Any eCommerce migration process translates into opportunity and strength for every business. In most cases, a current eCommerce platform loses the potency to support a flourishing business. Upgraded eCommerce web development services offer better design capabilities, improved ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, and other UI/UX features necessary for business expansion. But the process is often fraught with issues and challenges. Businesses often come across these common issues that eventually affect a project’s timeline and budget.

Data Migration

Data migration includes customer details, cart details (including transactions, order info, and sales history), product catalogs and categories, and CMS content (including blogs and any other existing informative website content). The ultimate goal of any retail website is to provide a seamless user experience. Customers with an account should be able to sign on to a new site with ease.

URL Redirects and 404 Errors

Every landing page URL (Uniform Resource Locater) is tracked and stored by search engines. Usually, developers and professional eCommerce web development services retain old URLs for products, categories, and CMS pages for a new migrated platform. Improper or misspelled URLs give rise to a 404 error. 404 is a standard response code indicating the inability of a browser to find a web page. Thus, a proper 301 redirection is necessary. 301 redirection is a status code for permanently redirecting web traffic from a website or page. It is also responsible for maintaining the SEO page ranking. This is an HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) response notifying Google and other search engines regarding the relocation of a requested web page.

Also, read: Google Brings a New Version Of The URL Removal Tool To The Search Console

Third-Party Integration

Quite often the whole purpose of website migration is to attain third-party integration benefits. Tools and applications like customer management systems, upgraded supply chain management software, and various other accounting applications provide technical enhancements. However, they can pose syncing and compatibility issues. As a result, it may lead to costly errors while transferring data. Another important consideration is the change in workflow or user-interface integration with new eCommerce web development services.

Referral Traffic and SEO

Migration can cause a temporary dip in SEO rankings and web traffic. There is a possibility of referral traffic reduction from social media, forums, blogs, and various marketing platforms. It can be attributed to the following main and interlinked factors-

Website crawler issues: In this case, a search engine fails to reach a website page due to missing links or a 404 error.
Poor URL mapping: This happens due to the misrouting of old URLs during the site move. It gives rise to invalid links and missing pages.
Lack of canonical tags: Canonical tag is a command for a search engine to depict the master copy of a webpage. The absence of these tags leads to duplicate content issues.
Mismanaged links and indexed pages: Incorrect indexing for a search engine leads to low SEO ranking.

Conclusion

Migration to a new eCommerce platform enables the right tools to achieve business objectives with robust features and improved customer experience for higher conversions. However, the process can be incredibly complex, tedious, and time-consuming. It requires a precise strategy incorporating every possible scenario while demanding intense cooperation between a variety of factors. Hence, it is wise for businesses to reach out to an experienced agency with ecommerce web development services. Professional eCommerce web development services understand the intricacies of such an undertaking to ensure the best chance of migrating in a smooth and uneventful manner for online stores