Migrate Products from WooCommerce to Shopify: Shifting Gears

migrate products from woocommerce to shopify

Is your WooCommerce store has reached its limit? If you’re facing slow speeds or limits on growth, it might be time to consider a shift to Shopify, like many other merchants do.

Shifting your whole store to a new platform, however, is not easy. There are many questions, potential issues, and a lot of time and effort required. It’s common to worry about losing important product details, customer information, and your current SEO standing.

But don’t worry! This blog is your compass to migrate products from WooCommerce to Shopify. We’ll provide you with the knowledge and tools to make this transition while keeping your valuable data safe and preserving your SEO achievements.

Product Data: What You Can/Can’t Migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify

When stores migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify, it’s essential to understand what product data can and cannot be migrated. This knowledge will help them prepare your data for migration and ensure that you do not lose any critical information during the process.

Here are some of the product data you can migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify:

  1. Product title: The product title is one of the most crucial pieces of information for any product. You can easily migrate the product title from WooCommerce to Shopify.
  2. Product description: Product descriptions provide detailed information about your product, including features, benefits, and other relevant information. You can migrate your product descriptions from WooCommerce to Shopify.
  3. Product images: Images are essential for any online store. You can migrate your product images from WooCommerce to Shopify, including the primary product image and additional images.
  4. Product variations: If you have products with variations, such as different colors or sizes, you can migrate them from WooCommerce to Shopify.
  5. Product pricing: Your product pricing, including regular and sale prices, can be migrated from WooCommerce to Shopify.
  6. Product inventory: You can migrate your product inventory levels from WooCommerce to Shopify, which will ensure that your product inventory is up-to-date after migration.

On the other hand, there are some product data that cannot be migrated from WooCommerce to Shopify manually. However, you can still migrate them by using some migration apps or hiring professional migration experts who have experience with the WooCommerce to Shopify migration process.

For example, some product data that cannot be migrated manually from WooCommerce to Shopify include:

  1. Reviews and ratings: Shopify does not have built-in review and rating functionality. Therefore, you cannot migrate your product reviews and ratings from WooCommerce to Shopify.
  2. Custom fields: WooCommerce allows you to add custom fields to your products. However, Shopify does not have this functionality, so you cannot migrate your custom fields.
  3. Product attributes: WooCommerce allows you to add product attributes to your products, such as color, size, or material. Shopify has a similar feature called “options,” but they are not interchangeable, so you cannot migrate your product attributes directly.

Pre-Migration Preparations

woocommerce to shopify product migration

Before you begin migrating your products, it’s crucial to take the following steps:

  1. Review and clean up your product data: It’s essential to ensure that your product data is accurate, consistent, and complete before migrating it to Shopify. Check that all information, such as product descriptions, images, and pricing, is up-to-date and matches your current inventory.
  2. Identify the products to migrate: It can be overwhelming to migrate all your products at once, so it’s advisable to start with your top-selling products and then move on to the rest. This approach will also help you focus on the most important products for your business.
  3. Map out your product and category structure: Creating a map of your product and category structure will help you organize your products effectively in Shopify. This map will ensure that your products are displayed in the correct categories and collections, making it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.
  4. Choose a migration method: There are various ways to migrate your products, and you need to choose the option that best suits your needs and budget. Some options include manual migration, using migration apps, or hiring a migration expert. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to research and choose wisely.
  5. Test your migration: Before starting the migration process, it’s crucial to test it first. You can test by migrating a few products first to check if everything is working correctly. This test will help you identify any issues that need to be fixed before migrating all your products.

Exporting WooCommerce Product Data

Before you migrate products from WooCommerce to Shopify, your existing data must be exported. WooCommerce provides a built-in tool to export data in CSV format.

1. Exporting product data from WooCommerce (CSV)

export products from woocommerce
export products to a csv file

To export your product data from WooCommerce, follow these steps:

  • Login to your WooCommerce dashboard and go to the Products tab.
  • Click on the Export button.
  • Select the fields you want to include in your export (e.g.: ID, Type, SKU, Name, Published…) or simply leave it as Export all columns. It’s recommended to include all fields to ensure that you have all the necessary information for Shopify.
  • Select the products you want to export or leave it as Export all products.
  • Click on the Generate CSV button, and allow a few seconds for the file to be created. Once the file is ready, you can download it to your computer.

