Shopify 301 Redirects: What Is It & How To Create?

For Shopify store owners, ensuring that your online store is user-friendly and easily navigable is paramount to success. This is where Shopify 301 redirects come into play.

But what exactly are Shopify 301 redirects, and why are they crucial for your e-commerce business? In this article, we will delve into the world of Shopify 301 redirects, demystify their purpose, and provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to create them. 

Whether you’re a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur or just getting started with your Shopify store, understanding and mastering 301 redirects can significantly impact your online business’s performance and customer satisfaction.

Table of Contents:

What are Shopify 301 redirects?

Shopify 301 redirects are an essential tool for managing and optimizing your online store’s traffic and search engine ranking. A 301 redirect is a web server function that informs browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location. In the context of Shopify, these redirects are typically used when you need to:

• Redirect Old URLs: When you change your website’s structure, such as renaming or deleting products, collections, or pages, the old URLs may become invalid. With proper redirection, visitors who try to access these old URLs will avoid 404 errors. Shopify 301 redirects allow you to automatically send visitors to the new, relevant pages, preserving the user experience.
• Improve SEO: Search engines like Google use 301 redirects to transfer the SEO value (page ranking) of the old URL to the new one. This ensures that your website’s search engine ranking isn’t negatively affected by structural changes or URL updates.
• Enhance User Experience: When customers click on a link to your store, they expect to find the content they were looking for. Redirecting them to the right page with a 301 redirect ensures a seamless and frustration-free browsing experience.
• Maintain Backlinks: If other websites have linked to your old URLs, a 301 redirect can help preserve the value of these backlinks by guiding visitors to the new URL. This is crucial for maintaining your site’s authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines.

To create a Shopify 301 redirect, you’ll typically need to access your store’s Shopify admin panel and use its built-in tools to set up the redirection rules. This process allows you to manage changes to your store’s structure, URLs, and content effectively while ensuring that both visitors and search engines can find and access the right pages without disruption. 

Shopify 301 redirects are a valuable resource for maintaining your store’s online presence and optimizing the customer experience.

Why do 301 redirects matter in Shopify?

301 redirects are crucial in Shopify for several reasons:

• Increase Your SEO Work: 301 redirects play a vital role in maintaining and potentially enhancing your store’s search engine optimization (SEO). It can help you preserve your search engine rankings and even improve them over time.
• Prevent Broken Links: Without 301 redirects, when you make changes to your website’s structure or rename products, collections, or pages, the old URLs become invalid, leading to broken links. 301 redirects ensure that visitors who try to access these old URLs are automatically redirected to the new, relevant page.
• Ensure A Smooth Transfer Of Domains: When you’re transferring your Shopify store to a new domain or merging multiple stores, 301 redirects are essential for a seamless transition. They guide visitors from the old domain to the new one, preserving traffic and search engine rankings. 

In summary, 301 redirects in Shopify matter because they not only prevent broken links and ensure a smooth transfer of domains but also have a significant impact on your SEO efforts. By using 301 redirects effectively, you can maintain and improve your search engine rankings, enhance the user experience, and manage structural changes on your website without negatively affecting your online presence.

How to create a Shopify 301 Redirect

Step 1: Navigate to the Online Store menu item on the left

• Log in to your Shopify admin panel.
• In the Shopify admin dashboard, locate the left-hand menu. It usually displays options like Home, Orders, Products, and more.
• Click on “Online Store.” This will open a submenu of online store-related settings and options.

Step 2: Navigate by clicking

• Within the “Online Store” submenu, you’ll see various options related to your online store’s configuration and settings.
• Click on the specific option that allows you to manage URL redirects. This option might vary depending on your Shopify theme or version, but it’s typically labeled as “Navigation” or “URL Redirects.”c

Step 3: Select the View URL Redirects option

• In the “Navigation” or “URL Redirects” section, you should find an option to “View URL Redirects” or something similar. 
• Click on this option to access the area where you can manage your redirects.

Step 4: Click the button to start a fresh redirect

• In the “View URL Redirects” section, look for a button that allows you to create a new redirect. 
• This button is often green and may be labeled as “Add URL Redirect” or “Create URL Redirect.” 
• Click on it to initiate the process of adding a new redirect.

Step 5: Fill out the Redirect from the field with the previous URL and the Redirect to the field with the new URL

After clicking the “Add URL Redirect” or similar button, you’ll be presented with a form to fill out:

• In the “Redirect from” field, enter the previous URL that you want to redirect from. This should be the old URL that you want to point to a new location.
• In the “Redirect to” field, enter the new URL where you want the old URL to be redirected. This should be the updated or correct URL.

