Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2

Migrating from Magento 1 to Magento 2 is not easy – it requires a lot of planning, a strategic approach, and often the support of experienced specialists. Still, you must be aware that this is an essential process for any company that wants to maintain the competitiveness and security of its online store. Why? Magento 1 was discontinued by Adobe in 2020, which means that security updates and technical support are no longer available. Magento 1 to 2 migration means higher performance, better UX and CX, new functionalities, and appropriate security.

Magento 1 by 2 Migration: Preparation

Unfortunately, Magento migration is not just a simple click of a button somewhere within the admin panel – it is a whole process you must prepare adequately. Magento migration requires a solid plan.

First, it is worth auditing the current store to identify all the elements needing migration. This includes themes, modules, customer data, orders, and a product catalogue.

Tip: It is advisable to update Magento 1 to the latest version before migration.

What about the theme?

Themes from Magento 1 are incompatible with Magento 2, meaning they have to be implemented from scratch. If you have a custom-designed theme, ask your designer about the next steps. Sometimes, simple changes to the code are enough; in other cases, it will be more complicated. Don’t forget to test – your new theme must work properly on all devices and browsers.

Extensions and modules

Unfortunately, the situation is similar: many Magento 1 extensions do not have direct equivalents in Magento 2, and your current modules will not work there. Fortunately, we have a few strategies to get around this:

If analogous modules for Magento 2 are present, find them and prepare them for implementation after migration.

In case of incompatibility, find other extensions that offer similar functionality.

There is also option number three: creating custom solutions where necessary. Sometimes, tailor-made extensions and motifs are the best option!

Migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2. Stages

If you want a smooth transition between the different stages of the migration, stick to the plan. Below are our suggestions for the next steps.

Making a backup

The most important step! Before migrating, back up all your files, folders, and databases.

Magento 2 Installation

Remember it should be the latest version (not Magento 2.0, but e.g. 2.4.7). This version ensures security and compliance, which are critical elements for the smooth operation of the store. The fewer variables and risk points, the better!

Migrate your template, extensions, and data

As we wrote earlier – you can’t directly transfer themes and templates to Magento 2. Therefore, prepare them in advance (as described above) and be ready to implement them at this stage. The next stage will be to transfer data from the old version of the platform. This includes data such as:

• customer information,
• order data,
• Products
• Categories
• Content
• Payment.

Tests

After migration, you should thoroughly test the new platform. Check that all features are working correctly, and if you have any problems, fix them immediately. The longer a store is offline, the worse it is for your sales and SEO!

Platform implementation

The final stage of the migration is to launch the platform in production. It would be best if you remembered here, m.in. Regarding the proper configuration of the server and removing the cap,

• Necessary redirects: Make sure you don’t forget about the redirects! They are essential in SEO, so the website does not observe drops after migration. These are:
• 301 redirects. Establishment of permanent 301 redirects from Magento 1 to new Magento 2 URLs.
• Updating the sitemap. Update your sitemap.xml file so search engines can index the new page structure.
• Monitoring of 404 errors. Observe (e.g. in Google Search Console) if there are 404 errors, and if so – quickly add appropriate redirects where necessary.

Magento migration support. What do you need?

Magento 1 for 2 migration is a complex and time-consuming task – it is not difficult to make mistakes and stumbles. As you can see, it requires specialist knowledge and experience managing large e-commerce projects. Therefore, if you are not one hundred per cent % sure you know what to do and when, consider working with a company specializing in Magento migrations and implementations, such as Exorigo-Upos. Professional support with Magento migration guarantees that the process will go smoothly and that all potential problems will be solved quickly and effectively.