• Masifa Bukhari
• Shopify
• 24 April, 2024

Have you been struggling with scaling your e-commerce business through your WordPress website?

As a small to medium-sized business, you need to adapt to change quickly if you want to survive in the brutally competitive market today. WordPress, although a good platform for content management, still offers limited functionality in e-commerce. Moreover, it’s complex plugins and slow loading times can hinder your business growth and frustrate your customers. This can lead to missed opportunities and, ultimately, decreased sales.

Fortunately, there is a way to scale your business without compromising your e-commerce store’s functionality, i.e., WordPress to Shopify migration. Shopify offers the best e-commerce services across all platforms and is optimized for businesses of all sizes. Furthermore, its easy-to-use interface and seamless shopping experience have helped businesses tap brilliant growth opportunities.

If you’re an entrepreneur looking to migrate from WordPress to Shopify, we’ve got you covered! This comprehensive guide will fast-track you through the reasons, process, and challenges of transferring from WordPress to Shopify. Let’s begin!

Reasons to Choose Shopify over WordPress

Before we dive into the migration guide, let’s take a detailed look at how these platforms differ from each other:

See our latest relevant exploration BigCommerce to Shopify Migration

WordPress to Shopify Migration Guide

First, ensure you’ve already created a Shopify store account. Now that you’re ready for WordPress to Shopify migration let’s dive into this step-by-step guide:

Step 1 – Choosing the Right Migration Approach

You need to select whether you want a manual or automated migration. Manual migration offers more control but generally requires more time and technical knowledge. Automated migration, on the other, utilizes tools to ensure a fast and effective transfer. Most entrepreneurs choose this approach because of the ease it offers.

Step 2 – Select A Shopify Theme

You cannot transfer your theme from WordPress to Shopify. You will have access to Shopify’s default theme. You can easily switch from this theme to a better theme that aligns with your vision for the store. Presently, you have over 140 free and paid options to choose from.

Here are the steps you should follow:

1. Go to the Shopify Merchant Dashboard and click on the Online Stores option on the left side of the screen.
2. Go to the Themes section and Explore both free and paid themes.
3. Preview their styles and see which ones align with your vision and goals.
4. Once you’ve chosen the theme, click on Add.

This theme will be added to your theme library, and you can customize it to fit your branding.

Step 3 – Export Data From WordPress

Here’s how you can export data from WordPress:

1. Log into your WordPress admin section and go to Tools. Click on the Export option in the left sidebar.
2. A new screen will pop up. Select the type of content you want to export from WordPress. You can choose which content you’d like to export. For example, choose blogs if you migrate a WordPress blog to Shopify. However, for convenience, choose all content. After selecting which content to export, click Export File to initiate the export procedure.
3. A ZIP Folder will be downloaded to your computer. It will contain all the exported data.
4. The file in the folder will be in XML format.
5. Open the XML file using TextEdit or Notepad.
6. In this file, search for <code>. This will lead you to the URL of your store.
7. Replace this URL with the URL of your new Shopify store. After making these changes, ensure you save the file and can access it easily. 

Step 3 – Import Data To Shopify

After completing the necessary setup at the backend of your new Shopify website, migrate your existing WordPress data.

1. Log into the Admin section of your Shopify site and go to the Online Store section.
2. Select Pages. A new screen will pop up; click on Add Page here.
3. Provide a relevant title for this new page and establish key processes like payment methods, shipping, product details, etc.

Step 4 – Establish the Shipping Process

As Shopify is more automated than WordPress, just a few adjustments can help entrepreneurs easily calculate taxes and shipping rates. Here’s how you do it:

1. Go to Settings on your dashboard and locate Shipping and Delivery. Click on Proceed.
2. Add your latest Shipping Address to ensure precise shipping rates.
3. If you think you’ll be shipping to longer distances, you might want to consider enabling shipping to different regions to broaden your reach.
4. Set up the shipping rates for these shipping zones. If you use a carrier that considers package dimensions, ensure that the shipping dimensions are configured accurately.

Step 6 – Establish Taxes

Shopify helps you calculate tax on each product, unlike WordPress. As a business entity, having the right information on hand is essential to comply with legal procedures.

Shopify allows you to add taxes based on the shipping destination and their respective tax regulations. Moreover, if your products are exempt from taxes, as some digital products are, you can override taxes to handle calculations accordingly.

1. Go to the Shopify dashboard and click on Products.
2. Click on Pricing.
3. Once you’ve identified which product you want to override for tax, deselect the option Charge Tax on This Product.
4. Click Save.

