ANONYMISED CASE STUDY · TECHNICAL SEO

A Shopify Migration With Technical SEO Built In.

A site migration introduces technical risks: changed URLs, missing metadata, broken links and search engines discovering a new structure. This project focused on preserving the important technical foundations and verifying the live site after launch.

Request a Technical SEO Review How it was verified

Anonymised client project · Technical SEO & Migration

Launch-day checks · live site

Launch dayAfter launch

Analytics tagsFire once on each page typeFire once on each page type
Legacy redirectsCrawled and destinations testedCrawled and destinations tested
Robots.txtBlocks nothing importantBlocks nothing important
SitemapEvery URL live, resubmittedEvery URL live, resubmitted
Titles and canonicalsCarried across unchangedCarried across unchanged
Headings and alt textOne H1 per page, no missing altOne H1 per page, no missing alt
Structured dataNo errors on pages reviewedNo errors on pages reviewed
Priority recrawlRequested, then confirmedRequested, then confirmed

Recrawled is not the same as indexed. No indexing claim is made.

Illustrative example · layout, not a client screenshot

Project Overview

A relaunch changes many things at once. The work here was to carry the store's search foundations across intact, check them on the live site on launch day, and keep watching how Google rediscovered the new structure afterwards.

Anonymised client project: Confidential e-commerce project. Selected projects are anonymised to respect client confidentiality.

Client: Confidential e-commerce project
Platform: Shopify, relaunched on a new theme
Focus: URLs, metadata, structured data and indexing
Timing: Before launch, launch day and the weeks after
Evidence: Milestone delivery report
Service: Technical SEO

What we found

The Challenge

The migration required careful handling of legacy URLs, metadata, structured data, internal links and indexing. The previous setup also contained missing descriptions, images without alt text and redirects leading to unavailable pages. Left unaddressed, each of those is a way for a store to lose the search visibility it has built up.

Redirects that led nowhere
Several existing redirects already pointed at pages that had been removed, so visitors and crawlers following old links reached dead ends.
Gaps in page metadata
Products, collections, pages and articles had no meta description, and images across the site had no alt text.
Templates that dropped things
The new theme's templates left some pages without a main heading, and text that had lived inside an old template did not come across on its own.
Structured data tied to an app
Product ratings markup on the old site came from an app script that the new theme did not include, so it would have disappeared at launch.

Before changing anything

The Technical Investigation

Before launch we built an inventory of the legacy URLs that mattered and mapped each to its destination on the new site. After launch we tested those destinations, crawled the new site, and compared titles, canonicals, headings, image alt text and structured data against the previous templates. Search Console was used to confirm how Google was discovering the new structure.

Legacy URL inventory and redirect map.
Post-launch crawl of the new site for broken links, missing metadata and heading problems.
Template-level comparison of titles, canonicals, headings, alt text and structured data.
Search Console review of crawl activity on priority pages.

Legacy URL check

AllLiveNeeds attention

example-store.com · search legacy URLs

Legacy URL	Destination	Hops	Result
/collections/summer-range	/collections/summer	1	Live, one hop
/products/classic-tote-old	/products/classic-tote	1	Live, one hop
/pages/our-story	/pages/about	1	Repointed
/blogs/news/care-guide	/blogs/journal/care-guide	1	Live, one hop
/products/discontinued-lamp	/products/table-lamp	1	Links repointed
/vendors/old-supplier	None	0	No replacement, recorded

/collections/summer-range
/collections/summer
Live, one hop
/products/classic-tote-old
/products/classic-tote
Live, one hop
/pages/our-story
/pages/about
Repointed
/blogs/news/care-guide
/blogs/journal/care-guide
Live, one hop
/products/discontinued-lamp
/products/table-lamp
Links repointed
/vendors/old-supplier
None
No replacement, recorded

Crawled on the live site after launchRecorded in the delivery report

Illustrative example · fictional URLs

How We Approached It

The checks were split across three moments, because each one catches problems the others cannot.

Before launch
Protect what exists
- Inventory of the legacy URLs that matter
- Redirect map from each old address to its new destination
- Template comparison of titles, canonicals, headings, alt text and structured data
- Product page text compared line by line with the old site
Launch day
Check the live site
- Analytics tags firing once, on each page type
- Every legacy URL crawled and its destination tested
- Robots.txt reviewed, sitemap resubmitted
- Titles, canonicals, headings, alt text and structured data checked live
After launch
Watch and correct
- Priority pages submitted for recrawling
- Search Console compared with the weeks before launch
- Content that did not survive the move restored
- Weekly summaries of what changed and what was fixed

The work completed

What Was Implemented

Redirect map, then redirect tests

Every legacy URL that mattered was mapped to its destination before launch, then crawled on the live site. Redirects that pointed at removed pages were repointed, so old addresses reach a live page in one hop at most. The exceptions were old addresses with no live replacement and almost no search visibility, recorded rather than forced onto an unrelated page.

Templates compared field by field

Titles, canonicals, headings, image alt text and structured data on the new templates were compared with the old ones. Titles and canonicals were carried across unchanged; missing headings were added without changing how the pages look.

