Category: Shopify

SEO for your online Shopify shop - Consult After Dark Grafx.

Shopify SEO Experts: Get Your Shop Noticed

Launching an online store on Shopify is an exciting step. You’ve designed your storefront, added your products, and are ready to start selling – but there’s one challenge that every store owner faces: getting noticed. With millions of Shopify stores competing for attention, standing out requires more than just good design or great products. It takes strategic search engine optimization (SEO) to get your shop in front of the right audience.

That’s where After Dark Grafx comes in. As seasoned Shopify SEO experts, we help online businesses boost visibility, attract qualified traffic, and convert visitors into loyal customers. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale your store, our SEO strategies are built to make your shop shine in search results.

Why Shopify SEO Matters

SEO for Shopify - Consult After Dark Grafx.

Shopify makes it easy to set up an online store, but ranking well on Google is a different story. Without proper optimization, even the most beautiful store can go unnoticed. Search engines rely on technical structure, keywords, and user experience to decide which sites deserve top placement – and that’s where professional Shopify SEO makes a difference.

Good SEO doesn’t just bring traffic; it brings the right traffic. It connects your products with customers who are actively searching for what you offer. From fashion boutiques and fitness gear to handmade crafts and electronics, your store’s visibility determines your success.

With After Dark Grafx, your Shopify SEO is handled by experts who understand how to blend creativity, data, and technology to help your business grow.

Our Approach to Shopify SEO

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Every Shopify store has a unique audience, niche, and brand voice. That’s why our SEO strategies are customized to your specific goals. Here’s how we make it happen:

1. Comprehensive Site Audit

We start by analyzing your store’s current performance. Our experts review everything from page speed and mobile responsiveness to product page structure and metadata. This helps identify any technical or on-page issues that might be holding you back in search rankings.

2. Keyword Research That Converts

Choosing the right keywords is at the heart of effective SEO. We identify high-intent search terms that your ideal customers are already using, helping your products appear where it matters most. From broad phrases like “eco-friendly candles” to specific long-tail keywords like “handmade soy candles in San Diego,” we make sure your store connects with the right buyers.

3. On-Page Optimization

We fine-tune your product titles, descriptions, meta tags, and image alt text to ensure every page is search-friendly and user-focused. Clean URLs, strategic keyword placement, and compelling copy all contribute to stronger visibility and higher conversions.

4. Content and Blog Strategy

SEO isn’t just about technical fixes, it’s also about content. We help you create engaging, keyword-rich blog posts and landing pages that attract organic traffic and build trust. Quality content positions your brand as an authority and keeps visitors coming back for more.

5. Ongoing Monitoring and Adjustments

SEO isn’t a one-time project; it’s an ongoing process. After Dark Grafx continuously tracks your site’s performance and makes data-driven updates to keep your rankings climbing. From algorithm changes to seasonal trends, we ensure your Shopify store stays ahead of the competition.

The Benefits of Partnering with Shopify SEO Experts

Working with a team that specializes in Shopify SEO gives your business an edge. Here’s what you can expect when you partner with After Dark Grafx:

  • Higher Search Rankings: We help you move up in Google results so your products are easier to find.
  • Increased Organic Traffic: Attract more visitors without paying for ads.
  • Better User Experience: Optimized pages load faster, look great on mobile, and convert more customers.
  • Improved ROI: SEO provides long-term results that compound over time, making it one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available.
  • Customized Reporting: We provide transparent analytics so you can see exactly how your SEO investment is paying off.

When your Shopify store is fully optimized, you don’t just get more clicks – you get more customers.

Why Choose After Dark Grafx?

Shopify SEO Experts - Consult After Dark Grafx.

After Dark Grafx isn’t just another digital marketing agency. We’re a full-service web design and SEO team with years of experience helping Shopify store owners grow their online presence. Our combination of technical expertise, creative design, and data-driven strategy ensures that every aspect of your shop, from visuals to visibility, works together for success.

We don’t just help your site rank higher; we help it perform better. From the moment a customer finds you in search results to the time they complete a purchase, our goal is to create a seamless, optimized experience that drives real results.

