How do you transfer an online store? The complete migration guide

Moving an online store is an opportunity but also a considerable risk. If the process is carried out correctly, it may have a positive impact, for example, on SEO activities. Stay with us and check out our migration guide, which will help you learn what issues you must handle.

1. Choosing the right platform

Migration is supposed to be a change for the better. That is why the new software must be technologically more effective and efficient than the previous one. This critical issue is best discussed with specialists – they will most likely indicate optimal solutions. An example of recommended software, especially for larger stores, is Magento. Magento implementation can bring significant profits to the company if it is carried out with the support of experts experienced in such activities.

The new software should also enable easy management of product information. In this regard, experts recommend, among others, Akeneo PIM, an ideal solution for companies planning expansion and significant expansion of the article database.

2. Planning the migration time

Haste is never a good thing when migrating an online store. However, the right moment to make such a change is also essential. It is best to choose a time when sales drop, i.e. the so-called dead season. Of course, most stores operate year-round and have sales throughout the year. However, choosing a period during the sales peak may result in losses this season and the loss of previously loyal customers.

3. Assembly of the project team

Migration requires time and the cooperation of many people with different skills. The knowledge of not only developers is necessary but also of marketers, salespeople, copywriters, SEO specialists (we will tell you more about them in the section below), and people who will supervise the project. The role of the project manager, who should lead the migration process, is also crucial. It should be appointed before the process begins and not only when it is in progress.

4. Support from SEO specialists

The organic channel from the Google search engine is an essential traffic source for most online stores. If the migration is not planned correctly, you can unfortunately expect significant drops in the position of key phrases and, therefore, reduced sales. But that’s not what we care about.

Therefore, the migration process should be planned so that the new website is immediately well-optimized for SEO.

The most important things to think about are:

• implementation of optimised meta tags,
• transfer of content from category descriptions, subpages and blog texts,
• code optimization for H1, H2 and H3 headers,
• implementation of the correct sitemap.xml file,
• correct redirection of old addresses to new ones.

These are just some of the issues that need to be addressed. Therefore, programmers must cooperate with the SEO team to ensure the migration occurs without traffic losses.

5. Trust in experience

Transferring an online store is a complex process. Therefore, it is worth it to trust teams that perform such activities regularly and have experience. That’s why we recommend using Exorigo-Upos support. We offer not only e-commerce solutions but also migrations of large online stores.

Migration is the perfect time to boost your online store! For this purpose, we recommend a solution such as Product Loader, which allows for efficient, fast and trouble-free import of large amounts of product data.

How do you transfer an online store? First of all, in a thoughtful and well-planned way. Please get in touch with us directly to learn more about this process and utilise our experience.

Tip: Need more advice on running e-commerce effectively? Check what recovery of abandoned carts in an online store looks like and why it is so important.