Looking to swap from Woocommerce to Shopify - Who has made the switch? Advice welcome.

[Jj37]

Hello,

I am looking to transfer my online shop currently hosted with Woocommerce, over to Shopify. I have a small business, with around 100 products, some of which have variations. I am hoping the move to Shopify will be more user friendly, and allow me have a bit more control over my store. However, I read many reviews that say SEO is not good (I currently use the free Yoast plugin), and before I know it, the £20/month subscription will soon be £100+/month. 

I would like to ensure the current functionality remains (without the need for expensive plugins).

* Product variations

* Product swatches for variations (with the option of images instead of colours in the swatch)

* SEO for individual products, categories, and each page

* Ability to regularly blog, and feature products within the blog posts

* User/search engine friendly URLs for product variations

* Scrolling product images

* Images that change automatically depending on the variation/product options chosen.

* Ability to expand variable products so that they display as individual products within their specific category

* Mechanism to collect reviews. I currently use TrustPilot and CusRev to collect reviews - can I integrate either of these to Shopify (free)? 

Any honest advice/reviews from those who have made the switch would be appreciated. 

Thanks,

[Huptech-Web]

Hi @Jj37 

Shopify can indeed offer a more user-friendly interface and greater control over your store. I understand your concerns about SEO and potential costs, so I'll address each of your points to provide a comprehensive overview.

Maintaining Current Functionality Without Expensive Plugins:

1. Product Variations:
   Shopify natively supports product variations, so you won't need an additional app for this. You can create variations based on size, color, etc., directly within the product settings.
2. Product Swatches for Variations:
   For product swatches, Shopify theme like Dawn support this feature out of the box. If you want more customization, you might need a theme that specifically supports image swatches or consider a one-time purchase theme with this feature.
3. SEO for Individual Products, Categories, and Pages:
   Shopify has built-in SEO features, and while it's different from Yoast, it is quite effective. You can edit meta titles, descriptions, and alt texts for images. For advanced SEO, consider using a theme that supports rich snippets or structured data markup.
4. Blogging and Featuring Products in Blog Posts:
   Shopify has a built-in blogging platform where you can easily create posts but feature products within your blog articles is not possible, For that you have can use app like Instant Shortcode Builder. You can also add images, tags, and SEO-friendly titles/descriptions.
5. User/Search Engine Friendly URLs for Product Variations:
   Shopify automatically generates SEO-friendly URLs. While you can't have separate URLs for each variation for now but in winter2024 editions there might have this possibilities.
6. Scrolling Product Images:
   Many Shopify themes offer scrolling product image galleries. you can find a theme that does, or you can hire a devloper for this functionality
7. Images Changing Automatically Based on Variation/Options:
   Shopify supports this natively. When a customer selects a different variant, the corresponding image will change automatically if you have linked images to each variant.
8. Expanding Variable Products as Individual Products in Categories:
   While Shopify doesn't support this natively, you can create individual products for each variant if needed. Alternatively, some themes or apps might offer this feature, but it's less common.
9. Collecting Reviews:
   Shopify integrates well with TrustPilot but not sure with CusRev. You can add review widgets to your store using free integrations or by embedding the provided code snippets from these services into your Shopify theme.
10. Addressing the Cost Concerns:
    While you can check the plans for shopify from here https://www.shopify.com/pricing, the costs can add up with apps. However, many essential features are available in the free themes and through built-in Shopify functionalities.

Here are some suggestions to keep costs down:
Themes: Choose a free theme that meets most of your needs. Paid themes can offer additional features for a one-time fee.

SEO: Utilize built-in SEO features and consider a single, low-cost app for advanced SEO if needed.

Apps: Start with free apps for any additional functionality you need, and only move to paid apps if absolutely necessary.

Honest Reviews and Advice:
Many users have successfully transitioned from WooCommerce to Shopify and found it to be more intuitive and easier to manage. The learning curve is generally smoother, and the support community is robust.

If you need professional assistance with the migration process, we offer comprehensive migration services from WooCommerce to Shopify.

I hope this helps! Feel free to ask more questions if you have any.

[Sid_Yoast]

Hi @Jj37 

Just wanted to add my two cents here in case you do decide to you a paid SEO app for your store. 

We do have a Yoast SEO for Shopify app that can help you handle SEO for products, categories, pages, etc. And though there is no free version, there is a 14-day free trial for you to test things (keep in mind that as WordPress is an open platform and Shopify is a closed one, there will be some differences between the UI and the features offered in comparison to our WordPress plugin). 

Let me explain a bit more about what Yoast SEO for Shopify offers.  Our app will help you write great content and be technically compliant with search engine requirements and suggestions for your store to be displayed with enhanced "rich" search results. This will help you rank higher and increase organic traffic.

Let’s have a closer look at Yoast SEO for Shopify key benefits:

• Our app will help you write SEO-optimized descriptions for your product pages so that they have a better chance of ranking (SEO and readability analysis).
• It lets you optimize your content for your desired keywords (Focus keyphrase field).
• The app will output product-specific structured data in the source code of your product pages. This helps your products get rich results in search engines, improving your clickthrough rate (stitched automated schema output).
• The app automatically takes care of the technical SEO details (according to best SEO practices and search engine guidelines).
• You can control and optimize how your search results look by letting you set your titles and meta descriptions.
• You can also control how your products appear on social media when they are shared (Social appearance control).

It also includes access to Yoast Academy premium online courses (once you start your trial). Our world-class SEO experts and university-trained teachers will teach you SEO theories and how to apply them to your site for better ranking. Plus, our support team is available to help you with questions about the installation and basic use of the app. 

You can find more details here: https://yoast.com/shopify/apps/yoast-seo/

Hope this helps you make an informed decision!