom theme development and functionality requirements
- Ensure smooth integration of third-party apps and services
- Collaborate on complex redirect implementations and URL structures
- Align on performance optimisation strategies and testing protocols
Phase 4: Pre-Launch Testing
(1-2 weeks before launch)
Staging Environment Validation
✅ Technical Testing
- Crawl staging site to identify technical issues
- Test all redirects and verify proper status codes
- Validate metadata and schema markup implementation
- Check internal linking and navigation functionality
- Test form submissions and eCommerce functionality
✅ Performance Testing
- Run Core Web Vitals tests on sample pages
- Test loading speeds across different device types
- Verify image optimisation and compression
- Test JavaScript functionality and rendering
- Validate CDN configuration and asset delivery
✅ SEO Functionality Testing
- Verify all pages are crawlable and indexable
- Test sitemap generation and accessibility
- Check robots.txt equivalent functionality
- Validate structured data with Google's Rich Results Test
- Test the international SEO setup if applicable
Content & User Experience Testing
✅ Content Verification
- Verify all content migrated correctly
- Check formatting and media display
- Test search functionality and filters
- Verify product information accuracy
- Test checkout and user account functionality
✅ Cross-Browser & Device Testing
- Test major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- Verify mobile and tablet functionality
- Test various screen resolutions and orientations
- Check accessibility compliance (WCAG guidelines)
- Validate user experience flows
Phase 5: Launch Day Execution
Go-Live Checklist
✅ Final Pre-Launch Verification
- Complete final staging site crawl
- Verify all redirects are properly implemented
- Check DNS configuration and SSL certificates
- Test payment processing and checkout functionality
- Verify Google Analytics and tracking implementation
✅ Launch Sequence
- Update DNS records to point to the new site
- Submit updated sitemap to Search Console
- Monitor server response codes and error rates
- Test sample user journeys and conversion funnels
- Verify all tracking and analytics are functioning
✅ Immediate Post-Launch Actions
- Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors
- Check Google Analytics for traffic patterns
- Verify redirect functionality with sample URLs
- Test site speed and Core Web Vitals scores
- Monitor for any broken functionality or user reports
Communication & Monitoring
✅ Team Communication
- Notify all stakeholders of the successful launch
- Share monitoring dashboard access with relevant team members
- Document any immediate issues and the resolution timeline
- Schedule first post-launch review meeting
- Prepare status update for the executive team
Phase 6: Post-Launch Monitoring & Optimisation
(First 8 weeks)
Week 1-2: Critical Issue Resolution
✅ Daily Monitoring
- Check Google Search Console for crawl errors daily
- Monitor organic traffic patterns in Google Analytics
- Track Core Web Vitals performance
- Review server error logs for technical issues
- Monitor user feedback and support tickets
✅ Issue Identification & Resolution
- Fix any redirect errors or missing pages immediately
- Resolve server errors and performance issues
- Update sitemap if new pages are discovered
- Address any broken functionality reported by users
- Optimise any pages showing performance problems
Week 3-4: Performance Optimisation
✅ SEO Performance Analysis
- Compare organic traffic to the pre-migration baseline
- Track keyword ranking changes
- Monitor click-through rates from search results
- Analyse user behaviour patterns on key pages
- Identify pages needing additional optimisation
✅ Technical Refinements
- Optimise any pages failing Core Web Vitals targets
- Refine internal linking based on user behaviour data
- Update metadata based on search performance
- Implement additional schema markup where beneficial
- Fine-tune mobile performance and usability
Week 5-8: Growth & Expansion
✅ Performance Evaluation
- Conduct a comprehensive performance review against the baseline
- Identify successful strategies for expansion
- Document lessons learned and process improvements
- Plan additional optimisation initiatives
- Prepare a success metrics report for stakeholders
✅ Ongoing Optimisation
- Implement additional SEO improvements based on data
- Expand successful content strategies
- Optimise conversion funnels based on user behaviour
- Plan future feature additions and improvements
- Establish an ongoing monitoring and optimisation schedule
Emergency Procedures & Rollback Planning
Issue Escalation
✅ Critical Issue Response
- Define criteria for critical issues (>30% traffic drop, site down, major functionality broken)
- Establish emergency contact procedures
- Document rollback procedures and requirements
- Maintain old site backup for 6 months minimum
- Plan a communication strategy for major issues
✅ Recovery Procedures
- Create a detailed rollback checklist
- Document DNS reversion procedures
- Plan redirect management for the rollback scenario
- Establish data backup and recovery processes
- Define success criteria for recovery completion
Your Migration Success Starts Here
This comprehensive checklist represents the cumulative knowledge from hundreds of successful eCommerce migrations. The brands that follow this methodology consistently achieve revenue improvements while avoiding the devastating losses that plague rushed implementations.
Need expert guidance through your migration? As Australia and New Zealand's first Shopify Platinum Partner, MindArc has perfected this process through 250+ successful client migrations. Our team can help you execute every step of this checklist while avoiding the common pitfalls that destroy SEO equity.
Need support with your SEO migration? Book your free consultation to get guidance for your specific situation.