Get Your Shopify Store Seen

Don’t let your online shop get lost in the crowd. With the right SEO strategy, your products can reach more customers, generate more sales, and grow your brand faster than ever.

Let After Dark Grafx show you what expert Shopify SEO can do for your business.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation and start climbing the search rankings – because your shop deserves to be seen.

 

Image of Demo of Ride Theme for Shopify

How to Use the Ride Theme for Shopify 2025 – Complete Video Tutorial

How to Use RIDE theme from Shopify by James Byrne After Dark Grafx

 

How to Use RIDE theme from Shopify by James Byrne After Dark Grafx

 

WATCH ON YOUTUBE Click Here

 

In this video, I am going to show you:

How to Install the Ride Theme on Shopify
Configure the Theme Settings for the Ride Theme
Edit the Home Page for the Ride Theme
Edit the Overall Theme Colors for the Ride Theme
Edit the Social Media Links for the Ride Theme
Add Sections, Featured Collections and Products to the Ride Theme

 

Shopify, as of this posting date and video 8/30/2025 is offering 3 FREE Day Trial, then $1 per month for 3 Months when you click this link!

 

The Ride Theme is a Free Theme through Shopify.

You can try the DEMO here: https://themes.shopify.com/themes/ride/presets/ride?surface_detail=ride&surface_inter_position=1&surface_intra_position=1&surface_type=search

 

FREE 30 MINUTE CONSULTATION

If you need help installing, configuring or need consulting for Shopify, WordPress, Big Commerce, Miva Merchant, App Development, Facebook Marketing, Google PPC services, please contact us here.

Nathan Gibbs Art Website Design Shopify by After Dark Grafx

NathanGibbsArt.com – Website Design & Shopify Development – After Dark Grafx

After Dark Grafx is pleased to announce the launch of the updated version of NathanGibbsArt.com. Thank you for choosing After Dark Grafx to update your website with a new design and develop your new Shopify Store.

 

Nathan has created surf art internationally in Fiji, Bora Bora, Moorea, Costa Rica, Mexico, Hawaii and Australia and has shown work in over 6 countries. His work has exhibited and has collectors in Florida, Washington, Oregon, New York, Hawaii, South America, Ireland, Sweden and of course California. He has been in over 80 gallery exhibits, shows, fairs, and been featured in 29 web and print publications. Self taught, he is influenced by Pollock, Van Gough, Cezanne, and others. Nathan was awarded the 2007 1st Annual Earth Day: “GAIA” Environmental Award for his constant efforts in providing philanthropic support to water related charities to include the Surfrider Foundation, Surfers Healing, Surf Aid international and various other charities.
If you are looking for some wonderful surf art, visit Nathan’s website today. This Shopify website has been optimized to load at blazing speeds and updated with a new navigation, home page, banner carousel slider and more.

Nathan Gibbs Art Website Design Shopify by After Dark Grafx

Screenshot

 

 

If you are in need of a new website design or redesign, eCommerce, search engine optimization (SEO) or other service, please contact us. for a Free No Obligation Consultation.

After completing this website, we created several videos to help them understand How To Edit their Website.


Contact us here!
Call (619) 702-7377

Shopify SEO Experts: Maximize Your Online Store’s Visibility

Optimizing your Shopify store for search engines is a crucial step in ensuring that your products are visible to potential customers. Shopify SEO experts specialize in tweaking your online store to rank higher on search engines, which can lead to increased traffic and sales. Understanding the various components of SEO—such as keyword research, on-page optimization, site architecture, and link building—is paramount. These experts possess the necessary skills and strategies to optimize store elements that align with search engine algorithms, ensuring your Shopify site is recognized and favorably ranked.

Improving your Shopify store’s SEO isn’t just about inserting keywords or fixing technical issues. It encompasses a strategic approach focusing on enhancing user experience, which includes ensuring fast loading times, mobile responsiveness, and creating high-quality, relevant content. Furthermore, Shopify SEO experts can assist in developing robust content marketing and link-building strategies to establish your store’s authority and improve its digital footprint. The ongoing process of measuring and tweaking your store’s performance based on analytical data is essential for maintaining and improving search engine rankings over time.