Step 6: Save the redirect and give it a test to ensure it functions properly

• Once you’ve filled out both the “Redirect from” and “Redirect to” fields with the old and new URLs, carefully review the information to ensure accuracy.
• After verifying the details, click the “Add” or “Save” button to create the 301 redirect.

To ensure that the redirect functions correctly, test it by trying to access the old URL in your web browser. The redirect should automatically guide you to the new URL. If the redirect doesn’t work as expected, double-check the settings and make any necessary corrections.

By following these six steps, you’ll be able to successfully create and implement a 301 redirect in your Shopify store, which is essential for maintaining a smooth user experience and managing URL changes effectively.

When is it necessary to use Shopify 301 redirects?

Shopify 301 redirects are necessary in various situations to maintain a seamless user experience and preserve your website’s SEO value. Here are some common scenarios in which you should use Shopify 301 redirects:

• Product Or Page URL Changes: If you change the URL of a product, collection, or page, you should set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This ensures that customers who have bookmarked or accessed the old URL, as well as search engines, can find the updated content without encountering 404 errors.
• Product Or Page Deletion: When you delete a product, collection, or page, you should create a 301 redirect to direct visitors to a relevant alternative or related content. This prevents visitors from landing on a non-existent page and helps maintain a smooth user experience.
• Domain Or Subdomain Changes: If you are changing your store’s domain or subdomain, implementing 301 redirects is vital to ensure that traffic from the old domain is redirected to the new one. This is important for brand consistency and retaining your existing customer base.
• URL Structure Updates: If you decide to restructure your website by reorganizing collections, categories, or paths, 301 redirects help users and search engines navigate the new structure. This avoids confusion and maintains your SEO efforts.
• Merging Multiple Stores: When merging multiple Shopify stores or moving content from one store to another, 301 redirects can guide visitors from the old store to the relevant sections or products in the new store. This facilitates a smooth transition for both customers and search engines.
• Preserving Backlinks: If external websites have linked to your content using specific URLs, it’s essential to use 301 redirects to ensure that these backlinks continue to drive traffic and contribute to your SEO. Without redirects, visitors following these external links could encounter 404 errors.
• Improving SEO For Outdated URLs: If you have outdated or deprecated URLs that still receive traffic, creating 301 redirects to relevant, up-to-date content can help you capture and retain that traffic, all while improving your SEO.

In summary, 301 redirects in Shopify are necessary in a variety of situations, including when you make changes to your store’s structure, URLs, or domain, as well as when you want to ensure a smooth user experience and maintain or enhance your SEO efforts. Properly implementing 301 redirects is essential to avoid broken links and preserve the continuity of your online business.

Common problems with Shopify 301 redirects

While Shopify makes it relatively straightforward to create and manage 301 redirects, there are common issues and problems that users may encounter. Here are some of the typical problems associated with Shopify 301 redirects and how to address them:

• Incorrect Redirects: One of the most common issues is setting up redirects with incorrect “Redirect from” or “Redirect to” URLs. This can result in misdirected traffic. To fix this, double-check the URLs and ensure they are accurate.
• Redirection Loops: A redirection loop occurs when two or more URLs redirect to each other, creating an infinite loop. This can happen if you inadvertently create redirects that lead back to the original URL. Be cautious when setting up redirects and avoid circular redirects.
• Missing Redirects: Sometimes, redirects might not work because they weren’t created or configured correctly. Verify that you’ve saved the redirects after creating them, and ensure there are no typos or issues in the settings.
• Redirect Chains: Redirect chains occur when there are multiple redirects in a sequence to reach the final destination URL. This can slow down the user experience and impact SEO. To resolve this, aim for direct, single-step redirects whenever possible.
• Case Sensitivity: URLs are case-sensitive, and Shopify treats URLs with different letter cases as distinct. Ensure that your redirects match the letter case of the actual URLs to prevent issues.
• Traffic Loss: If you don’t implement 301 redirects when changing URLs or restructuring your store, you risk losing traffic and SEO ranking, which can take a while to recover. Always create redirects when you make changes to URLs.
• Testing Issues: After creating a redirect, it’s crucial to test to ensure it functions correctly. If it doesn’t work as expected, review the redirect settings, verify that the old and new URLs are accurate, and make any necessary adjustments.
• Expiration Of Redirects: In some cases, you may set up temporary redirects for promotions or events. Be aware of the expiry date you set for these redirects, as they will stop functioning after that date.
• Deleted Redirects: If you delete a redirect without setting up an alternative, visitors trying to access the old URL will encounter 404 errors. Make sure to create a new redirect or provide relevant content when deleting redirects.
• Backlink Preservation: When setting up redirects for URLs with backlinks from external sites, ensure that the redirects are configured correctly to pass the SEO value from the old URL to the new one. Failing to do so can lead to a loss of backlink authority.

