What to ask your Shopify agency during a discovery call for a migration project

Migrate to Shopify with the right agency behind you

The best Shopify agencies won't just tell you what you want to hear. They'll be straight with you about migrating to Shopify - what's complex, what could go wrong, and what realistic timelines actually look like. They'll talk confidently about your data, your integrations, your custom features, and what life looks like after go-live.

The official Shopify migration help articles are a decent starting point, but no guide is going to tell you whether this agency understands your business. That's what the discovery call is for.

Finding a trusted Shopify agency is the first step. The Shopify Partners directory is a great place to start and a certified Shopify agency are partners that have been verified and upgraded by Shopify, from a Shopify partner to a Plus agency, and above. Our own journey started in this fashion, and we were promoted to a Shopify Plus agency in 2025.

Questions to ask a Shopify agency before replatforming

Replatforming is more complex than a starting a Shopify store from scratch. It involves data handling, SEO preservation, and deep knowledge of both your current platform and Shopify's architecture.

Before committing, make sure the agency can back up their pitch with real project experience. Ask them to walk you through previous migrations and listen for detail, not just reassurance. 

Questions to ask a Shopify development agency

• Which platforms have they migrated from (eg. Magento andWooCommerce)?
• How did they handle historical orders, complex catalogues, or multi-store setups?
• What unexpected problems came up, and how did they solve them?
• How do they protect data accuracy, more than spot checking?
• Do they have fallback strategies if something goes wrong?

A capable agency will have refined workflows and be upfront about risks, not just past successes. They should also be comfortable talking about Shopify, native platform tools, and the wider app ecosystem if any of those are relevant to your project.

Don't let a poor Shopify migration hurt your search rankings

A poorly managed migration can seriously damage your search visibility, and it's one of the most commonly mishandled parts of moving to Shopify. Before you commit to an agency, you need to understand exactly how they plan to protect your rankings, organic traffic, and revenue throughout the transition.

Ask how they will audit your existing site before any migration work begins. A thorough pre-migration SEO audit should cover URL structures, metadata, indexation, redirects, site architecture, internal linking, and page-level performance.

They should be able to explain how they map legacy URLs to new Shopify equivalents and how they identify pages that need manual redirects rather than automated handling.

Also ask how they manage:

• Duplicate content risks
• Discontinued or out-of-stock products
• Structural changes that could impact rankings
• Clean architecture on the migrated Shopify store

Agencies with real Shopify migration experience will have defined workflows for protecting search equity post-launch, not just during it. If you enter a long-term support relationship with them, they should also be monitoring performance after go-live, looking for opportunities to not only preserve your search rankings, but improve them.

Don't migrate to Shopify without asking about data validation

Data is the highest-risk part of any Shopify migration. Customer accounts, order history, product and collection data, imagery, internal links and blog articles all need to transfer accurately, and a good agency will have a clear process for making that happen safely.

Specifically, ask how they handle:

• Complex catalogue setups and product variants
• Custom attributes and legacy data that doesn't map neatly to Shopify
• Whether they use automated tools, custom scripts, apps, or a mix, and why

Validation is just as important as the migration itself. A merticulous agency won't just move your data, they'll verify it. Ask whether they run automated checks, cross-reference sample datasets, and how you can review the data before go-live.

Experienced Shopify migration agencies will have a QA process designed to catch inconsistencies early, protect order and customer record integrity, and make sure your store launches with clean, trustworthy data.

Discussing theme options, UX and design direction

Deciding to migrate to Shopify is the right moment to improve your store's design and user experience, not just replicate what you had. Ask the agency how they decide whether to adapt a premium Shopify theme or build something bespoke, and make sure their answer is grounded in UX best practice and Online Store 2.0 capabilities, not just budget.

A strong Shopify agency will deeply review your existing website. They should be able to identify weak spots and opportunities for improvements before a single design decision is made.

Questions to ask a Shopify design agency

• Do they work from wireframes before moving to visual design?
• What is their process and tools they use for feedback and revisions?
• How do they approach mobile-first design and brand consistency across devices?
• Do they look at how users navigate your existing website to gain user experience insights?

The goal isn't just a clean migration. It's a Shopify store that performs better, converts better, and feels like your brand. A good agency will involve you early, keep the process collaborative, and make sure the design direction is agreed before development begins.

Third-party integrations and custom functionality

Third-party tools and custom functionality are where Shopify migrations can get complicated. It's rarely the big obvious features that cause problems, it's the integrations that have been bolted on over time that nobody fully documented.

Before your discovery call, make a list of every tool, app, and custom feature your current store depends on. Then go through each one with your agency. Can it be replicated with a native Shopify app? Does it need custom development? Is there an API connection involved? A good agency won't just say yes to everything, they'll tell you where the complexity sits and what it means for your timeline and budget.

Also ask about what happens post-migration. Custom solutions need to be maintainable as Shopify evolves, and third-party apps can affect performance and security in ways that aren't always obvious at the build stage. An agency that thinks this far ahead is one worth talking to.

Timelines, budgets and milestones for your Shopify migration

Ask how the project is broken down into phases and what has to happen before each one can start. Understanding the dependencies early means you can spot where delays are most likely to come from, and plan your own team's time around it.

