Shopify redirects FAQ: 12 common questions
Shopify redirects FAQ: Learn about 301s, SEO impact, 100K limits, wildcard support, and best practices to preserve rankings when moving URLs.
Shopify Redirects FAQ: Answers to Your Most Common Questions
Introduction
URL forwarding is an essential SEO tool, yet commonly misunderstood. Use it for deleted products, site restructuring, and platform migrations. This FAQ covers 12 key questions about types, limits, and best practices.
Redirect Basics
Q: What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?
A 301 redirect is permanent—it consolidates ranking signals (PageRank) to the new URL and tells search engines the move is permanent. A 302 redirect is temporary: PageRank still passes, but because it signals the original URL will return, search engines keep the old URL indexed instead of consolidating signals to the new one. For a permanent move, always use a 301. Shopify supports only 301s natively; for 302s, use third-party apps like Easy Redirects or Redirectify.
Q: What is a redirect chain and why is it bad?
A redirect chain occurs when one URL points to another, which points to yet another (A → B → C). Each hop dilutes link equity and slows page load times, hurting SEO and user experience. Google recommends avoiding them entirely. Always point old URLs directly to their final destination in a single hop.
Redirects and SEO
Q: Do redirects hurt my SEO?
Properly implemented 301s preserve SEO. Without them, deleted pages create 404 errors and lose all ranking power. With 301s, nearly all equity transfers to the new URL. However, chains, loops, or incorrect types (like using 302s) can harm rankings and slow your site.
Q: Do 301 redirects pass SEO value (link juice)?
Yes. Google’s official guidance confirms that 301s pass full ranking power (PageRank). Since 2016, Google no longer drops any PageRank through 3xx redirects, so 301s preserve link equity—making them essential for migrations and URL changes.
Q: How long should I keep my redirects?
Keep them for at least one year (Google’s recommendation). Ideally keep them permanently if storage allows. Within Shopify’s 100K limit (20M for Plus), prioritize high-traffic pages or those with valuable backlinks. Use Google Search Console to identify active ones before removal.
Q: Do many redirects affect my store speed?
Individual redirects add minimal delay (roughly 10-50ms, depending on your hosting and CDN). Having many won’t slow your overall store—only those specific URLs are affected. Chains compound delays (often 100-200ms+), harming user experience and rankings. Avoid chains and point old URLs directly to final destinations.
Shopify-Specific
Q: How many redirects can my Shopify store have?
Standard Shopify stores: 100K. Shopify Plus: 20M. These limits cover all URL forwards (manual, bulk import, or app-created). When approaching limits, audit and remove outdated ones. Use Google Analytics or Search Console to identify which are still active. Plus provides flexibility for large catalogs.
Q: Does Shopify support wildcard redirects?
No. Shopify requires individual URL mappings with specific “from” and “to” paths. Third-party apps like Easy Redirects, Redirectify, and Ablestar Bulk Product Editor offer wildcard/pattern-matching. These let you map URLs containing /old-category/ to /new-category/. For hundreds of similar URLs, apps save significant time.
Q: Does Shopify automatically create redirects when I delete a product?
No. Deleting products, collections, pages, or posts doesn’t auto-create them. The URL becomes a 404 error unless you manually set one up. This costs stores SEO traffic and ranking power. Before deleting content, go to Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects and map it to a relevant replacement page (similar product or parent collection).
Q: Which URL prefixes cannot be redirected in Shopify?
Shopify restricts URL forwarding from reserved prefixes: /apps, /application, /cart, /carts, /orders, /services, /shop. You can only map from inactive URLs (404 errors), not active pages. To change an existing product URL, update it in Shopify’s admin (auto-creates the mapping) or delete the original first.
Q: How do I import redirects in bulk?
Go to Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects and click Import. Upload a CSV with two columns: Redirect from and Redirect to. Use relative paths like /old-product. Ensure “from” URLs aren’t active pages. Shopify doesn’t enforce a fixed per-file row limit—you’re bound by your store’s total redirect limit and practical file size, so split very large imports into batches. Shopify validates and reports errors requiring correction.
Finding and Fixing Issues
Q: How do I find broken links in my store?
Use Google Search Console to view crawl errors under the Coverage report. Look for “Not found (404)” errors. Also try Broken Link Checker app or Screaming Frog SEO Spider. Check Google Analytics 4 Events for /404 page views to see what customers encounter. Then map these to relevant replacement pages.
Related Topics
Check out these related guides:
- Set up Shopify redirects: complete guide - Step-by-step instructions for creating single and bulk URL mappings
- 10 common redirect mistakes that destroy your SEO - The pitfalls to avoid so your URL forwarding strategy protects rankings
- The complete redirect plan for migrating to Shopify - How to preserve SEO when moving from another platform
- Find and fix broken links in your Shopify store - Identifying and resolving broken links that hurt your rankings
For official documentation, see Shopify’s URL redirect help center and Google’s redirect SEO guidance.