Before go-live
- Full export of old URLs that drove organic revenue (analytics + GSC, last 12 months)
- 301 redirect map documented for every top product, collection, and blog URL
- Staging domain blocked from indexing (noindex + auth)
- Canonical tags tested on PDP, collection, and blog templates
- Product and collection schema validated on sample URLs
- XML sitemap plan for new Shopify URLs
- Robots.txt reviewed on production domain
Launch week
- All legacy URLs return 301 (not 302) to the correct live page
- No redirect chains longer than one hop on money URLs
- Homepage, top collections, and top 20 products return 200
- Custom titles and meta descriptions present on money templates
- Google Search Console property verified on primary domain
- New sitemap submitted in GSC
- Coverage report checked daily for spike in excluded or error URLs
Weeks 2 to 4
- Old domain URLs dropping out of index (or correctly redirecting)
- Impressions stabilising or recovering on priority URLs
- No duplicate indexing of myshopify.com and primary domain
- Faceted or filter URLs not creating duplicate collection pages
- Core Web Vitals acceptable on mobile PDP template
- Internal links updated in content, menus, and footer
- Orders from organic landing pages tracked in analytics
When to call for help
- Organic revenue down 30%+ for more than 4 weeks post-launch
- Top product URLs 404 or soft-404 in GSC
- Both old and new URLs indexed for the same product
- Brand search fine but category and product terms collapsed
- Migration was more than 8 weeks ago but traffic never recovered
Common questions
Checklist FAQs
+Is this checklist a substitute for a migration SEO audit?
No. It helps you self-diagnose. If three or more launch-week checks fail, book a call and we will map redirects and indexation against your revenue URLs.
+Can I print this checklist?
Yes. Use the print button on this page or save it as PDF from your browser.