2. Understanding the product data format for Shopify

Shopify has its own product data format, which is different from WooCommerce. Before importing your data to Shopify, you need to organize and format your exported data to match Shopify’s format.

Here are the fields required by Shopify for product data import:

  • Title
  • Body (HTML)
  • Vendor
  • Type
  • Tags
  • Published
  • Option1 Name
  • Option1 Value
  • SKU
  • Barcode
  • Image Src
  • Image Alt Text
  • Variant Image
  • Variant Weight Unit
  • Variant Taxable
  • Variant Inventory Tracker
  • Variant Inventory Qty
  • Variant Inventory Policy
  • Variant Fulfillment Service
  • Variant Price
  • Variant Compare At Price
  • Variant Requires Shipping
  • Variant Weight

3. Organizing your exported product data for Shopify

After exporting the product data from WooCommerce, you need to organize the data in the correct format for Shopify. You can use a spreadsheet editor like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to edit and organize the data.

Here are some tips to help you organize your exported product data for Shopify:

  • Make sure that the required fields for Shopify are included in the exported CSV file.
  • Rename the WooCommerce fields to match the required Shopify fields.
  • Remove any unnecessary fields from the CSV file.
  • Check the data format of each field to ensure that it’s in the correct format for Shopify.
  • Ensure that all product images are in the correct format and are optimized for Shopify.

Importing WooCommerce Product Data To Shopify

Once you have exported and organized your product data, it’s time to import the data into Shopify. Shopify provides a built-in tool for importing product data in CSV format.

1. Importing product data to Shopify

import woocommerce to shopify

To import your product data to Shopify, follow these steps:

  • Login to your Shopify admin and go to the Products tab.
  • Click on the Import button.
  • Click on Add File and select the CSV file that you exported from WooCommerce.
  • Select the Overwrite existing products that have the same handle option to avoid creating duplicate products.
  • Click on Upload and continue.

Once you have imported the product data into Shopify, it’s important to check for any import errors and fix any issues that may arise. Shopify provides an error report that highlights any errors encountered during the import process.

2. Checking for import errors and fixing any issues

After importing the product data, it’s important to check for any import errors and fix any issues that may arise. Shopify provides an error report that highlights any errors encountered during the import process.

Here are some common issues that may occur during the import process:

  • Duplicate products: If you have not selected the Overwrite existing products that have the same handle option, Shopify will create duplicate products. To fix this, you need to delete the duplicate products manually.
  • Missing data: If any required fields are missing in the CSV file, Shopify will skip those products during the import process. Check your CSV file to ensure that all required fields are included.
  • Invalid data format: If any data fields are not in the correct format, Shopify will skip those products during the import process. Check the data format of each field to ensure that it’s in the correct format for Shopify.

3. Verifying product information and images on Shopify

After importing your product data, it’s important to verify that all your product information and images are correctly displayed on your Shopify store. Check your product pages to ensure that all the information is accurate and complete, and that your product images are displaying correctly.

SEO Migration From WooCommerce To Shopify

seo migration from woocommerce to shopify

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial to the success of any e-commerce website. It helps ensure that your website ranks highly on search engine results pages, which in turn can drive traffic and sales to your store. When you migrate products from WooCommerce to Shopify, it’s essential to migrate your SEO value as well.

Understanding how URLs work in WooCommerce and Shopify

WooCommerce and Shopify have different URL structures, so it’s essential to understand how they work to ensure that your product URLs are properly redirected. WooCommerce URLs are typically structured as follows:

www.yourstore.com/product-name

Shopify URLs, on the other hand, are structured like this:

www.yourstore.com/products/product-name

When you migrate your product data from WooCommerce to Shopify, you need to ensure that your product URLs are redirected to their new location on Shopify. This is important because if you don’t redirect your URLs, search engines will see them as broken links and may remove them from their index.

Redirecting WooCommerce product URLs to Shopify product URLs

To redirect your WooCommerce product URLs to their corresponding product URLs on Shopify, you need to create 301 redirects. A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that tells search engines and web browsers that the content has moved to a new location.

You can create 301 redirects by using the Shopify URL Redirects tool. To do this, go to your Shopify admin panel and click on Online Store > Navigation. From there, click on URL Redirects and then Add URL Redirect.

