HOW TO MIGRATE FROM SHOPIFY TO WOOCOMMERCE IN THE UK

Migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce can feel like a big step but for many UK business owners, it’s a smart move toward greater flexibility, lower costs, and complete control over their online store. WooCommerce, built on WordPress, gives you full ownership of your data, endless customization options, and access to thousands of plugins tailored for UK markets.

Here Skylineseo.pk will take you through every stage of the migration process, from exporting your Shopify products and customers to configuring, WooCommerce payments, taxes, and shipping for UK buyers. Whether you’re running a small boutique or a growing e-commerce brand, you’ll learn how to make the switch smoothly and keep your store running without downtime.

WHY UK SELLERS SWITCH FROM SHOPIFY TO WOOCOMMERCE

Many UK store owners move from Shopify to WooCommerce for cost control, flexibility, and ownership of data. WooCommerce gives more control over hosting, custom checkout options, and plugin choices, but it also means you manage hosting, security, and VAT settings yourself. If you plan well, the move can lower monthly fees and improve SEO performance.

QUICK OVERVIEW: WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

  • Pre-migration checklist (backups, domain, VAT)
  • Tools and plugins that reduce risk (Cart2Cart, WP All Import, WooCommerce CSV tools)
  • Exact step-by-step migration process (export, import, redirects)
  • SEO & UX checks to preserve rankings and conversions
  • Post-migration testing and monitoring

Key resources used: Cart2Cart, WooCommerce docs, migration plugins, and UK VAT advice.

PRE MIGRATION CHECKLIST: BEFORE YOU TOUCH ANYTHING

  1.    Backup Shopify data and store theme files.
  2.    Note current SEO metrics: organic keywords, top pages, backlinks, traffic pages (use Google Search Console and Analytics).
  3.    Choose hosting for WooCommerce (managed WP host with good SSD storage and caching; choose a UK or nearby data centre for speed).
  4.    Decide which data to move: products, customers, orders (history), reviews, images, blog posts, redirects.
  5.    Confirm legal and VAT needs in the UK. VAT registration, VAT on imports, and how you’ll record VAT in WooCommerce.
  6.    Make a temporary “maintenance” / staging site on your host for the migration test run.

BEST TOOLS TO MOVE YOUR STORE

There are three common approaches: automated services, plugins and CSV files, and manual migration. Pick based on store size and complexity.

CART2CART.

Automated migration service for products, customers, orders, and more; good for many stores, has demo runs.

WP ALL IMPORT + WOO COMMERCE CSV IMPORTER

Flexible for custom fields and bulk product imports; use when you need fine control.

MANUAL EXPORT/IMPORT VIA CSV

Cost-effective for small stores; export products from Shopify, then map to WooCommerce import columns (best for simple catalogs).

TIP: For large or complex stores (many SKUs, custom attributes, multi-currency, apps data), consider Cart2Cart or a migration service with engineers.

STEP BY STEP MIGRATION

Below is a practical sequence that balances safety and speed.

1.PREPARE YOUR WOOCOMMERCE STORE

  • Install WordPress + WooCommerce on your chosen host (use a staging subdomain).
  • Install essential plugins: product importer, SEO plugin (Yoast/Rank Math), SSL forced, performance plugin (caching), backup plugin.
  • Configure basic settings: currency (GBP), taxes (set VAT rules), shipping zones and methods, checkout pages.

2.EXPORT DATA FROM SHOPIFY

  • Export products, customers, and orders from Shopify as CSV files (Shopify has built-in export options). Download theme files if you need assets.

3.MAP DATA AND TEST IMPORT

  • If using WP All Import, map Shopify CSV columns to WooCommerce fields (title, SKU, attributes, images, price, stock). Do a small test import (10 products) to check field mapping.

4.RUN A DEMO MIGRATION (IF USING AUTOMATED TOOL)

  • If using Cart2Cart, run the free demo migration. Confirm product images, SKUs, categories, customers, and a few orders. Fix mapping and retry until clean.

5.MIGRATE REVIEWS AND SEO DATA

  • Use a reviews migration tool or export/import reviews via CSV.
  • Export your Shopify sitemap and compare top top-indexed pages. Ensure URLs for product and category pages are preserved where possible, or plan 301 redirects. Preserve meta titles/meta descriptions if possible.