To avoid these common problems with Shopify 301 redirects, it’s important to be meticulous when creating and managing redirects. Double-check your settings, test the redirects, and monitor them over time to ensure that they continue to function as expected. Properly configured redirects are essential for maintaining a smooth user experience and preserving your SEO efforts.

How to handle redirects in Shopify

Handling redirects in Shopify involves managing and configuring URL redirects to ensure a seamless user experience, preserve SEO value, and prevent broken links. Below, I’ll explain how to handle various aspects of redirects in Shopify:

Modifying Shopify Links

• Modifying Shopify links typically involves changing the URL of a product, collection, or page. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as updating product names, reorganizing collections, or improving the overall structure of your online store.
• When you make such changes, it’s important to create 301 redirects from the old URLs to the new ones. This is crucial for preserving the SEO value associated with the old URLs and for ensuring that customers who have bookmarked or shared the old links can still access the content they’re looking for. It also prevents broken links and 404 errors.
• To create a 301 redirect in Shopify for a modified link, follow the steps outlined earlier in this conversation under “How to create a Shopify 301 Redirect.”

Filtering Shopify Redirect 

In Shopify, the ability to filter redirects is a useful feature, especially if you have a large number of redirects to manage. Filtering allows you to quickly locate specific redirects based on criteria such as the old URL, the new URL, or other parameters.

To filter redirects in Shopify:

• Go to your Shopify admin dashboard.
• Access the “Online Store” menu in the left sidebar.
• Navigate to “Navigation” and select “URL Redirects.”
• You’ll find search and filter options at the top of the URL Redirects page.

Use these filter options to narrow down your list of redirects and find the ones you need to work with more efficiently.

Eliminating Shopify Links

There may be situations where you need to eliminate a specific link or URL redirect in Shopify. This could be due to a product or page being discontinued, a campaign ending, or any other reason that renders the redirect unnecessary.

• To eliminate a URL redirect in Shopify:
• Access the “URL Redirects” section in your Shopify admin panel.
• Locate the redirect you wish to delete from the list of redirects.
• Click on the redirect to open its details.
• Within the redirect details, you’ll typically find an option to delete or remove the redirect. Click this option to eliminate the link.
• After you delete a redirect, visitors trying to access the old URL will encounter a 404 error, so be sure that the redirect is no longer needed before removing it.

Exporting Shopify Redirects 

Shopify’s default interface doesn’t provide a built-in export feature for URL redirects. However, you might need to export your redirects for various reasons, such as backup, analysis, or migration to another platform.

To export redirects, you can consider these methods:

• Third-Party Apps: Some third-party apps like “Bulk Redirects Manager” or “URL Redirects by Solvespace” offer functionality to export your URL redirects to a CSV or similar file format.
• Shopify API: If you have technical expertise, you can use the Shopify API to programmatically retrieve your URL redirects and export them to a suitable format of your choice.

Keep in mind that your chosen specific method may depend on your technical skills and requirements for the exported data.

In summary, each aspect of handling redirects in Shopify, whether it’s modifying links, filtering redirects, eliminating unnecessary redirects, or exporting them, is essential for maintaining the integrity of your online store, preserving SEO value, and ensuring a positive user experience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Shopify 301 redirects are indispensable tools for maintaining a user-friendly and SEO-optimized online store. They empower e-commerce entrepreneurs to navigate the ever-changing landscape of digital commerce with confidence. 

Whether you’re modifying links, filtering redirects, eliminating unnecessary ones, or even exporting your redirection data, these actions are essential in the pursuit of a seamless shopping experience and a robust online presence.

As the e-commerce world continues to evolve, the ability to adapt and optimize your store’s structure, content, and URLs is paramount. With the proper use of 301 redirects in Shopify, you can ensure that customers find what they’re looking for, search engines recognize your website’s authority, and your business remains competitive in the dynamic online marketplace.