Key Takeaways

  • Hiring Shopify SEO experts can significantly improve your store’s search engine visibility and ranking.
  • A multifaceted approach to optimization is critical, factoring in user experience, site performance, and quality content.
  • Regular analysis and strategy adjustments are essential for sustained SEO success and higher organic traffic.

Shopify SEO

Understanding Shopify SEO

When setting up your Shopify store, SEO should be at the forefront of your strategy. It’s not just about attracting visitors but converting them into customers.

The Basics of Search Engine Optimization

SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results, increasing the likelihood of driving organic traffic to your site. At its core, SEO involves tweaking various aspects of your website, including its content and structure, to make it more appealing to search engines like Google.

  • Keywords: Researching the right keywords is a crucial first step, understanding what your potential customers are searching for.
  • On-Page Optimization: This includes clear title tags, meta descriptions, and headers that contain your targeted keywords.
  • Quality Content: Content should be original, valuable, and engaging, giving visitors a reason to stay and search engines a reason to recommend your site.
  • Site Performance: Your Shopify store must load quickly, as speed is a factor that search engines consider.

Implementing SEO effectively can lead to higher rankings in search results, driving more traffic to your Shopify store.

Importance of SEO for Ecommerce

For a Shopify store, SEO serves as a backbone for attracting potential customers. Unlike paid advertising, a solid SEO strategy provides long-term benefits, improving your website’s visibility at a relatively low cost.

  • User Experience: Optimizing your site also means creating an enjoyable user experience, which search engines regard highly.
  • Mobile Optimization: With more users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is non-negotiable.

Through understanding and adapting to the search engine algorithm, your store can capture more relevant traffic, increase conversions, and ensure sustainable growth in a competitive e-commerce landscape.

Shopify SEO Strategies

Effective Shopify SEO strategies involve precise keyword research, meticulous optimization of product pages, and a strong foundation in technical SEO to enhance your search engine rankings. Below, you’ll find focused methods to help you leverage SEO effectively within your Shopify store.

Keyword Research for Shopify

To drive traffic to your Shopify store, you must start with comprehensive keyword research. Identify the terms your potential customers are using to find products like yours. Tools such as Google Trends or Ahrefs provide insights into popular search queries. Be sure to focus on long-tail keywords which typically have less competition and can attract a more targeted audience.

  • Use tools like Yoast SEO for Shopify to refine your keyword strategy.
  • Incorporate keywords naturally into titles, descriptions, and content.

Optimizing Product Pages and Descriptions

Your product pages are where the conversion happens, so optimize them for both users and search engines. Ensure that each product page has a unique, keyword-rich title and description. This not only aids in SEO but also improves click-through rates from search results.

  • High-quality images and engaging descriptions can boost user experience and SEO.
  • Update meta descriptions to include primary keywords without compromising readability.

Technical SEO and Site Structure

Technical SEO is critical for your Shopify store’s internal linking and site structure, influencing how search engines crawl and index your pages. A logical structure with a clear hierarchy makes it easier for search engine bots to find and rank your pages.

  • Streamline your site architecture for easy navigation and indexing.
  • Regularly audit your site to fix broken links and ensure fast page load times; both factors are vital for Shopify SEO efficiency.

Enhancing User Experience

Enhancing User Experience

In the realm of Shopify SEO, your competitive edge hinges on providing an optimal user experience that caters to both design sensibilities and technical performance. Focusing on these aspects can significantly influence your site’s visibility and conversion rates.

The Role of Web Design in SEO

When crafting your website, remember that web design is a cornerstone of user experience and SEO. Aesthetic appeal and navigation ease facilitate a positive engagement with your site, which can lower bounce rates—a metric search engines could interpret as a sign of quality. Employ a clean, intuitive layout that aligns with your branding to make sure visitors can find what they are looking for with minimal effort.

  • Use clear Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
  • Incorporate white space strategically for a less cluttered look
  • Optimize images and visual elements without sacrificing load time

Improving Page Speed and Mobile Optimization

Your website must load swiftly to meet users’ expectations and to score well with search engines. Page speed directly impacts conversion rates as visitors are more likely to stay on and interact with fast-loading sites. A vital aspect of page optimization is ensuring your site is responsive and offers a seamless experience across all devices, particularly on mobile.

