Issue 01
Everything at the root
With the recommended short URL setting, /oak-dining-table/ and /dining-tables/ live at the top level. On Shopify every one of them gains a prefix and needs a redirect.
BigCommerce to Shopify
BigCommerce to Shopify migration that keeps your short URLs working
BigCommerce lets products and categories sit right at the root of your domain. Shopify does not. That single difference touches every URL you own. We map each one, handle the brand and filter pages BigCommerce generated for you, and watch the switch for 90 days.
What breaks
The BigCommerce habits Shopify does not share
Issue 02
Mixed URL settings over time
Older stores often started on legacy /products/Name.html URLs, then switched. Both versions may still have backlinks pointing at them.
Issue 03
Brand pages
BigCommerce builds /brands/ pages automatically. Some rank well for brand-plus-category searches. Shopify has no brand page type, so they need a collection.
Issue 04
Faceted search URLs
Parameters like ?_bc_fsnf=1 get crawled and sometimes indexed. Shopify says query-string redirects might not work as expected.
Issue 05
Modifiers are not variants
BigCommerce modifier options such as engraving or add-ons do not become Shopify variants. Without a plan, product pages lose options and content.
Issue 06
Custom fields dropped
Specs stored in custom fields often feed product tabs and schema. They need to become Shopify metafields or the detail disappears.
URL structure
BigCommerce URLs and where they land on Shopify
BigCommerce lets each store choose short, long, legacy or custom URL formats. We crawl first, because many stores run a mix.
| Compare | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Product (short) | /oak-dining-table/ | /products/oak-dining-table |
| Product (long or legacy) | /products/oak-dining-table/ or /products/Oak-Dining-Table.html | /products/oak-dining-table |
| Category (short) | /dining-tables/ | /collections/dining-tables |
| Category (long) | /categories/dining-tables/ | /collections/dining-tables |
| Brand page | /brands/acme.html | /collections/acme |
| Web page | /shipping-returns/ | /pages/shipping-returns or /policies/ |
| Blog post | /blog/how-to-choose-a-table/ | /blogs/news/how-to-choose-a-table |
| Faceted search | /dining-tables/?_bc_fsnf=1&material=oak | Collection filter, canonical to /collections/dining-tables |
How we do it
Our BigCommerce to Shopify process
- Week 1
Find every URL format you have used
We crawl the store, check Search Console and backlink data, and look for legacy .html and long-format URLs that still receive links.
- Week 2
Plan collections, brands and metafields
Categories and brand pages become collections. Custom fields become metafields. Modifier options get a plan that keeps the product page complete.
- Week 3
Build and test the redirect map
Every root-level URL mapped to its prefixed Shopify URL. Patterns close to Shopify paths are tested on the new store before we rely on them.
- Weeks 4 to 5
Parity and schema on staging
Titles, meta, category copy, internal links and product structured data compared old against new before launch.
- Day 0 to 90
Launch and 90-day monitoring
Old URL list crawled against the live store on day one, then weekly checks on indexing, clicks and revenue by page type.
The details
Redirect details and data that needs a plan
A BigCommerce catalog usually exports cleanly. The SEO risk sits in URLs and in the content that hung off each product.
Root-level URLs and collisions#
Because BigCommerce short URLs sit at the root, your old URLs rarely clash with Shopify paths. The redirect map is large but simple: one row per product, category, brand and page. Check it for trailing-slash variants, since BigCommerce URLs end with a slash and Shopify URLs do not.
Legacy .html product URLs#
Stores that started on the legacy format have URLs like /products/Oak-Dining-Table.html. These sit very close to Shopify's own /products/ path. Shopify treats a URL ending in .html and the same path without it as one URL, so it will not redirect between them. Capital letters in old handles add another wrinkle. We test each legacy pattern on the unpublished store rather than assume.
Brand pages worth keeping#
If your /brands/ pages rank, they become proper Shopify collections with a written introduction, not an empty grid. For multi-brand retailers this is often a quick win after launch.
Reviews and customers#
BigCommerce product reviews need to be exported through the API or an app, then imported into your Shopify review app with ratings and dates intact. Customer records move, but passwords do not, so customers reset or sign in with a one-time code.
Multi-storefront#
If you used BigCommerce multi-storefront for different countries, we plan the move to Shopify Markets with international SEO in mind, including hreflang and currency.
Related: the migration SEO hub, WooCommerce to Shopify and Magento to Shopify. After launch, schema markup keeps your product rich results working.
Deliverables
What you get for a BigCommerce move
URL format audit
Short, long, legacy and custom URLs found and scored for traffic and links.
Redirect CSV
Every URL mapped, with legacy patterns tested on the new store.
Collection plan
Categories and brand pages turned into keyword-led collections.
Metafield map
Custom fields and modifiers carried into Shopify structure.
Review import file
Ratings, dates and authors kept for each product.
90-day monitoring
Search Console and revenue checks against the baseline.
Questions
BigCommerce to Shopify questions
Will my BigCommerce URLs change on Shopify?
Almost all of them. BigCommerce often places products and categories at the root, such as /oak-dining-table/. Shopify requires /products/ for products, /collections/ for categories, /pages/ for pages and /blogs/ for posts. Every indexed URL needs a 301 redirect to its new address, including brand pages and older legacy URLs that still carry backlinks.
What happens to BigCommerce brand pages?
Shopify has no built-in brand page type. If your /brands/ pages earn traffic, we recreate each one as a Shopify collection filtered by vendor or tag, add a short introduction and redirect the old URL to it. Brand pages with no traffic or links are redirected to the closest relevant collection instead.
Can Shopify handle BigCommerce product options and modifiers?
Options that change the SKU, like size or color, become Shopify variants, within the limit of three option types per product. Modifiers such as engraving text or add-on items are not variants on Shopify and need line item properties or an app. We plan this per product so the page keeps its options and its content.
Do BigCommerce reviews migrate to Shopify?
Not through a basic product export. Reviews are exported through the BigCommerce API or a migration app, then imported into a Shopify review app with rating, author and date. Keeping the review count and average rating identical protects your star ratings in search results and keeps review schema accurate after launch.
Find out which URL formats you are carrying
Send us your domain and we will crawl it. You will know how many URLs need mapping and where the risk sits before you set a launch date.