Shopify Migration Redirect Checklist

A store migration changes more than the homepage. Product links, collection links, articles, and campaign URLs can all have different destinations after launch. Build a redirect map while you still have access to the old store, and treat storefront testing as part of the launch.

Before launch: inventory the URLs people use

Give one person responsibility for the redirect map. Combine available sources rather than relying on a single crawl:

• The old site’s sitemap and a crawl of its public pages.
• Landing pages from your analytics reports.
• Search Console pages and inbound links you can identify.
• Product, collection, and article exports from the old platform.
• URLs used in ads, emails, QR codes, and support articles.

Prioritize URLs with meaningful traffic, sales, or links, but keep the full inventory for review. Save a copy of the old sitemap and redirect list before the platform or hosting account changes.

Separate the domain move from the path move

Record both the old hostname and the old path. A Shopify path rule only helps requests that reach the relevant storefront. If the old domain stays on another host, you need a redirect plan there as well. Coordinate domain ownership, DNS, HTTPS, and any host-level redirects with the person responsible for infrastructure.

If you are keeping the same domain and moving it to Shopify, test the old paths after that domain points to the new storefront. If the domain also changes, test the complete old URL, not just its path on the new domain.

Map each old URL to a useful new destination

Use a spreadsheet with the old full URL, proposed destination, reason, owner, and test result. Group rows into unchanged, moved, consolidated, and removed without a replacement.

For example:

• /items/linen-shirt.html → /products/linen-shirt when this is the same product.
• /category/summer → /collections/summer when this is the corresponding collection.
• /delivery-information → /pages/shipping when the shipping information moved.

Do not add a redirect simply because a URL appears in the inventory. An unchanged page needs no move rule. A removed page with no useful replacement may appropriately remain a 404 rather than sending visitors somewhere unrelated.

Avoid sending all old pages to the homepage. Google’s site-move guidance recommends relevant destinations and direct redirects to the final page. A redirect map helps people reach the right content; it does not guarantee unchanged search rankings.

Choose the redirect method for each group

Use Shopify’s native redirects for eligible broken storefront paths. Use an HTTP permanent redirect for a permanent move wherever your hosting or platform allows it. See Shopify’s migration guidance and Google’s redirect guidance.

For supported live storefront pages, TML URL Redirect can navigate visitors through its theme app embed. Treat that browser behavior separately from a native server-side 301. Read the redirect troubleshooting guide before choosing the rule type.

Use the native CSV import guide for Shopify’s two-column format. For app-managed rules, use the template provided in the app and review sync results. Export your existing rules first and test a small representative batch.

Launch day: test the complete journey

Assign an owner to each of these checks and keep the results with your mapping:

1. New pages: open important product, collection, and information pages directly. Verify that the intended content is published and available.
2. Old links: visit each critical old URL and confirm the final destination.
3. Responses: check the initial redirect status and any additional hops. Test browser handling separately if a rule depends on the app embed.
4. Markets: test the language subfolders and domains your customers use.
5. Campaigns: test a sample of actual email and advertising URLs, including their query strings.
6. Theme: confirm the required app embed is enabled in the published theme if you rely on it.
7. Navigation: update your own menus and content links to use the final URLs directly.

Keep the person who manages the domain available during launch. A DNS, certificate, or host routing issue cannot be resolved by changing a CSV path rule.

After launch: monitor and repair the remaining gaps

Submit the new sitemap in Search Console and review indexing and failed URL reports as new data arrives. Use storefront checks and support reports too; Search Console is not an immediate list of every visitor’s broken link.

For each new issue, record the exact URL, choose a relevant destination when one exists, add or correct the rule, and retest. Update internal links and campaign destinations so future visitors do not need the redirect at all.

Google recommends keeping migration redirects for at least a year, and longer can help visitors with old bookmarks or links. Search visibility can fluctuate while URLs are recrawled and reindexed. See Google’s post-move guidance.

Keep a targeted recovery plan

Save the approved mapping, the imported files, and the pre-launch export. If a new rule sends people to the wrong page, use those records to restore that mapping and retest it. Do not delete the entire redirect set to fix one failing row.

For a broader launch failure, coordinate a recovery with the people responsible for the domain, theme, and store data. Changing redirect rules alone is not a complete migration rollback.

Explore TML URL Redirect for app-based rule management, or use our support page when you have a specific source and destination to investigate.