  • Compress images and use efficient coding practices to enhance speed
  • Implement responsive design for mobile optimization
  • Test your website’s performance on various devices and browsers

By carefully tuning web design elements and technical details to improve user experience, you directly contribute to your Shopify store’s success in both SEO performance and customer satisfaction.

Content Marketing and Link Building

Content Marketing

In this competitive digital landscape, content marketing and link building are essential to establish your Shopify store’s online presence. Through engaging content, you can enhance brand awareness and, by building a strong portfolio of backlinks, improve your store’s organic search results.

Creating Engaging and Relevant Content

To effectively attract and retain customers, you need to provide valuable content that resonates with your audience. Your blogs should serve as a resource, offering solutions and insights that directly address customer interests and needs. Shopify SEO Services suggest that a comprehensive approach to content creation helps in driving higher rankings and sales. Creating a variety of content, from blog posts to infographics, caters to different preferences and can lead to increased engagement.

  • Understand Your Audience: Know their pain points and interests.
  • Quality Over Quantity: Craft well-researched and original pieces.
  • Frequency and Consistency: Maintain a regular posting schedule.

Strategies for Effective Link Building

Link building is a strategic process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. A link from an external site is essentially a vote of confidence that signals trust and authority to search engines. Produce high-quality content that others want to reference, thus ensuring natural link acquisition. SEO Experts at Shopify stress the importance of using ethical link building tactics, like guest posting and outreach campaigns, to boost your site’s relevance and authority.

  • Identify Link Opportunities: Analyze competitor backlinks for potential targets.
  • Quality and Relevance: Aim for links from authoritative websites in your niche.
  • Anchor Text: Use relevant, keyword-rich anchor text for inbound links without over-optimizing.

By focusing on creating content that provides value and employing smart link building strategies, you can bolster your store’s visibility and credibility in the digital marketplace.

Measuring and Enhancing Performance

In optimizing your Shopify store, your aim is to enhance performance by making data-driven decisions. You’ll track your progress with analytics and improve your revenue and traffic through targeted conversion rate optimization strategies.

Using Analytics to Track Progress

To effectively increase your Shopify store’s performance, you must utilize Google Analytics to track visitor interactions. This powerful tool aids in monitoring metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and the path a visitor takes through your site. It’s essential to regularly review analytics reports to understand where your traffic is coming from and what actions visitors take on your site. By analyzing this data, you can identify trends, adjust your SEO tactics accordingly, and measure your return on investment (ROI).

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the process of enhancing your website to boost the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, be it making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or another quantifiable goal. Key elements of CRO include:

  • A/B Testing: Experiment with different versions of your pages to see which resonates more with your audience.
  • User Experience (UX): Simplify navigation and streamline the purchasing process to remove any roadblocks for potential buyers.

Refining these aspects of your Shopify store will directly influence your revenue as you convert more visitors into customers. Remember that even small improvements in your conversion rate can have significant impacts on your overall business success.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, you’ll find some FAQs regarding Shopify SEO experts, helping you to make an informed decision about optimizing your store’s search engine performance.

What are the key factors to consider when choosing a Shopify SEO expert?

When selecting a Shopify SEO expert, consider their experience, past results, understanding of e-commerce, and knowledge of current SEO trends. It’s also important to align their expertise with your specific business needs and goals. Since Shopify’s inception, After Dark Grafx has been optimizing and ranking websites on this platform successfully.

How can a Shopify SEO expert improve my store’s search engine visibility?

A Shopify SEO expert can enhance your online store’s visibility by optimizing your site structure, improving on-page elements like meta tags and content, building quality backlinks, and ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and fast-loading. There is a lot of work involved in the SEO process, so it is usually best to leave it up to the professionals at After Dark Grafx.

What kind of results can I expect after hiring a Shopify SEO specialist?

After hiring a Shopify SEO specialist, you can expect to see an improvement in your site’s search rankings, an increase in organic traffic, and potentially higher conversion rates as your site becomes more user-friendly and relevant to search queries. This takes time to achieve so think of it as a marathon and not a sprint. In most cases, you can expect to rank for some of your keywords within a few months, depending on industry, however, it does take a while for the program to work. You should also understand that there is no guarantee you will make any type of sale from the increase in traffic.

