How can I migrate my website to Shopify without affecting SEO?

From scratch build my website in 2005 with Dreamweaver CS6 and until a few years ago it was with an excellent ranking, in the search engines but no anymore; I want to move my website as is to the Shopify platform without interrupting my presence in search engines, with the same URLs and start passing the content of my pages to one of the themes that are available in Shopify, I like “turbo”, but I have some questions before doing it:

1 - The URLs of my current pages remain the same? Backlinks and feedbacks are very important.

2 - Can I upload all the content of my website to the Shopify platform from my computer?

3 - The photographic material of my website is optimized and very light 640x480 pix, will it work for the new theme?

  1. You can transfer the main domain, unsure about subdomains but you could also redirect.

  2. Yes you can upload content from your computer in various ways directly to Shopify, if you mean just upload the existing website files/code it isn’t that straightforward as Shopify uses liquid format where most other platforms do not but it all can be transitioned without starting from complete scratch

  3. Most Shopify themes seem to be optimized for photos with a 1:1 or 3:4 ratio but you can set sections to adjust according to the photos dimensions. The most important thing at least for products is that they are all the same ratio.



Image type



Width x Height (pixels)



Image type



Width x Height (pixels)



Product images



2048 x 2048



Newsletter section image



1600 x 300



Collection images



1024 x 1024



Featured promotions



840 x 840



Slideshow banner images



1600 x 500



Newsletter popup image



425 x 575



Shopify background image



1920 x 1080



Gallery



800 x 800



Image with text overlay - Banner images, Blog featured image, Full shop background image



1800 x 1000



Mega menu images



360 x 360



Blog page top banner, Contact page top banner



1800 x 1000



Favicon



32 x 32



Shopify logo



Up to 450 x 250



Checkout page top banner



1800 x 300



Video placeholder image



1600 x 900



Password page background image



1600 x 1000

For convenience I always recommend going with a Shopify developed theme, not a third party one like “turbo”, as they can be a bit more complex in terms of making adjustments depending on your experience level although they also can have additional features which is appealing. Another thing to keep in mind is Shopify is built around apps, some are needed for basic features you wouldn’t think. While there are some great free apps, most you need to pay for on a monthly basis, otherwise your only option is to custom code solutions. I say this cause most people do not take that into account before getting started with Shopify. Good luck!

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Moving your website from Dreamweaver CS6 to Shopify can be a significant step to enhance your online presence. Let’s address your questions regarding the migration:

  1. URL Preservation:

    • When you migrate your website to Shopify, you can set up URL redirects to ensure that your existing URLs are preserved. This way, you can maintain your backlinks and SEO rankings while providing a seamless experience for your visitors. Shopify allows you to set up URL redirects within the platform or through a third-party app.
  2. Content Upload:

    • Shopify provides various tools to help you upload your content to the platform. While you cannot directly upload your entire website from your computer, you can manually copy and paste your page content and media into the corresponding sections in Shopify. Additionally, you can use CSV files to import products, collections, and other data to Shopify.
  3. Photographic Material:

    • The Shopify theme “Turbo” and other themes available in the Shopify theme store are designed to be responsive and accommodate different image sizes. Your optimized and lightweight 640x480 pixel images should work well with the new theme. However, it’s essential to check how the images look in the theme preview and make any adjustments if needed.

As you plan the migration, consider using Cart2Cart’s migration service to assist with the data transfer from Dreamweaver CS6 to Shopify. Cart2Cart supports data migration from various sources to Shopify, including products, categories, images, customers, orders, and other relevant data.

Migrating to Shopify without impacting SEO requires careful planning.

  1. Start by auditing your current site’s URLs, metadata, and backlinks. Set up 301 redirects for all old URLs to their new Shopify counterparts to preserve link equity. Maintain your existing URL structure as much as possible.
  2. Before going live, test your site thoroughly to identify any issues.
  3. After migration, submit your new sitemap to Google Search Console and monitor performance closely. With proper execution, your SEO rankings can remain stable during the transition.

Don’t miss adding app to conitunues data collecting at GA4