Why Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Is Essential

Magento 1 to Magento 2 is essential due to the following reasons.

• Security to Compliance Risks: Magento 1 has officially reached its end of life. That means no security patches, upgrades, or official support are given for Magento 1. This indirectly means the store is more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Payment transactions also lack security breaches, and it is not Payment Card Industry Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliant. Through this, the customer has lost trust in Magento 1. This is an important factor to consider for upgrading Magento from 1 to 2.
• Performance: Magento 2 is built on a modern technology stack and gives better performance. Magento 2 gives faster page load speeds and improved server response times. IT offers caching, mobile responsiveness, improved SEO capabilities, and an optimized checkout experience. Migrating to Magento 2 will unlock opportunities for long-term stability and future-ready eCommerce innovation.
• User experience: Due to its speed, it contributes to a better user experience and improved SEO rankings. It offers a fully responsive, user-friendly design that gives a seamless shopping experience. The checkout process is also easy in Magento 2, which directly increases sales. Its modern architecture supports smoother integrations and easier customization, which makes it ideal for business growth.
• Enhanced capabilities: Magento 2 offers a user-friendly and intuitive admin dashboard for easier management of your online store. With regular updates, migration allows you to access modern functionalities.
• Future-proofing and features: Modern technologies like PHP7+/8, Composer, and HTML5 are supported in Magento 2. The M2 admin panel is more user-friendly and gives better tools for managing dashboards.

Step-by-Step Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Process

Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration is a comprehensive process that can be coined as a platform rebuild. The steps that are required for migration are

1. Audit the Magento 1 store: First, start with auditing the Magento 1 store. Clearly analyze and review business logic, themes, extensions, custom code, integrations, and data (Products, Customers, Orders, CMS Pages) that are to be migrated. Since migrating all the things, it will increase the cost. Develop a migration strategy since not all the M1 extensions are compatible with M2. Find the M2 equivalent in Adobe Marketplace and rebuild the custom logic for M2. Map all the critical URLs and create a 301 redirect strategy to prevent losing search engine and traffic after the new Magento 2 store is live.
2. Set up the new Magento 2 environment: Install Magento 2 on the Staging server, complying with system requirements. Select a hosting environment for Magento 2. Take a full backup of the Magento 1 store, including all the database, file system, and media files. Set up the basic configurations and prepare the environment for data migration.
3. Theme and Extension Migration: Magento 1 themes are not compatible directly with Magento 2. Rebuild your existing theme in Magento 2 using Magento’s frontend architecture. Install Magento 2-compatible versions of your necessary Magento 1 extensions. Adopt to decouple the frontend for extreme speed. Using tools like Magento Code Migration Toolkit, convert some M1 code. You will also need to refactor custom functionality manually. Ensure that it adheres to M2 architecture.
4. Data Migration: Using the Magento Data Migration tool, start transferring store configurations, websites, views, tax settings, payment methods, and payment gateway configurations. Ensure network access between Magento 1 and Magento 2 databases. Stop all M1 admin activities except order processing and disable Magento 1. Set up the config.xml with source and destination database credentials and mapping details. Execute the migration commands for settings, data, and then for incremental changes to capture any error log during migration. Manually copy the media files into Magento 2. Transfer all the products, customers, customer groups, orders, invoices, shipments, and credit memos into Magento 2.
5. Testing and Optimization: Rigorously test all the functionalities, including product catalog, checkout process, payment gateways, and customer accounts. Check page load times across different devices to ensure M2 performance is optimal. Verify that all third-party systems are correctly connected.
6. Validate the data: Verify data accuracy, test payment gateways, extensions, and checkout flow. This will ensure that all the data is migrated correctly from Magento 1 to Magento 2.
7. Launch new store: After thorough testing and validation, it is now time to move to the production environment. Perform SEO checks and optimize performance for speed and stability.

Post-Migration Checklist to Ensure Smooth Operations

Migration does not end once all the data transfer is done. We need to carry out the following post-migration steps for a successful store journey.

• Change the DNS records to point to your domain to the new Magento 2 server.
• Test all the 301 redirects and verify whether the robots.txt file has been configured correctly.
• Test the full checkout process in Magento 2. Ensure that it works functionally without any errors.
• Do a site performance check and database performance to ensure Magento 2 runs efficiently.
• Install SSL certificates and two-factor authentication for security purposes.
• Track the new store performance for the first few weeks to validate the data, user adoption, and resolve the issues on time.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

The common challenges in Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration are 

• System requirements: Magento 2 has higher system requirements than Magento 1. To overcome this, evaluate your current hosting and consider upgrading the data to cloud-native solutions.
• Theme and Extension Incompatibility: Not all the M1 themes and extensions are compatible with Magento 2. To overcome this, we need to rebuild the theme in M2. List all the M1 extensions and find it is equivalents in M2. Any custom M1 code must be rewritten to adhere to M2 standards. Through the Magento Code Migration Toolkit, we can assist the basic code analysis and transfer it. If it is not supported, do it manually.
• SEO and URL issues: Magento 1’s SEO URL will be different from Magento 2's URL. To handle this, implement 301 redirects, retain metadata, and verify URLs’ post-Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration.
• Data migration: Due to the large volume of data, data migration will cause inconsistencies. To overcome this, use a migration tool and perform multiple test migrations to validate data accuracy.

Why Entrans Is Your Trusted Partner for Seamless Magento Migration

Migrating to Magento 2 will ensure more benefits, such as security, streamlined database management, and responsive design. Any migration will come with a lot of challenges. Partnering with a migration expert like Entrans will take out the risks associated with it. 

Our specialists have deep experience and knowledge in both Magento 1 and Magento 2. We manage the whole process for you. That includes 301 redirects and performance optimization.https://www.entrans.ai/contact

Want to know more about how we make the Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration smooth and effective?. Book a consultation with us.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Why Migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2?

Magento 1 reached its end of life in June 2020; since then, security patches and updates have not been provided. Migrating to Magento 2 will provide you with improved performance, enhanced security, increased scalability, greater modern-friendliness, and access to modern features. 

2. How to Migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2?

Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration involves auditing your Magento 1 site, theme, and custom code refactoring, selecting compatible Magento 2 extensions, manually copying media files, storing data, and then testing it thoroughly. Finish with performance tuning, SEO checks, and launch Magento 2.

3. How Long Does Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Take?

Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration depends on store size and complexity. Typically, it will take around 1 to 3 months for small stores, 3 to 6 months for medium stores, and 6+ months for large enterprises.

4. How Much Does Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Cost?

Cost for Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration depends on theme development, custom code refactoring, and complexity/ volume of data. Typically, it costs around $10,000 for a simple store and $50,000 for highly complex projects.