How do I evaluate the effectiveness of a Shopify SEO expert’s work on my site?

Evaluate a Shopify SEO expert’s effectiveness by tracking changes in your website’s organic traffic, search engine rankings, and conversion rates over time. Tools like Google Analytics can provide valuable insights into these metrics. It is best to start with a baseline of where your traffic has been, month after month for the previous 12 months. This way you can gauge how the new SEO service is affecting your traffic.

What is the typical price range for professional SEO services for a Shopify store?

Professional SEO services for a Shopify store can vary widely in cost, typically ranging from $500 to $5,000 per month based on the complexity of services provided and the experience level of the expert. You will find inexpensive SEO services online for less than $250/month but you get what you pay for. There are also the so-called, “Pay for Performace SEO Shops”, which is excellent in theory but these companies typically utilize “Black Hat” techniques that will drive traffic to your website but ultimately have and adverse effect on your rankings and worse, possible removal and exclusion for the search engines themselves.

How does hiring an SEO expert differ from using Shopify’s built-in SEO tools?

Hiring an SEO expert provides personalized and advanced optimization strategies beyond what Shopify’s built-in SEO tools offer. An expert can implement customized tactics and provide ongoing optimization and analysis that automated tools cannot. You definitely need a “hands-on” approach to get the website ranked.

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Interested in signing up for a Shopify Trial? Click Here

 

 

Have Questions?
Call Us for a Free 30 Minute,
No Obligation Consultation: (619) 702-7377

 

 

Migrate from Miva to Shopify - AfterDarkGrafx.com.

Migrate Miva to Shopify

Moving From Miva to Shopify?

There are many things to consider when migrating your website from Miva to Shopify.

Before you begin this process, it is best to contact After Dark Grafx via Chat (bottom right of this website), via our Contact Form – click here or via Phone (619) 702-7377 or if in San Diego (619) 702-7377.  This will save you in both time and money and the 30 minute consultation is FREE!

 

Miva Developer San Diego

 

STEP 1: TAKE AN INVENTORY OF YOUR MIVA STORE BEFORE MIGRATION:


You will want to take an inventory of what functionality is currently in place within your existing Miva Merchant store and see if this same type of functionality is available within Shopify. In some cases, you can change or alter the functionality to best suit your needs but in some cases, you will either need to add a paid or free app from the Shopify App Store or contact a developer (like After Dark Grafx wink! wink!). To perform the upgrade or add advanced custom coding that Shopify or the theme that you choose does not offer.

 

Shopify Developer - Shopify Desginer - Shopify Expert - Shopify Setup

STEP 2: PAYMENT METHODS

What payment methods do you currently accept and what is connected to your existing website? Authorize.net? Stripe? Paypal? Pay On Account? Etc. Then see if these systems are they available in Shopify.

 

STEP 3: SHIPPING METHODS

What shipping methods you are currently using and are they available in Shopify.

Example:
You may be using Worldship with Freight for your large and heavy products. You may need a paid app within Shopify to perform the same tasks and functionality.

Shopify, out of the box, offers USPS shipping. If you would like to add UPS, FEDEX, DHL or other shipping carriers it is best to contact Shopify support to have them add the ability to your current plan. See more below.


STEP 4: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SHOPIFY BEFORE MOVING 
(PROS, CONS, LIMITATIONS & BENEFITS)

Shopify allows you to utilize their own built-in merchant account, therefore bypassing your existing merchant account. If you wish to use your merchant account with Shopify, there is an added fee percentage per order so it’s best to just use their built-in merchant account and keep it separate from your retail or physical locations to keep costs down.

Shopify currently has an attribute limit. This means if you wanted to have a T-shirt company and you had size, color and material it will be fine but if you were to offer additional items like inseam or brand type in addition to these three options, then you would need an app or some customization in order to allow this functionality. If you have a lot of products that have attributes/variations drop downs that are connected to those products, you will definitely want to reach out and see if there is an app available to help with migrating all of your options, otherwise you will have to do this manually.

