What a website scanner can bring—and what it cannot.

Start with what a visitor can see

A public scan can potentially identify visible product names, descriptions, image URLs, navigation and published pages. Whether it succeeds depends on how the source site presents that information. Hidden variants, interactive content and protected files need additional handling.

A scan should show an inventory of what was found, what is uncertain and what is missing. “Import complete” is not useful if ten products were quietly skipped.

Keep private records on a separate path

Customers, historical orders, email consent, private stock counts and payment credentials are not available from an ordinary public page. They require an authorized export or supported connection. Never expect a scanner to recreate them from the visible storefront.

Example: a page lists a 5 mg variant at $49 but hides the 10 mg price until selection. The import should flag the second variant for review rather than copy $49 into both records.

• Review extracted variants against the old catalog.
• Download original assets where you have permission.
• Treat extracted policies as text to review, not automatic approval.
• Resolve missing documents before describing them as available.

Turn the scan into an editable starting point

The useful result is a normal catalog and page structure that a merchant can maintain. A screenshot imitation cannot support reliable inventory, checkout or future editing.

The public preview reads a site for its name, logo, products, and policy text, then places that catalog in a theme. It does not import certificates or generate product photography.