The duration depends heavily on the complexity of your current shop. For a mid-sized shop with standard data and a manageable number of extensions, you should expect a project timeline of about 3 to 5 months. This includes the audit, theme development, data transfer, and intensive testing phases needed to guarantee a smooth go-live.

Yes, the official Migration Tool can migrate nearly all core data — products, customers, categories, orders, and even discount rules. It gets trickier with very custom attributes or data from third-party extensions, for which we often have to write our own mapping scripts. As part of my audit, we check exactly which data is migratable and where manual effort is needed.

Not if it's handled professionally. Preserving SEO is one of my top priorities on every migration. Through meticulous URL mapping and setting up 301 redirects, we make sure Google redirects every old path to the new pages. Combined with Magento 2's better performance, many of our clients even see a significant increase in rankings after the migration.

A migration is priced comparably to a full relaunch, since the frontend and module logic have to be rebuilt. Simple projects start in the lower five-figure range, while complex enterprise migrations with many integrations can be significantly more expensive. After an initial technical check, I'm happy to put together a transparent fixed-price offer so you have full budget certainty.

No, your old shop stays online and fully functional throughout the entire development period. We work on a separate staging environment. Only on the day of the final go-live is there a brief maintenance window — usually just a few hours — where we sync the final data (delta migration) and switch over the DNS entry. Your customers won't notice any of the months of work happening in the background.

Visually, we can rebuild the design almost identically, but technically it has to be programmed completely from scratch. Since Magento 2 uses an entirely different templating language and frontend logic, there's no direct carry-over of the old code. At this point, I usually recommend switching to a Hyvä frontend, since it's more future-proof and significantly more performant than just recreating the old design.

No, Magento 1 extensions aren't compatible with Magento 2. Most major vendors, however, have released M2 versions of their modules. In the audit, we check which extensions you really still need and find the right successors. In many cases, Magento 2 already offers built-in functionality for things you used to need an extra plugin for, which makes the overall system more stable.

Using professional migration tools and multiple test imports, the risk of data loss is extremely low. We always work on copies of your database and run backups before every step. If data structures in M1 turn out to be corrupted, we repair them before import, so your new Magento 2 shop starts with a clean, valid data foundation.

Absolutely, a migration is the perfect time for an upgrade to the enterprise version (Adobe Commerce). We can plan advanced features like B2B, staging, or segmentation directly into the migration process. I'm happy to advise you on the licensing models and check whether the enterprise features offer measurable value for your current business strategy.

Yes, Magento 2 places significantly higher demands on the server. We need more modern PHP versions, Elasticsearch (mandatory from M2.4 on), Redis, and a capable Varnish cache. Simple shared hosting is usually not enough for Magento 2. I'll help you choose a specialized Magento host, or configure your server to deliver optimal performance for M2.

Yes, the official Migration Tool can carry over Magento 1 password hashes so your customers can log in to the new Magento 2 shop with their usual credentials. On first login, the system recognizes the old hash and automatically upgrades it to the newer, more secure M2 standard. That's essential for a smooth user experience after the relaunch.

Custom integrations generally need to be rebuilt, since Magento 2 has a completely new API architecture (REST and GraphQL). This is, however, a great opportunity to make the data exchange more efficient and stable. We analyze your existing connections and rebuild them using the latest technology, to ensure automated data exchange with your ERP.

Migrations are highly sensitive projects that require a lot of attention to detail. As a freelancer, I'm your direct technical partner and know every detail of your database structure. At large agencies, responsibilities often change hands, which can be dangerous with complex data mappings. With me, you get honest craftsmanship, short communication paths, and a high degree of personal accountability for the success of your migration.

Absolutely! A migration is the best time for a data cleanup. We can specifically weed out old dead products, unused attributes, or outdated category structures. A tidy dataset doesn't just improve the new shop's performance — it also makes daily backend work noticeably more pleasant and clearer for your team.

The first step is a no-obligation conversation where we discuss your current shop's state and your goals. After that, I run a technical audit of your M1 instance and put together a detailed roadmap including timeline and cost planning. Just send me a message through the contact form or give me a call — we'll bring your shop safely into the future.