Shopify Benefits
Shopify allows you to get started with an online store quickly. You can sign up for a free trial, build your store, add your payments and add shipping and launch your website in a matter of days. (ie: Smaller websites of course). You don’t need your own merchant account and shipping is built in if you are using USPS. There are free and paid apps that allow you to click and install easily to add major custom functions that would cost a lot to be added if it were a custom solution.

STEP 5: VIEW EXISTING SHOPIFY THEMES

Shopify comes with a few free themes, however, these free themes may not be what you are looking for along the lines of design for your new website. See https://themes.shopify.com. The other option is to use a paid theme or reach out to a designer like After Dark Grafx™, to create a custom design for your website.

 

STEP 6: VIEW EXISTING APPS

Miva merchant has a lot of functionality built into it plus modules that are added to it to extend its’ functionality. Shopify, in the same regard, has an App Store that allows app providers to offer functionality that may emulate or provide the same functionality for a fee.

OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED:
CONTACT A SHOPIFY DEVELOPER
(We are Shopify Experts)

After Dark Grafx™ is a Shopify Expert. Since Shopify’s inception, we have been developing and creating themes, apps, custom code as well as designing for Shopify. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation.

OPTIONAL: USING A THIRD PARTY MIGRATION SERVICE PROS & CONS

There are many third-party services that can help with migration from Miva Merchant to Shopify. These companies such as Cart2Cart, and others will copy existing data from your Miva website and import it into your Shopify website. However, these migration services rarely migrate all data, you have to double check everything that was migrated and test it yourself, then contact the company over and over again until the data is moved correctly.

 

STEP 7: EXPORTING AND IMPORTING DATA

You will want to make a full backup of your database of your existing website and files before doing anything along the lines of migration from Miva Merchant to Shopify make sure that you export your customers, products, categories, orders, shipments and data needed.

You should log into the backend of Miva and copy the settings for your shipping and payments and try to keep in mind any customer functionality or code that was built in for your website.

Please note that all data will not be migrated from the old system so you will want to make a checklist of exactly what you need from the old website i.e. orders, payment data, etc. and, in some cases, you may not be able to transfer the payment transaction data because it is with another system.

Migrating Customers: Customers will need to create new passwords for their account on Shopify. Their old passwords and transaction data will not be migrated.

Migrating Orders: You can migrate orders but not payment transaction data

 

STEP 8: INTEGRATING DESIGN CHANGES

In some cases, you may want the same exact design and building it into Shopify will take a little effort. It will not be an exact replica, but will emulate it closely. Otherwise, it is best to get a new website design that converts on Shopify.

 

STEP 9: CODE FUNCTIONALITY CHANGES

You should go through your existing website as a customer and go through the checkout process. Write down what is happening along the way. What’s happening on the product page, the category page, the checkout page and finally the invoice page. Are you getting a follow up email with an offer. Do you have an email system with follow ups or abandon carts? You may have up sells or other functionality that you forgot about.

STEP 10: SETTING UP THIRD PARTY SHIPPING AND THE COSTS INVOLVED

In some cases, adding UPS, or FedEx or additional shipping carrier is easy as contacting Shopify and having him add a small fee to your monthly plan. Otherwise they may make you upgrade to the next plan, which is usually more expensive than the small fee to add this ability to your existing plan. Simply contact Shopify support to have this fee, added and tell them that you are interested in adding additional shipping options.

 

STEP 11: SETTING UP PAYMENT GATEWAYS AND THE  COSTS

Shopify comes with its own built-in payment system, meaning that they accept credit cards on your behalf and will release the funds into your account. Once they process the credit cards and take their fee. You can, however, utilize your own merchant account, but this will incur an additional percentage cost on top of the fee that is charged through Shopify so if you were paying 2.49% before you’ll end up paying 3.49% or more for your transactions so it is best to use Shopify’s built in merchant account system.

 

STEP 12: USING REDIRECTS SO YOU DO NOT LOSE “*SEO JUICE”

Before pointing your domain name over to Shopify, it is best to find out exactly what URLs are listed on the search engines, and if you are interested in keeping your “SEO juice” for your existing listing pages, this means that your old pages will point to your new pages so you will want to create your redirects to the new pages within Shopify. This should be done before finally pointing your domain name to Shopify and launching your website.