In the From field, enter the old WooCommerce URL (e.g., /product-name). In the To field, enter the new Shopify URL (e.g., /products/product-name). Click Save to create the redirect.

Transferring meta descriptions, title tags, and alt text for products

Meta descriptions, title tags, and alt text are important elements of on-page SEO. They help search engines understand the content on your page and can improve your search engine rankings.

To migrate these elements from WooCommerce to Shopify, you need to ensure that they are included in your product data export. When you export your product data from WooCommerce, ensure that the “Meta Description”, “Title”, and “Image Alt Text” fields are included.

When you import your product data into Shopify, these elements should be automatically transferred. However, it’s important to review each product to ensure that the information was imported correctly.

Post-Migration Checklist

post migration checklist

Once you successfully migrate products from WooCommerce to Shopify, performing a post-migration checklist is highly recommended to ensure that everything is working as expected. Here are some important things to check:

  1. Verify product details, categories, and collections: Check that all your products, categories, and collections have been migrated correctly to Shopify. Verify that product descriptions, prices, and images have been imported accurately. Ensure that your products are displayed in the correct categories and collections.
  2. Verify Google Analytics tracking: Make sure that your Google Analytics tracking is still working correctly after the migration. Check that all conversion tracking and eCommerce tracking codes are still active on your Shopify site.
  3. Test site speed and fix any issues: Test your site speed after the migration to ensure that it has not been negatively affected. A slow site speed can harm your SEO ranking and lead to poor user experience. Use a site speed tool to check the speed of your website and identify any issues. Common issues that can slow down your site speed include large image file sizes, unoptimized code, and poor hosting. If you notice any issues, fix them as soon as possible.
  4. Verify SEO settings: Check your SEO settings after the migration to ensure that your website’s SEO is still intact. Verify that your website’s metadata, titles, and descriptions are still in place. Ensure that any 301 redirects from your old WooCommerce site to your new Shopify site are working correctly.
  5. Test checkout and payment processes: Test your checkout and payment processes to ensure that they are working correctly. Make sure that customers can add products to their cart, checkout, and make a payment without any issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

import products to shopify

Will my product images be migrated to Shopify?

Yes, your product images will be migrated to Shopify as long as you have correctly exported and imported your product data using CSV files.

Can I migrate my product reviews and ratings from WooCommerce to Shopify?

Shopify does not have built-in review and rating functionality, so you cannot migrate your product reviews and ratings directly. However, you can use some migration apps or hire a professional migration expert to transfer this data.

What happens to my product URLs after the migration?

Your product URLs may change after the migration, but you can set up URL redirects in Shopify to ensure that your customers are directed to the correct page.

How do I ensure that my product descriptions are properly formatted for Shopify?

You can use the Shopify product description editor to format your product descriptions, or you can use HTML tags to format your descriptions before importing them into Shopify.

Do I need to manually update my product data after the migration is complete?

It’s recommended that you review your product data after the migration and make any necessary updates, such as correcting formatting or updating product descriptions. However, you do not need to manually update all of your product data.

Can I migrate my product tags from WooCommerce to Shopify?

Yes, you can migrate your product tags from WooCommerce to Shopify by exporting and importing your product data using CSV files.

How do I handle product options in Shopify if they are different from my options in WooCommerce?

You can map your WooCommerce product options to the corresponding options in Shopify during the export and import process using CSV files.

What happens if some of my product data is missing during the migration?

If any required fields are missing in the CSV file, Shopify will skip those products during the import process. Check your CSV file to ensure that all required fields are included.

How can I check if my product data has been migrated successfully?

After the migration, you can check your Shopify store to verify that all of your products, categories, and collections have been migrated correctly. You can also use the Shopify error report to identify any issues encountered during the import process.

Final Words

Migrating your products from WooCommerce to Shopify can be a challenging task, but it is necessary to ensure your business runs smoothly. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully migrate products from WooCommerce to Shopify without losing any important SEO value or product data.

Make sure to review your product data, identify the data you need to migrate, and map out your product and category structure. Then, use a migration app, hire a migration expert, or use Shopify’s built-in tool to import your data. Don’t forget to migrate your SEO value and check for any post-migration issues, such as verifying Google Analytics tracking and testing your site speed.

By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to a successful migration to Shopify, and your customers will appreciate the improved shopping experience. That said, if you need any help during the process, feel free to reach out to us!

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