Inventory every URL first
Do not start with the export. List the URLs first. A Wix store exposes product pages, category pages, blog posts, and paths generated for media and galleries. Every rename you have made over the years can leave an older URL behind.
Wix's help article on URL structure(opens in a new tab) says product URLs default to a product-page prefix, and that the prefix can be changed in SEO Settings. Read the real URLs from the live site instead of assuming the default.
Combine the three sources above. Any URL that Google knows about needs forwarding, whether or not the current menu still links to it.
- A crawl of the live site.
- The page list from Search Console.
- Your sitemap.
What the redirect map looks like
Build one row per old URL with four columns: the old path, the new path, the page type, and a status you update after launch. Start with the pages that earn search traffic: products first, then collections, then posts and pages.
| Old Wix URL | Redirect to |
|---|---|
| A product page | The matching Shopify product page |
| A category page | The matching Shopify collection |
| A blog post | The matching post in your Shopify blog |
| A content page | The matching Shopify page |
| A page you removed | The closest page on the same topic, never the home page |
Wix to Shopify SEO: map one-to-one where traffic lives
Every product and every post that earns search traffic needs its own old-to-new pair. Google's guidance on site moves(opens in a new tab) says to map each old URL to a specific new destination, and not to send many old URLs to an irrelevant page such as the new home page.
Point each old URL straight at its final Shopify URL, as Google advises, and where that is not possible keep chains short.
The spreadsheet is tedious, and it is most of the migration. Check each pair against a live request before you cut over.
Create the redirects in Shopify
In the Shopify admin, go to Content, then Menus, then View URL Redirects. Add one pair at a time, or import a CSV for a large list. Redirects take effect immediately. Shopify's help center(opens in a new tab) documents the steps, the file format and the plan limits.
- A redirect only works on a URL that no longer loads a page. If the old path still shows a valid page, the redirect will not fire.
- Some paths cannot be redirected: /apps, /cart, /orders, /shop, /products, and /collections.
- Standard plans hold up to 100,000 redirects, and Plus holds up to 20,000,000.
- For a very large list, Shopify suggests a third-party app.
Use a permanent redirect
Use a 301, which is permanent. Google treats 301 and 308 as a signal that the new URL should be the canonical one. It does not treat 302, 303 and 307 that way, so the old page can stay in results. Permanent redirects do not cause a loss of PageRank, Google says.
Google's guide to redirects(opens in a new tab) explains the difference between permanent and temporary types. Confirm the type in the verify step below, because a redirect that answers with the wrong code does not carry the signal.
If the domain changes too
If the store keeps its domain, the old Wix paths are simply requested on the new Shopify store, so the redirects above handle them. If the domain changes as well, Google also asks you to submit a Change of Address in Search Console and an updated sitemap.
301 redirect checklist migration: verify after cutover
Most migrations skip the step that matters most. After cutover, request every URL from the old inventory and confirm each one returns a 301 that resolves to a 200 page. Record the result in the status column so any gap is visible.
Then watch the Page indexing report in Search Console for new 404s and add a redirect for any URL you missed.
Rankings can move while Google recrawls the store. A site move can take a few weeks or more to settle for a medium-sized site, and longer for a large one, according to Google. When a drop does not recover, check the redirect map for missing or wrong pairs first.
Keep the redirects
Keep redirects generally at least one year, Google says, and for visitors you can keep them indefinitely. Shopify notes that browsers and search engines cache 301 redirects, so removing one may not stop it working right away. Links from other sites keep pointing at the old URLs, so there is little reason to delete the redirects.
The Wix to Shopify migration page explains how the full move is run.
For the same question on another platform, read Will I lose SEO leaving Squarespace.
Questions about Wix to Shopify redirects
Does a Shopify redirect work if the old URL still loads a page?
No. A Shopify redirect only works when the old URL no longer loads a page. If the old path still shows a valid page, the redirect will not fire, so remove or change that page first.
How many redirects can a Shopify store hold?
Standard plans hold up to 100,000 URL redirects, and Shopify Plus holds up to 20,000,000. Some paths, such as /products and /collections, cannot be redirected at all.
Should I use a 301 or a 302?
Use a 301. Google reads 301 and 308 as a signal that the new URL should be the canonical one. A temporary redirect does not carry that signal, so the old page can stay in results.
How long should I keep the redirects?
Generally at least one year, according to Google, and you can keep them indefinitely for visitors. Browsers and search engines cache 301 redirects, so removing one is rarely worth it.
How long until rankings settle after the move?
A few weeks or more for a medium-sized site, and longer for a large one, per Google. Rankings can fluctuate in that period. Check the redirect map first when they do not recover.