 

6.MEDIA & THEME STYLING

Copy product images to WordPress media (many tools import images automatically). Recreate the look and feel: either adapt a WooCommerce theme or use a page builder. Test mobile responsiveness

7.PAYMENT GATEWAYS & UK VAT

  • Reconfigure payment gateways in WooCommerce (Stripe, PayPal, local gateways).
  • Set up VAT rules inside WooCommerce: standard rates, reduced rates if needed, and digital vs physical goods rules. Confirm how import VAT and cross-border rules apply for UK sellers.

8.SEO REDIRECTS & CANONICALIZATION

  • Create 301 redirects for old Shopify URLs to the new WooCommerce URLs. Keep a redirect map. Use server or plugin redirects to avoid lost rankings.
  • Add rel-canonical and ensure noindex is not accidentally set on key pages.

9.LAUNCH CHECKLIST

  • Turn off staging maintenance, update DNS to new host, run speed tests (GTmetrix, Lighthouse), verify SSL.
  • Submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console and request re-indexing for critical pages.

 

10.POST LAUNCH MONITORING

  • Track organic traffic and ranking changes in Search Console and Analytics. Watch for 404s and fix quickly. Keep backup snapshots for rollback if needed.

SEO & CONVERSIONS- KEEP RANKINGS AND CUT CHURN

  • Preserve URL structure where possible. If you must change slugs, 301 redirect old → new.
  • Recreate or transfer meta titles and descriptions; keep primary and secondary keywords in natural places.
  • Add structured data (Product, FAQ) so Google can display rich snippets.
  • Improve on-page conversion: trust badges, UK paymenoptions, clear shipping & returns info, local phone number.
  • Load speed and mobile friendliness are critical — choose a host with good UK latencyFor backlinks and content authority: outreach to sites that linked to your Shopify pages and ask them to update links to your new site, or keep redirects live long-term so links still pass SEO value.

UK SPECIFIC LEGAL & VAT NOTES

  • After Brexit, UK VAT rules changed. If you sell to UK consumers or import goods into the UK, you must register and charge UK VAT where required. Configure WooCommerce tax settings to match your VAT obligations and keep accurate records. Consult an accountant for complex cross-border cases.

TESTING & QA CHECKLIST

  • Confirm product pages show correct prices, attributes, shipping, and taxes.
  • Test checkout with test transactions and full refunds.
  • Test customer login and historical orders.
  • Check mobile, tablet, and desktop UX.
  • Validate structured data with Google’s Rich Results Test.

MIGRATION RISKS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

  • Lost SEO traffic. Avoid by using proper 301 redirects and preserving metadata.
  • Missing images/data. Run demo imports and manually verify images for high-value SKUs.
  • Payment failures. Test payment gateway reintegration before launch.
  • VAT mistakes. Consult the accountant; test tax calculations for typical baskets.

TOOLS & RESOURCES

  • Cart2Cart (automated migration
  • WP All Import + WooCommerce Product Importer.
  • WordPress + WooCommerce docs on migration. Kinsta / host guides on migrations and speed

MIDDLE LINK (CONTEXUAL)

If you’d like a migration audit or help running a demo migration, reach out at Skylineseo.pk, and we’ll review your export file and SEO preservation plan.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Q: Will migrating hurt my SEO?
A: If done right, with 301 redirects, preserved metadata, and sitemap updates. You can avoid significant ranking drops. Always run a staging test and preserve important URLs.

Q: How long does migration take?
A: Small stores (under 500 products) can move in a day or two with careful testing. Large stores or complex data can take several days. Use a demo migration first.

Q: Do I have to keep Shopify active during migration?
A: You can keep Shopify live while you test the WooCommerce site. Use a demo migration and schedule the final sync before the DNS switch.

Q: What about VAT for UK customers?
A: UK VAT rules changed after Brexit. Confirm whether you need VAT registration and set WooCommerce tax rules accordingly. Consult an accountant for specific cases.

FINAL THOUGHT

If you willing a safe, SEO-friendly migration or a free pre-migration checklist review, contact us at Skylineseo.pk. We’ll audit your Shopify data, test a demo migration, and provide a clear rollback plan.

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