FieldAs foundNew site at launch

Page titleAs foundSetAt launchCarried across unchanged
Canonical URLAs foundSetAt launchCarried across unchanged
Main heading (H1)As foundMissing on some templatesAt launchOne per page
Meta descriptionAs foundMissing on some pagesAt launchWritten
Image alt textAs foundMissing on some imagesAt launchAdded
Ratings markupAs foundFrom an app scriptAt launchIn the theme
Internal linksAs foundSome broken or outdatedAt launchRepaired and repointed

Structured data rebuilt in the theme

Organisation, article and FAQ data were set out consistently, and product ratings markup was moved into the theme itself so it no longer depended on an app script. Ratings in the data match the stars shown on each product page.

Product template · ratings markup in the themeSimplified

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  {%- assign count = product.metafields.reviews.rating_count.value -%}
  {%- if product.metafields.reviews.rating.value != blank and count > 0 -%}
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": {{ product.metafields.reviews.rating.value.rating | json }},
    "reviewCount": {{ count | json }}
  },
  {%- endif -%}
  "name": {{ product.title | json }}
}
</script>

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@type": "Product",
  {% assign r = product.metafields.reviews %}
  {% assign count = r.rating_count.value %}
  {% if count > 0 %}
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue":
      {{ r.rating.value.rating | json }},
    "reviewCount": {{ count | json }}
  },
  {% endif %}
  "name": {{ product.title | json }}
}
</script>

Values come from the same data as the stars shown on the page, so the two always match.

Delivered, item by item

Reviewed the legacy URLs and tested their destinations after launch.
Verified that the legacy URLs reached live pages within at most one redirect hop. The few exceptions were low-visibility legacy addresses without live replacements.
Confirmed that every sitemap URL returned a live page.
Wrote the missing meta descriptions and added alt text to the images that lacked it.
Repaired broken internal links and repointed links to a discontinued product.
Corrected missing main headings and verified a single H1 on checked pages.
Checked structured data and confirmed no errors on the pages reviewed.
Confirmed that the priority pages had been recrawled by Google.

Evidence

Verification and Documented Outcomes

The launch review checked analytics tags, redirects, robots.txt, sitemap URLs, titles, canonicals, headings, image alt text and structured data. Google Analytics tracking was verified on representative page types.

How the Work Was Checked

Analytics and marketing tags were confirmed firing once each on a product page, an article and the homepage, with no duplicate tags.
Every legacy URL was crawled on the live site after launch and its destination recorded.
Robots.txt was reviewed and the sitemap resubmitted to Google on launch day.
Titles, canonicals, headings, alt text and structured data were checked on the live pages, not only in the theme editor.
Priority pages were submitted for recrawling, and Search Console was used to confirm when Google had recrawled them.
Anything found after launch, such as content that had not survived the move, was fixed and added to the record.

Verification record
Area	Status	Note
Redirects	Verified	Legacy URLs reach live pages within one hop; the exceptions were legacy addresses with no live replacement.
Sitemap	Verified	Every sitemap URL returns a live page.
Structured data	Verified	No errors on the pages reviewed.
Analytics	Verified	Google Analytics tracking confirmed on representative page types.
Priority recrawl	Verified	The priority pages had been recrawled by Google at the time of the report. Recrawled is not the same as indexed, and no indexing claim is made.
Page speed	Out of scope	Performance was not part of this work and no speed improvement is claimed.

What the Evidence Shows

The documented checks confirm a functioning redirect map, a live sitemap, resolved on-page omissions and recrawling of the priority pages. They do not establish that rankings or organic traffic increased after launch.

What the Project Delivered

Old addresses that still work
A tested redirect map, so links and bookmarks to the old site reach live pages.
Foundations carried across
Titles, canonicals, descriptions, headings, alt text and structured data in place on the new site.
A written account of launch
A delivery report of every check, every fix and what to watch in Search Console next.

What you receive

The Report You Receive

A migration ends with a launch report: where the site stood, every check run on the live site on launch day, what was built into the new theme and what happens next. This sample uses a fictional store, so every name and figure in it is invented.

Sample report · fictional store · invented figures

What's inside

Where the site stood before, and at launch
Launch-day checks on the live site
What was built into the new site
Speed of the old site against the new one
Anything noticed at launch, and the next four weeks

Open the Sample Report (PDF)

3 pages · A4 · opens in a new tab

Why This Matters for a Store

A migration that keeps old URLs resolving, keeps the sitemap honest and carries metadata and structured data across protects the store's ability to be found while everything else is changing. Just as useful for the business is the record: a written account of what was checked, what was fixed and what was left, so the team knows where the site stands and what to watch in Search Console over the following weeks.

Project details are anonymised. Figures are drawn from documented delivery checks and do not imply guaranteed ranking outcomes.

All services

SEO & Performance
Technical SEO
Resolve indexing, structured data, redirect and crawlability issues that can hold your store back.
Explore Technical SEO
Development
Shopify Development
Custom theme work, storefront improvements and functionality tailored to how you sell.
Explore Development

Have a Similar Challenge?

Tell us what is changing: a new theme, new URLs, a platform move or a restructure. We'll explain what needs protecting before launch.

You don't need a technical specification. A description of what you're seeing is enough to start.

Helpful to include

What is changing and roughly when
Pages that matter most to your sales or search traffic
Any redirects or apps already in place

Prefer the full form? Use the contact page

A Shopify Migration With Technical SEO Built In.

Project Overview

The Challenge

Redirects that led nowhere

Gaps in page metadata

Templates that dropped things

Structured data tied to an app

The Technical Investigation

How We Approached It

Before launch

Launch day

After launch