Migrating to Shopify: How to Do It

12. 6. 2026
Migrace na Shopify - jak na to

Shopify migration means moving your existing e-shop – most often from Shoptet, WooCommerce or PrestaShop – to the Shopify platform without losing any data and, above all, without losing your search engine rankings. When the migration is done right, you transfer products, customers, orders and content, point old URLs to the new ones, and ideally your customers won't even notice that the entire technology behind the store has changed.

The fear of losing SEO and of sales downtime is exactly why so many e-shop owners keep putting migration off. In this guide we'll go through everything that carries over to Shopify, how the migration works step by step, how 301 redirects help you keep your rankings on Google and Seznam, how long the switch takes and what it costs – and which mistakes to watch out for.

Key takeaways

  • A Shopify migration transfers products, variants, customers, orders and content without any data loss.
  • 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones preserve roughly 90–99% of SEO value – this is the most important step of the entire migration.
  • With good preparation, the switch happens without any sales downtime.
  • A smaller e-shop is usually done in a few weeks, a complex project in 6–10 weeks.
  • The most common mistake: forgotten redirects and integrations that never get reconnected, such as Heureka, Packeta (Zásilkovna) or accounting.

In this article

What a Shopify migration means and what gets transferred

Migration isn't just “flipping over” the design. It means moving all of your e-shop's content and data to a new platform so that everything connects and keeps working. A Shopify migration typically transfers:

  • Products and variants – names, descriptions, prices, photos, sizes, colors and other attributes, typically via CSV export/import or via the API.
  • Categories and structure – collections and navigation, so customers find products in the same places as before.
  • Customer database – customer accounts and their history, via manual import or a script.
  • Orders – order history for an overview and reporting.
  • Content – blog posts, static pages, banners and other copy.
  • URLs and redirects – mapping old addresses to new ones so you lose neither links nor rankings.

If you're still weighing up whether Shopify is the right platform for you, we recommend starting with our pillar article What Shopify is and how it works and the comparison Shoptet or Shopify.

Why companies migrate to Shopify

There are usually several reasons for switching, and they tend to add up. Clients most often come to us when their current solution starts holding them back – whether in terms of performance, maintenance or the ability to grow.

  • Stability and speed without worrying about servers. Shopify runs in the cloud and takes care of hosting, security, updates and performance for you. A fast website translates directly into conversions.
  • Minimal maintenance. No manual core updates or plugin conflicts like with WooCommerce or PrestaShop.
  • A best-in-class checkout. Shopify's checkout is one of the highest-converting in the world and reduces cart abandonment.
  • Ready for expansion. Multiple languages, multiple currencies and Shopify Markets make it easier to sell abroad from a single admin.
  • A huge app ecosystem. Thousands of integrations and the option to build custom features via Liquid and the API.

For most growing projects, it's the combination of these factors that tips the balance: the more orders you have and the bigger your expansion ambitions, the sooner it pays off to switch to a stable, scalable solution that doesn't hold back your growth with technical limits.

When is the right time to migrate to Shopify

There's no single universal moment, but there are clear signs that it's time to consider switching. If you recognize yourself in some of them, a migration will most likely pay off:

  • Your current e-shop is slow and performance optimization keeps hitting the limits of the platform or hosting.
  • You're paying a lot for maintenance and plugin fixes instead of investing in growth.
  • You want to sell abroad and need multiple currencies, languages and tax regimes.
  • You're hitting feature limits – you need custom elements that your current solution doesn't allow.
  • You're planning a redesign – in that case, migration is the ideal opportunity to combine both into a single project.

Where we most often migrate from

Migrating from Shoptet to Shopify

Shoptet is great for getting a Czech e-shop off the ground, but over time it runs into limits with custom features and international sales. When migrating from Shoptet, we export products, customers and orders, rebuild the categories and, above all, carefully map old URLs to new ones, because the URL structure differs between the two platforms. We pay special attention to Czech specifics – connections to Heureka, Packeta, Balíkobot and Czech accounting and invoicing systems, which we add to Shopify through apps or custom development.

