You've created your website on the Wix platform, but you've realized that to grow your e-commerce business, you need a more powerful platform such as Shopify. However, migrating from one platform to another can seem complex and daunting. This detailed Wix to Shopify migration guide will walk you through the process step by step. 

What is Wix?

Wix is an online website creation platform that allows users to create professional websites quickly and easily without the need for programming skills.

Founded in 2006 in Israel, Wix offers predefined features as well as a choice of website templates to customize. The platform is also known for being a very secure tool that allows to protect sensitive files and to update the website regularly.

Wix has more than 25 features that allow you to create different types of websites, such as blogs, showcase pages or e-commerce sites. Wix's interface is very intuitive thanks to the use of online drag-and-drop tools.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is the comprehensive and powerful e-commerce platform that makes it easy to create a professional online store with customizable templates and a user-friendly interface. Users can customize their online store by choosing from a variety of free or paid themes, or by using their own design.

Thanks to the use of inline drag-and-drop tools, Shopify's interface is also intuitive.

In terms of integration, Shopify offers a wide range with third-party applications, including marketing, payment, shipping and accounting tools.

It is used by over 1.7 million users worldwide in 175 different countries. Shopify offers advanced SEO features to help users improve their SEO and drive more traffic to their online store.  

Why migrate from Wix to Shopify?

• Unlimited Storage: All Shopify subscriptions offer the ability to host a wide range of products on their platform, without increasing costs. This allows businesses with a large collection of products to benefit from unlimited storage space.

• Online payment: Both platforms accept the most common payment methods such as PayPal, Visa or Mastercard but Shopify is more advanced in terms of the diversity of payment methods offered thanks to the possibility of using payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

• Scalability: If you plan to grow your business and expand your online store, Shopify is a better choice as it offers better scalability and flexibility in adding more features, products and sales channels.

• Features and customization: Wix offers many features and limited customization options while Shopify is more advanced in terms of e-commerce features and customization. For example, Wix's templates are not editable, which means that if you want to change the look of your site, you have to start from scratch.

If you want to know more about this subject, you can consult this comparison.

How to migrate from Wix to Shopify?

Create a Shopify account

1.  Sign up for Shopify

The first step to creating your online store is to sign up for Shopify and explore its features and capabilities before you start designing your website. As soon as you register and log in, you will be asked to define your purpose for using the platform, your industry and your email address for billing purposes.

2. Customize your home page

Once you've filled in the basic details, start customizing your theme. You can choose a theme from Shopify's design library, select one of the premium designs from the built-in theme store, or customize the default theme from scratch. Once you've selected your template, start adding the necessary sections.

3. Add new pages

After creating and customizing your homepage, start adding more pages to your website. For each page, fill in the required fields, add your content, insert relevant multimedia files (videos and images), and add any necessary links. It is important to keep in mind that each page should provide information to your visitors, and should be aligned with your business goals.

Do the import manually

Before proceeding with the export, it is strongly recommended to backup your website to avoid any data loss in case of problem. To export your content from Wix, here are the steps to follow:

• For a small assortment of products: It is possible to manually upload product information, specifications, prices and SEO settings via the sidebar.

• For a large number of products: You can export the data as a CSV file from the control panel and then import it into Shopify. The same process can be used to import customer lists and other website content. However, it should be noted that this method can be quite complex and time consuming.

To be accompanied by an agency

An agency will have extensive expertise in website migration and thus can save you time. Migrating your online store can be a complex and time-consuming task, especially if you have no experience in this area. 

By entrusting this task to a specialized agency, you will be able to concentrate on your core business, while the agency will take care of all the technical work related to the migration. 

Finally, once the migration is complete, the agency can help you optimize your online store to improve your visibility and increase your conversion rate. Using the right SEO and online marketing techniques to help you achieve your sales and growth goals.

At Alegria.solutions, we have experience in migration management. So, don't hesitate to contact us.

Import via extensions 

Cart2Cart

Cart2Cart is a Wix to Shopify migration extension that allows you to transfer all store data, including products, customers, orders, categories and images, all automatically.

The price of the migration is 29 € minimum and it increases significantly in relation to the number of products, customers and orders.

BedExtension

LitExtension offers like the previous extension an automated and secure solution to migrate from Wix to Shopify, requiring only a few steps from the user.

However, there are costs, especially on features that we consider essential: 

• The transfer of images
• Category and product URL migration
• Creation of 301 redirects after migration 

Transfer the domain name associated with Wix to Shopify

Follow these steps for a smooth domain transfer:

1. Log in to Wix and go to the "My Domains" page.

2. Select the domain you want to move (if you have multiple domains, make sure you choose the right one), click on the "Advanced" option and then on the "Transfer from Wix" tab.

3. Email yourself the EPP code. Remember that you will not be able to transfer your domain name from Wix to Shopify if you purchased it less than 60 days ago.

4. Specify the Shopify domain transfer path. After submitting the request, the migration will be completed within 7 days.

5. Adjust the required settings before you start selling through your Shopify store. These settings relate to payment, shipping and tax options and can be checked in the Shopify dashboard.

Checklist after migration

General condition of the site

Make sure your new Shopify site has smooth navigation. It's important to test all pages on your site, including product pages, collection pages and the blog page.

Redirects 

It is important to check all URLs on your new site and set up 301 redirects for all pages on your old Wix site that have changed address. This will ensure that visitors accessing your old site will automatically be redirected to the equivalent pages on your new Shopify site. 

Referencing

Finally, it is necessary to ensure that your new site is optimized for search engine optimization. Make sure that all meta descriptions, title tags and keywords are properly configured and that the pages are well indexed by search engines.

Conclusion

In conclusion, migrating from Wix to Shopify may seem daunting, but it can be done successfully by following the proper steps. It's important to understand the differences between the two platforms and to prepare well for exporting and importing data. To sum up, Shopify will help you improve your online presence and grow your business sales.