Shopify migration: pre-launch checks

Before pointing the domain to Shopify, check that a customer can find the correct product, place an order and receive the right confirmation. Design and a successful import are part of the work. Acceptance also needs to cover what happens after the customer submits the order.

Decide who can stop the launch

Record the final import date, who accepts the checks and who authorises the domain switch. List critical dependencies: domain access, an available payment provider, delivery and order processing. Give each a result and an owner.

Prepare a rollback plan with concrete actions and someone able to carry them out. Account for orders and data changes made after the switch. Pointing the domain back does not automatically restore the catalogue to its earlier state.

Catalogue and search

• Find a product through navigation, search and an old external link.
• Compare the code, variant, price, image and availability with the approved source.
• Test a missing variant, an out-of-stock product and any special delivery condition that exists in your catalogue.
• Repeat the main journey on a phone. Check that a clipped menu or panel does not hide important information.

Record the examples used. “Catalogue checked” does not show which cases passed or which remain open.

Delivery and payment

Check every agreed option. If customers choose a collection point, the selection must reach the place where staff process the order. If a rate depends on the address, test suitable addresses in the areas served. An installed application does not establish that a delivery method works.

Payment test modes have limitations. Before placing a real test order, agree permission, the amount and how it will be cancelled or refunded. Do not send notifications to unrelated customers. Shopify documents test-order checks separately.

Notifications and order processing

Check what the customer sees and what the responsible member of staff receives. Open the order in the admin and confirm the variant, delivery choice and information needed to fulfil it. If stock or accounting software is connected, acceptance should include the result in that system.

URLs and indexing

Check the URL map, then test actual HTTP responses after import. Remove temporary indexing restrictions only from pages intended for search engines. Check canonical URLs, internal links and the sitemap. Keep a separate record of old addresses without replacements.

Measurement without duplicate counts

Define which events represent an order or enquiry, and which confirmed result triggers them. A button click and an accepted order are different actions. Compare analytics counts with the store admin. Test records should be identifiable in reporting without sending a customer’s name or email address to Analytics.

After the domain switch

Repeat the order journey in the agreed way, check important old URLs and monitor errors. Compare organic landing pages and queries with the period before the switch, accounting for seasonality and other campaigns. A fluctuation by itself does not establish a migration fault.

My migration service includes 30 days of post-launch monitoring. That is a period for checks and corrections within the agreed scope, rather than a promise of particular rankings.

Sources

Shopify general launch checklist. Shopify test orders. Checked on 18 October 2026.

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