 

STEP 13: POINTING YOUR DOMAIN NAME

Once everything is migrated and the website is for working on a test or temporary URL and you are happy with the way the new website is working, you should perform one last export of customers and any other data that has changed since the last time you did an export. Once this has been imported into Shopify and you’re happy with everything, you should then point your domain to Shopify. We recommend that you keep your existing hosting in place for a few weeks to make sure that the new website is working for you. Otherwise you can easily switch back to the old server and website in the event that there are issues with the new store.


STEP 14: LAUNCHING YOUR NEW STORE

Everything is ready. Your new website is working perfectly. All of the functionality is in place. Your customers have been imported, your products have been imported you have tested out the payment processing and shipping and all of the emails in regards to the order process and you are ready to launch your website. Simply point two records to Shopify. One is an A record and the other a CNAME record. See how to connect your website to Shopify manually.


STEP 15: UPDATING THE SITE MAP WITH GOOGLE, BING, OTHER

Your website is now live on Shopify but now we need to tell the search engines that your new site map has been updated with your new address and website, your sitemap address has changed and you are going to want to create a Google search console account as well as a bin web master account and another of  webmaster accounts in order to remit your site maps so that your new pages get indexed faster and you do not lose any of your wonderful search engine rankings.

Sitemaps would include: (change YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME-HERE with your website domain name)

https://YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME-HERE/sitemap.xml

https://YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME-HERE/sitemap_products_1.xml

https://YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME-HERE/sitemap_pages_1.xml

https://YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME-HERE/sitemap_collections_1.xml

and if you have a blog

https://YOUR-DOMAIN-NAME-HERE/sitemap_blogs_1.xml

 

This is just a basic list of what needs to be done before, during and after a migration from Miva Merchant Shopping Cart to the Shopify Platform.

 

Contact us today click here for a FREE, 30 MINUTE, NO OBLIGATION consultation.
(619) 702-7377
Local: (619) 702-7377

 

 

Shopify’s post about Migrating to Shopify Click Here

 

After Dark Tip: Make a Backup of your entire site and database before starting or making any changes or migrations. In your Miva Control Panel (not admin.mvc) you can export the database and all files from within Miva’s ecosystem. Their my.miva.com control panel allows you to login to the server and export the database and files OR just contact Miva Tech Support and they will do this for you.

 

*SEO JUICE = Your current SEO standings or what links you currently have within the search engines.

You should also take into consideration the age of your Miva website. Was it developed recently or years ago. Sometimes, performing a migration will not grab all of the data correctly. Utilizing an online utility to migrate your data, in most cases, does not grab all of the data you need because there is no “face-to-face” or human interaction analyzing what your site actually needs.

Over the years, as you utilize Miva for your eCommerce website, you have probably added modules and custom code to make the website perform in a certain fashion needed for your company. Some of these modules or functionality will need to be re-added to your Shopify store in the form of paid or free apps plus custom coding.

So, what do you do? Call After Dark Grafx for a FREE, No Obligation Migration Consultation and Cost Analysis. This way, you can understand what exactly you need and how your website will be affected by the move.

It is best to spin up a test store, put it onto a paid plan and integrate and add the apps you need before moving the entire website.

Note: All existing customers will have to RECREATE their passwords. You can send them out an invite one-by-one (Shopify Plus allows for mass invites) otherwise, you can use your email system like Mail Chimp, Constant Contact or other to send emails to your existing customers notifying them that you are moving to a new system and they will have to recreate their password on your website.

Have a Rewards System in place? We should talk.

What about Email? We should talk.

Have other special coding or integrations that you may have forgotten about? We should talk.

It is always best to keep your Miva Merchant account live as you transition away for the first few weeks to make sure everything is running efficiently.

There are a multitude of other things to consider when migrating pertaining to orders, customers, categories and so forth so you should do yourself a favor and contact After Dark Grafx for a FREE Miva to Shopify Migration Consultation!

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