Budget conversations need to go beyond the headline figure too. Ask:

• What's included in the project cost, and what isn't?
• What would trigger additional costs in the project?
• If there's custom development involved, how is that scoped?
• If an integration turns out to be more complex than expected, how is that handled?

A realistic agency will build contingency into both the timeline and the budget. One that tells you everything will run smoothly and on budget. An agency that doesn’t include this in a fixed quote, or builds their project model on an estimated costs, probably hasn't done enough of this work to know better.

Good milestone reporting isn't just about keeping you informed, it gives you the opportunity to review, feedback, and course correct before small issues become expensive ones.

Understanding the risks and limitations of migrating to Shopify

Shopify is a strong platform, but it's not without its constraints. A good agency will tell you that upfront, rather than waiting for you to find out mid-project. If they are a multi-platform agency (like ourselves, as a Magento and Shopify agency), they’ll look at it from all sides and recommend the right platform for you , not just their preferred platform.

Complex product configurations, multi-store setups, customised checkout flows, API rate limits, payment gateway restrictions, and multi-currency pricing can all present challenges depending on how your store operates. You need to know about these before work starts, not after. Of course, it's not always practical to anticipate every issue upfront, but recognising the possible risks early means you can plan for them rather than scramble when they surface.

Ask what the workarounds are, whether they involve custom development, third-party apps, or a change in how something works. And ask what that means for your budget and timeline.

Questions to ask:

• What happens if a critical integration isn't supported?
• How will the agency manage downtime during the migration?
• What's the rollback plan if something goes wrong at launch?

An agency that's done this before will have answers. One that hasn't will struggle to give you anything concrete, and that's worth knowing before you sign anything.

Aligning on testing, QA and launch processes

A smooth migration to Shopify doesn’t end with development, it relies on thorough testing and a well-structured launch plan. During your discovery call, make sure to ask how your agency approaches quality assurance (QA). Testing should cover far more than visual checks; it needs to validate functionality and performance under real-world conditions.

Questions to ask your agency about QA:

• Do they carry out cross-browser and mobile testing? Current or legacy?
• How do they ensure that integrations  and bespoke features work as intended?
• Do they provide a checklist for you to check when they do their own QA?
• What happens when you find bugs that their developers cannot replicate?
• Do they test on real devices, or lean on device simulation tools?

Finally, discuss the launch process in detail. What are the steps that lead up to launch? What support will you have on the day of launch? Who manages the DNS transfer? What about serving notice to your current hosting provider?

Clarify what post-launch support is included (such as bug fixes, monitoring and performance optimisation) so you’re not left scrambling if issues arise. By aligning on testing and launch processes upfront, you’ll reduce risk and ensure a seamless transition for your users.

Maintaining performance and Core Web Vitals

Performance directly affects your search rankings, conversion rates, and user experience. It's not a nice-to-have conversation during a discovery call, it's an essential one.

Ask how the agency evaluates your existing site's performance and what benchmarks they set for the new Shopify build. A technically strong agency will be able to talk about minimising theme bloat, optimising scripts, reducing unnecessary Liquid logic, and knowing when a native Shopify feature is a better choice than a third-party app.

They should also be across the latest Shopify performance capabilities, including native image optimisation, section-based caching, and built-in storefront metrics, and be able to explain how these shape their development decisions.

Post-launch matters just as much. Ask how they monitor Core Web Vitals in real user environments, not just lab tools, and how they track LCP, CLS, and INP over time. What's their process when performance regresses after new content or features are added?

The best Shopify migration agencies treat performance as an ongoing responsibility. If the answer sounds like a one-off task, that's worth noting.

Shopify support retainers for long-term growth

When discussing a migration project, it’s essential to look beyond the go-live date and understand exactly what support the agency provides once your Shopify store is live. A discovery call is the ideal moment to clarify what happens after launch, because the first few weeks of a migration are often the most critical.

Unexpected data issues, integration glitches, or theme refinements may arise once real customers begin using the site. Asking about Shopify support packages ensures you won’t be left without help at a moment when stability and responsiveness matter most.

Beyond immediate support, it’s equally important to explore how the agency approaches long-term optimisation on Shopify. A strong migration partner should help you evolve the store beyond its initial build through ongoing UX improvements, CRO recommendations, SEO optimisation, and maintenance of integrations or custom features.

Ask how they monitor site performance over time, what tools they use to detect regressions, and whether they proactively suggest enhancements based on data. The best agencies act as continuous partners, not just developers, ensuring your Shopify store remains fast, efficient, and commercially aligned well after the migration is complete.

Looking for a Shopify agency to handle your migration safely?

We've helped brands migrate to Shopify and Shopify Plus from a range of platforms, taking care of everything from SEO preservation and data validation to UX and Core Web Vitals performance. We don't just move your store, we improve it.

Our migration process is built around clarity and precision. We ask the right questions early, flag risks before they become problems, and keep you informed at every stage. The result is a Shopify store that launches cleanly and is ready to grow.

If you're planning a migration and want to talk it through with an agency that's done this many times before, we'd love to hear from you. Book a discovery call and let's get started.