A website for an eCommerce entrepreneur is the livelihood. Ensuring the site is user-friendly is crucial as your business grows. So, you need to add services that help you better manage the online store.
One of the most popular WordPress plugins is WooCommerce. It is known for its simplicity of installation and customization. WooCommerce main features include inventory management, order tracking, delivery status updates, and more.
Another eCommerce solution that proved its effectiveness is Magento - a platform where professional web developers craft medium to large online shops.
Magento features are suitable for small businesses and enterprise companies alike. Unlike WooCommerce, Magento isn't very user-friendly for inexperienced developers. There are extensive instructions and manuals. So, we prepared a simple guide to help you migrate from WooCommerce to Magento. Be sure it's worth it in the end - Magento's benefits and features will keep your customers delighted.
How to Migrate from WooCommerce to Magento
There are three ways to perform the migration – manually, hiring a professional, or using an automated tool. Before you get started, back up the WooCommerce store data to avoid the loss of information should an error occur. You'll need to download an extension to back up your data, no matter your migration method.
Manual Migration
When using the Magento migration service manually, it's vital to know which data should be transferred. Specific data is prioritized over others, and WooCommerce only supports product data exportation. Still, you can find plugins for downloading and installation that allows you to export customer IDs and other customer and order identifiers.
There are more than enough plugins to export data that vary in price. Some are free and easy to use but restrict the data variants you can export. If you don't want a ton of plugins attached to your browser, you'll need to pay for more advanced tools that permit the transfer of multiple data variants.
As you can see, the Magento migration service process is complex and time-consuming, with quite a few moving parts. Any files exported should fit Magento's format. Once your store's data is entered, choose your configurations, and import the data. Repeat this step for each migrated entity, then go through each product and add customizations.
Hire Professional Web Developers
If you're inexperienced at creating eCommerce websites, a manual migration may be more than you can handle. As you migrate from WooCommerce to Magento, you may forget to transfer certain customized options during the lengthy process.
That's where the assistance of a professional developer comes in handy. They make a living creating websites and have the expertise you need to make a seamless migration.
Usually, you can find an expert for around $45 an hour. Others may charge a flat fee based on the number of pages and customizations requested. Don't hesitate to shop around and ask questions to avoid being hit with an unexpected bill in the end.
A critical question you should ask during your search is how much experience they have, if any, working with WooCommerce and Magento. If their work in each is limited or completely lacking, you may end up with errors and lost data.
Hiring an expert means you'll spend way more money, and there is a security risk. However, when working with a reputable and trustworthy developer to migrate your online store, you'll save yourself from many headaches and keep your time free.
Best Magento migration service companies in USA
If you're not sure where to find a professional migration service, here's a list of experienced experts:
Wiserbrand – This team will help your business grow no matter how big or small or what industry you're in.
Magento It Solutions – The intuitive migration services provide the same quality user-experience visitors your site enjoy.
Pro Products Web Development – These Magento Migration experts will help you make a seamless migration to Magento 2 for improved performance and scalability.
Envision – This firm has years of experience in digital commerce and can deliver a hassle-free migration for your eCommerce business.
Automated Migration Tools
No intense technical knowledge is necessary to use an automated tool when migrating from WooCommerce to Magento. Avoid the stress using LitExtension, an automated tool to migrate shopping carts between platforms. That is the most advanced, effective, and efficient method for migration.
Once you register for a LitExtension account, follow these three steps:
1. Input the information for both platforms. Your Source Cart Type is WooCommerce, and your Target Cart Type is Magento. Enter the WooCommerce URL into the Source Cart, download the LitExtension connector, and follow the instructions to upload it to the Source Store's root folder. Then complete the same process for your Target Store.
2. Select which entities should be migrated. Do you want to transfer everything or just products, customers, and orders? Is your WooCommerce site multilingual? With the extension, you can choose the entities you want to migrate, and it's possible to bring over multi-language capabilities as well.
3. Complete the migration. Before you run the final migration, you have the option for a demo run. Once you're sure the data is set up to your satisfaction, skip the demo and carry out the complete migration. You don't have to keep your PC on during the process, as it runs over the server once started. An email notification is sent once the process has been completed.
Always double-check to ensure everything migrated successfully on the back and frontend.
Post-Migration Actions
Don't risk losing the popularity your store has because you didn't change your store's domain name system (DNS). DNS converts domain names into IP addresses, making it easy for browsers to load web pages. Each PC and mobile device has an IP address other devices use to locate and connect to them. For these reasons, DNS is viewed as the internet's phonebook.
When you migrate your custom domain to Magento's platform, your IP address is changed, and you need to update your DNS settings to direct customers to your new IP address. Here's how:
1. Log in to the Domain Management System
2. Confirm the CNAME of www for DNS server points
Change record A to point to IP of Target Store's Server.
Conclusion
Of all three methods, hiring a professional and using an automated tool are the best ways to ensure your eCommerce platform's proper migration from WooCommerce to Magento.
Still, whichever method you choose, determining factors are your budget and availability. Choose the option that works best for you and your business.
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