Migrating from WooCommerce to Shopify

WooCommerce is tempting thanks to its low starting cost, but as you grow, so do maintenance, security risks, speed issues and plugin conflicts. Switching to Shopify gets rid of these worries; we transfer the data via export/import and the API and fine-tune the redirects. Because WooCommerce runs on WordPress, we also take care when moving the blog and pages, so that the content part of the website and its search rankings are preserved.

Migrating from PrestaShop to Shopify

PrestaShop is flexible open source, but it's demanding in terms of developer maintenance, hosting and performance optimization. Shopify offers comparable flexibility without the technical overhead – we handle the migration with an emphasis on preserving both the catalog and SEO. For large catalogs with many attributes and variants, we focus on a clean transfer of the product structure, so that nothing gets lost and filtering works on the new e-shop too.

How a Shopify migration works step by step

  1. Analysis and audit of your current e-shop. We map out products, categories, integrations and the most visited and best-ranking pages, and prepare a migration plan.
  2. Data export. We pull products, customers, orders and content from the current platform.
  3. Shopify setup. We set up the store, theme, categories/collections, taxes, shipping and payments.
  4. Data import. We import products, variants, customers and content and check that everything is complete.
  5. Mapping and setting up 301 redirects. We point every important old URL to the corresponding new address.
  6. Reconnecting integrations. Carriers (Packeta, Balíkobot), comparison sites (Heureka), accounting, marketing and analytics.
  7. Testing. We go through the checkout process, payments, shipping, mobile display and redirects.
  8. Launch and post-launch checks. We switch the domain, submit the sitemap to Search Console and monitor indexing and error pages.

Tip: sort out shipping and integrations during the migration itself – for example, connecting carriers through the Balíkobot integration for Shopify saves you rework later on.

SEO during migration: how not to lose your rankings

This is the most important part of the entire migration – and also where most e-shops lose traffic. When you change platforms, your page URLs change, and if the old URLs don't point anywhere, Google runs into 404 errors, links break and rankings drop. The solution is 301 redirects.

A 301 is a permanent redirect that sends both visitors and search engines from the old address to the new one. When implemented correctly, it passes on roughly 90–99% of the SEO value of the original page, so you keep the rankings you worked so hard for. What to focus on during the migration:

  • A complete redirect map. Every indexed page (product, category, article) must have its own 301 to the corresponding new URL. Shopify has a “URL Redirects” tool for this right in the admin.
  • Keeping meta titles and descriptions. We transfer and fine-tune title tags and meta descriptions so no relevance is lost.
  • XML sitemap. Shopify generates the sitemap automatically – after launch, submit it to Google Search Console and Seznam Webmaster.
  • Checking 404s and internal links. After go-live, we go through error pages and fix any remaining links.
  • Post-migration monitoring. During the first weeks we keep an eye on indexing, rankings and any drops so we can react quickly.

Don't forget about Seznam.cz either, the Czech search engine that still holds a significant market share in the Czech Republic. After the migration, submit your sitemap to Seznam Webmaster as well and verify that the new URLs are being indexed there too – the principles of 301 redirects apply equally to both search engines. If you want to take SEO even further, continue with our article SEO for Shopify.

How long a Shopify migration takes and what it costs

Both the timeline and the price depend on the size of the e-shop, the number of products, the number of integrations and the quality of the input data. A smaller e-shop is usually done within a few weeks, a more complex project typically in six to ten weeks. With good preparation, the switch happens without any sales downtime – we only launch the new site once everything has been tested.

The price is based on scope: how much data is being transferred, how complex the structure is and how many integrations and custom features need to be rebuilt. We'll be happy to prepare a specific estimate for you during a no-obligation consultation after analyzing your e-shop.

Step-by-step migration checklist

Before you start the switch, go through this checklist. It will help you make sure nothing is missed – whether you handle the migration yourself or with an agency.

