A platform migration is when a site is most likely to lose traffic. The cause is almost always the same: old URLs change without redirects, content gets trimmed, or titles and descriptions are reset. This is the process I use to keep rankings when moving a shop to WooCommerce.

1. Inventory everything first

• Every current URL: from the old sitemap, a crawler (Screaming Frog…) and the Pages report in Search Console.
• Pages that bring traffic: export the last 3–6 months — these must not be lost.
• Backlinked pages: keep or redirect them correctly.
• SEO data: titles, descriptions, images and schema for products and categories.

2. Build an old → new URL map

Rules:

• Keep slugs as close to the old ones as possible.
• Redirect each old URL to its closest equivalent, never everything to the home page.
• Discontinued products go to the nearest category or a replacement.

3. Import data with SEO content intact

• Import products, categories and posts via CSV or the REST API (see crawling and importing into WooCommerce).
• Carry over SEO titles, descriptions and image alt text into Rank Math/Yoast.
• Keep long descriptions — don't shorten them during the move.

4. Set up 301 redirects

• Use Redirection or Rank Math's redirect manager and bulk-import the map as CSV.
• For very large or pattern-based sets, write server rules (Nginx/LiteSpeed).
• Avoid redirect chains (A → B → C) and loops.

5. Test on staging

• Crawl the new site: no broken links, no unexpected 404s.
• Run the old URL list through a checker: everything should return 301 → 200.
• Check canonicals, sitemap, robots and product schema.
• Measure speed — the new site should be faster.

6. Launch day and after

1. Point the domain, enable HTTPS, re-test redirects on the real domain.
2. Submit the new sitemap in Search Console.
3. Watch the Pages and Performance reports daily for 2–4 weeks.
4. Fix any leftover old URLs Search Console reports.

Rankings usually wobble for a few weeks and then settle if redirects are complete — that's normal, so don't panic and change more things.

Quick checklist

• Complete old URL list (sitemap + crawl + Search Console)
• Old → new map for every page with traffic or backlinks
• Titles, descriptions and alt text carried over
• 301s without chains or loops
• New sitemap submitted, Search Console watched for 2–4 weeks

Wrapping up

Moving to WooCommerce gives you control of your data and costs, but the SEO side needs care. I've moved shops from Haravan, Shopee and old sites to WordPress — see my services or get in touch.