Step 7 – Set up Payment Providers

It is essential to establish payment settings with Shopify to receive payments after migration. Here’s how you select a payment provider:

1. Open the Shopify Merchant Dashboard. Go to Settings, then go to Payments.
2. If you don’t have a credit card payment provider, set up your account in the Payments section.
3. If you have a credit card payment provider, click on Activate Shopify Payments in the Shopify Payments dialogue box.
4. Add required banking details.
5. Save this information.

Store Policies:

You can add your store policies by simply copy-pasting them from WordPress to Shopify.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Policies.
3. Paste your policies, and make any and all adjustments.
4. Save changes.

Customize Checkout Information for Customers:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Find Checkout. You can customize the checkout experience for each customer before they complete their purchase by specifying the information you need from them.
3. Once you’ve made the changes, Save them to apply.

Step 8 – Run Test Orders

If you’re at this step, your Shopify store is ready!

Let’s conduct a test run. This step is additional, but it helps you determine everything is functioning seamlessly. If any problem arises here, you can easily solve it before launching your store.

1. Go to your Dashboard and click on Settings.
2. Select Payments.
3. If you’ve enabled a credit card provider, go to Manage and Deactivate.A confirmation pop-up will appear.
4. After confirmation, go to Shopify Payments and click Manage. Choose Switch to Third-Party Provider and Confirm.
5. In Shopify Payments, click on See All Providers.
6. Choose a Testing Gateway and click Save.
7. Return to your store and place an order as a customer. Add the right credit card information.
8. To check for any problems with your Shopify store, you can run a test order using these details: Name on card, Credit Card Number, CVV, Expiry date
9. If the test order goes smoothly, deactivate the testing gateway.

We can help you build a scalable and functional website for your business. See our Shopify Website Development Service </b

Common Challenges For WordPress to Shopify Migration

Here are the most common challenges entrepreneurs face when they transfer from WordPress to Shopify.

Data Migration

Transferring all your data, i.e., product data, customer information, and order data, can be challenging. The data formats for WordPress don’t match those in Shopify and can put you at risk of losing precious information. Solution – Use Shopify’s Importer Tool. You can also hire a professional to deal with larger datasets.

SEO Preservation

Preserving your website’s SEO rankings and ensuring that your website’s SEO attributes remain intact after migration is essential. Any changes in URL or site structure can negatively impact SEO.

Solution – Create a detailed SEO migration plan. This should include Redirects, meta tag updates, sitemap updates, etc. Use Google Search Console to identify and address any SEO problems. 

Design Transition

Both of these platforms differ significantly in their templating systems and coding languages. Hence, transitioning design from WordPress to Shopify can be challenging.

Solution – Choose a suitable Shopify theme and customize it. Shopify offers plenty of professionally designed themes. If your WordPress website has a unique design and you want it replicated, hire an expert or web developer to create a custom theme personalized to your branding. Also, ensure the design is responsive and optimized for usage on all devices.

Functionality – Feature

WordPress websites rely on plugins and custom functionalities; replicating this on Shopify is tough.

Solution – Evaluate and choose the Shopify apps you incorporate in your store wisely. Shopify’s App Store provides numerous apps that replicate WordPress functionalities. Talk to experts or developers to build custom apps if you need custom functionalities.

How can Coding Pixel help you migrate from WordPress to Shopify?

WordPress to Shopify migration, although technical, can reap considerable returns for your business. With the right expertise, you can capture new opportunities and optimize the ones you already have. At Coding Pixel, our diverse team of over 100 experts with over eight years of experience will help you build a responsive, high-converting store. Their guidance will help you position your store as a premier destination in your niche and capture greater market share.

Talk to our experts now!

FAQs

Can I use my WordPress website with Shopify?

Yes, you can use your WordPress website with Shopify by integrating these two platforms via a plugin or an app.

Which migration approach is better when migrating from WordPress to Shopify?

There is no better approach for WordPress to Shopify migration. Both manual and automated migration have their own benefits and drawbacks. Choose the one that aligns the best with your needs and expertise.

What should I focus on after migrating to Shopify for optimal performance?

You should focus on ensuring that store operations run smoothly and there are no roadblocks for customers. Moreover, constantly plan for scaling and use SEO practices to rank better.

Content Specialist
Masifa Bukhari

Coding Pixel

Masifa is a Content Specialist with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and over three years of experience in content marketing and the IT industry. She is passionate about writing and talking about website and mobile app development, e-commerce, and advancements happening in the IT Industry. She creates engaging and user-centric content to optimize digital experiences for these niches. When she is not creating content, you can find her buried in a good book.