  • Before the migration: a complete e-shop audit, a list of your best-ranking pages, an export of products, customers and orders, and an inventory of all integrations and feeds.
  • Shopify setup: configuring the store, theme, collections, taxes (including VAT), shipping and payment methods for the Czech and Slovak markets.
  • Data transfer: importing products and variants, checking photos, descriptions and attributes, importing customers and content.
  • SEO and redirects: a 301 redirect map for all indexed URLs, transfer of meta titles and descriptions, a check of canonical URLs.
  • Integrations: reconnecting carriers, comparison sites, accounting, email marketing and analytics (GA4, GTM).
  • Testing: the complete checkout process, payments, shipping, mobile display and working redirects.
  • Launch: switching the domain, submitting the sitemap to Search Console and Seznam Webmaster.

What to do right after launch (the first 30 days)

A migration doesn't end at launch – the first few weeks are crucial for getting the new e-shop properly indexed and keeping your rankings. What to focus on:

  • Monitor indexing. In Google Search Console, check whether Google is replacing old URLs with new ones and whether 404 errors are piling up.
  • Watch rankings and traffic. A slight temporary dip is normal after a migration; what matters is that it levels out within a few weeks. Track the trend in your analytics and in a rank-tracking tool (e.g. Collabim).
  • Check redirects. Go through your most visited old URLs and verify that they lead to the correct new pages.
  • Verify tracking. Make sure GA4, GTM and conversion goals are actually collecting data.
  • Gather feedback. Ask customers and colleagues about any issues in the checkout process that didn't show up during testing.

The most common migration mistakes (and how to avoid them)

  • Forgotten 301 redirects. The most expensive mistake – it leads to ranking drops and 404 errors. Solution: a complete redirect map before launch.
  • Incomplete data transfer. Missing variants, photos or attributes. Solution: a completeness check after the import.
  • Forgotten integrations. Heureka, Packeta, accounting or feeds must be reconnected after the migration.
  • Launching without testing. An untested checkout or payment setup means lost orders on day one.
  • No post-launch monitoring. Without checking indexing and rankings, problems are discovered too late.

Why hand your migration over to a Shopify agency

A migration is a one-off but technically demanding undertaking where mistakes are costly – especially SEO mistakes. As a Shopify agency, we have a team that does migrations again and again: we know where data gets lost, how to build a complete redirect map and how to reconnect Czech services. We take care of the entire switch, from the audit to post-launch checks, and keep developing your e-shop afterwards. You can find out more about our approach on the Shopify e-shop development page.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Will I lose my search engine rankings when migrating to Shopify?

Not if the migration is done correctly. The key is 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones, which pass on roughly 90–99% of SEO value. It's also important to keep your meta tags and to submit the sitemap to Search Console after launch.

Will my e-shop be offline during the migration?

No. We prepare and test the migration in the background and only switch the domain once the new e-shop is finished and tested, so there's no sales downtime.

What gets transferred?

Products and variants, categories, the customer database, orders and content (articles, pages). We also carry over the URL structure in the form of redirects.

How long does a migration take?

A smaller e-shop is usually done in a few weeks, a more complex project typically in six to ten weeks. It depends on the number of products and integrations and on the quality of the data.

Do you migrate from Shoptet, WooCommerce and PrestaShop?

Yes. These are the three most common platforms our clients move to Shopify from. We tailor the process to the specific data source.

What happens to my Heureka, Packeta and accounting integrations?

We reconnect the integrations after the migration so your e-shop works just as smoothly as before – including carriers, comparison sites and invoicing.

Will my old links and backlinks from other websites be preserved?

Yes, that's exactly what 301 redirects are for. Links from other websites and saved bookmarks will keep working, because we point the old addresses to the new ones, so you lose neither traffic nor link equity.

Can I improve the design and features during the migration?

Absolutely. A migration is the ideal opportunity to modernize your website – roll out a new theme, improve the UX or add custom features. But we always do it in a way that doesn't hurt SEO and preserves the key structure.

Planning a migration to Shopify?

We'll help you move to Shopify without losing data or rankings. Take a look at our Shopify e-shop development and migration service or book a free consultation right away – we'll analyze your store and propose a tailored migration plan.

Sources

Author: Miroslav Volovec, CEO of 3NODE Software s.r.o. — specialists in developing and migrating e-shops on the Shopify platform.