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Why Maintaining the Domain Structure Is Critical When Migrating from Magento 2 to Shopware 6

Introduction

Migrating an online store from Magento 2 to Shopware 6 is a strategic move for many growing eCommerce businesses. Whether the decision is driven by performance needs, usability, modern architecture, or better support for integrations and customizations, the end goal is always the same: to boost business success. But one aspect of this migration is often underestimated — the preservation of the existing domain structure.

At solution25, we’ve handled numerous migrations and have consistently seen the impact that a mismanaged URL restructuring can have on a business. It’s not just a technical nuance — it’s a matter of SEO, traffic, and, ultimately, revenue.

Understanding Domain Structure and SEO Dependency

What is Domain Structure?

Domain structure refers to the hierarchical organization of your website URLs. In Magento 2, you might have clean, optimized URLs such as:

  • example.com/women/shoes/sneakers-nike
  • example.com/mens/jackets/winter-parka

These URLs are often the result of years of SEO efforts, backlink acquisition, and content optimization. Search engines have indexed them, assigned them authority, and ranked them accordingly.

Why Domain Structure Matters for SEO

Every product, category, or landing page that performs well in search engines carries SEO equity — a combination of ranking signals that include:

  • Page authority and trust
  • Keyword relevance
  • Inbound links (backlinks)
  • CTR and behavioral metrics

When URLs are changed during a migration, this equity is at risk unless every step is carefully planned. Even when 301 redirects are implemented, the transition is not perfect. Google itself states that some ranking loss is likely, and recovery can take months.

The Risk of Changing URLs: Ranking and Revenue Loss

What Happens When URLs Change?

Let’s assume your top-performing product pages change from:

example.com/product/sony-headphonesexample.com/shop/electronics/sony-headphones

This small change can cause:

  • Temporary or permanent drop in rankings
  • De-indexing of high-value pages
  • Loss of external backlinks (which might not be updated)
  • Lower traffic, fewer conversions, and reduced sales

Even with 301 redirects in place, traffic is often reduced by 10–30%, especially for highly competitive keywords. This impact is compounded if multiple product or category pages are affected simultaneously.

Minimum Requirement: Preserve Top URLs

Which URLs Must Be Retained?

At a bare minimum, solution25 recommends preserving the domain structure for:

  • All top-selling products
  • Categories with high monthly search volume
  • Pages with the most backlinks
  • Landing pages that drive significant paid or organic traffic

A full 1:1 domain structure replication is ideal, but if this is not feasible due to technical or architectural limitations, then a strategic prioritization is required.

Data-Driven URL Prioritization

We use data from:

  • Google Search Console
  • Google Analytics
  • SEMrush or Ahrefs (for backlinks)
  • Magento’s internal sales and performance reports

to identify and protect high-value URLs. This way, SEO equity is maintained where it matters most — on pages that generate revenue.

Redirects Are Not a Complete Solution

Why Redirects Don’t Fully Preserve Rankings

While 301 redirects do pass some SEO value, they also:

  • Take time to be processed by search engines
  • May dilute link equity
  • Can cause temporary ranking fluctuations
  • Introduce risk of redirection loops or errors if not managed precisely

Also, redirects are invisible to users but can cause longer load times, which negatively affect user experience and conversion rates. If search engines detect too many URL changes at once, the domain may experience temporary re-evaluation, impacting trust signals.

Our Approach at solution25

Comprehensive URL Mapping

We begin each migration with a full export of all existing Magento 2 URLs. These are mapped against the planned Shopware 6 structure to identify:

  • Exact matches that can be retained
  • URLs that require restructuring or rewrites
  • URLs that need proper redirect logic

Custom Development to Preserve URL Schema

If Shopware’s native routing does not allow for specific Magento-style URLs, we implement custom development to replicate the structure — using custom URL rewrites, SEO plugins, and configuration overrides.

Testing and QA

Every URL is tested post-migration to ensure:

  • No 404 errors
  • Correct canonical tags
  • Redirects are SEO-friendly
  • All retained pages render properly and contain matching metadata

Post-Migration Monitoring

Once live, we monitor:

  • Indexation in Google Search Console
  • Organic traffic trends
  • Keyword ranking stability
  • Error reports and crawl issues

This helps us react quickly to any post-migration anomalies and keep traffic and revenue stable.

Benefits of Preserving Your URL Structure

1. Seamless SEO Transition

Retaining the original URLs means search engines do not need to re-evaluate your site’s structure. You preserve your rankings, traffic, and link authority.

2. Better User Experience

Returning users, saved bookmarks, and external links continue to work without interruptions or redirects.

3. Higher Conversion Rates

Reduced disruption during migration means less downtime, faster pages (no redirect delays), and better performance across your funnel.

4. Faster Recovery

Even if rankings fluctuate, preserved URLs recover significantly faster than newly introduced URLs with redirects.

Shopware 6 Is Built for Growth — Let’s Do It Right

Migrating to Shopware 6 is a smart business move — but only when it’s done right. By preserving your Magento 2 domain structure, you not only maintain your SEO equity but also avoid unnecessary revenue drops and customer confusion.

solution25 has developed a proven process to ensure your migration is SEO-safe, technically sound, and future-ready. We combine deep platform expertise with data-driven SEO strategies to deliver migrations that succeed — without compromise.

Contact Us — Start Your SEO-Safe Migration Today

If you’re planning to migrate from Magento 2 to Shopware 6, don’t leave your SEO to chance. Talk to our experts today and learn how we can make your transition smooth, safe, and successful.

Contact solution25 — your Shopware migration partner.