Shopify URL Structure Optimization: Best Practices Guide

Your URL structure is the foundation of your store’s SEO architecture. Clean, logical URLs help search engines understand your site hierarchy, improve click-through rates in search results, and create a better experience for shoppers. Yet most Shopify merchants never think about their URLs until problems arise.

This guide covers everything you need to know about optimizing URLs on Shopify - and working around the platform’s limitations.

Why URL Structure Matters for SEO

URLs impact SEO in several ways:

1. Keyword Signals

Keywords in URLs are a ranking factor. Not the strongest, but still relevant.

✓ /collections/organic-cotton-t-shirts
✗ /collections/cat-12345

2. User Trust and CTR

Searchers see URLs in results. Clean URLs look more trustworthy:

yourstore.com/products/handmade-leather-wallet
vs
yourstore.com/products/product-3847-v2-final-copy

3. Link Building

When people link to your pages, the anchor text and URL both matter. Descriptive URLs reinforce what the page is about.

4. Site Architecture Signals

URL structure shows Google how your content is organized and related.

Understanding Shopify’s URL Structure

Shopify enforces a specific URL structure. Here’s what you can and cannot change:

Fixed Elements (Cannot Change)

Content Type	URL Pattern
Products	/products/[handle]
Collections	/collections/[handle]
Pages	/pages/[handle]
Blog posts	/blogs/[blog-handle]/[post-handle]
Blogs	/blogs/[blog-handle]

The prefixes (/products/, /collections/, etc.) are hardcoded by Shopify.

Flexible Elements (You Control)

The “handle” portion of each URL is fully customizable:

• Product handles: Default from product title, editable
• Collection handles: Default from collection title, editable
• Page handles: Default from page title, editable
• Blog post handles: Default from post title, editable

Optimizing Product URL Handles

Product handles are the most important URLs to optimize, as products often make up 80%+ of your pages.

Best Practices

1. Include primary keyword

✓ /products/mens-leather-bifold-wallet
✗ /products/wallet-001

2. Keep it concise

✓ /products/nike-air-max-90-white
✗ /products/nike-air-max-90-running-shoes-mens-white-colorway-2024-release

3. Use hyphens, not underscores

✓ /products/organic-cotton-shirt
✗ /products/organic_cotton_shirt

4. Lowercase only

✓ /products/leather-jacket
✗ /products/Leather-Jacket

5. Remove unnecessary words

✓ /products/wireless-bluetooth-earbuds
✗ /products/the-best-wireless-bluetooth-earbuds-for-running

Product Handle Examples

Product Title	Default Handle	Optimized Handle
The Ultimate Leather Wallet (Brown)	the-ultimate-leather-wallet-brown	leather-wallet-brown
Women’s Running Shoes - Nike Air Max	womens-running-shoes-nike-air-max	nike-air-max-womens
Organic Cotton T-Shirt	organic-cotton-t-shirt	organic-cotton-tee

Changing Product Handles in Shopify

1. Go to Products → Select product
2. Scroll to Search engine listing preview
3. Click Edit website SEO
4. Modify the URL handle
5. Important: Check “Create a URL redirect” if the product is already published
6. Save

Optimizing Collection URL Handles

Collection handles should target category-level keywords.

Best Practices

1. Use the main category keyword

✓ /collections/mens-running-shoes
✗ /collections/running-stuff-for-guys

2. Match search intent

✓ /collections/sale (what people search)
✗ /collections/clearance-items-2024

3. Plan for subcollections

/collections/shoes
/collections/mens-shoes
/collections/mens-running-shoes

Collection Handle Examples

Collection Name	Default Handle	Optimized Handle
Our Best Sellers	our-best-sellers	bestsellers
Summer 2024 Collection	summer-2024-collection	summer-collection
Men’s Athletic Footwear	mens-athletic-footwear	mens-athletic-shoes

Optimizing Blog URL Structure

Shopify blogs have a two-level structure: /blogs/[blog-handle]/[post-handle]

Blog Handle Best Practices

If you have one main blog, use a simple handle:

✓ /blogs/news
✓ /blogs/journal
✓ /blogs/guides

If you have multiple blogs, be descriptive:

/blogs/style-guides
/blogs/product-reviews
/blogs/company-news

Blog Post Handle Best Practices

1. Include target keywords

✓ /blogs/guides/how-to-style-leather-jacket
✗ /blogs/guides/post-47

2. Keep it scannable

✓ /blogs/news/shopify-seo-tips-2025
✗ /blogs/news/10-amazing-tips-for-optimizing-your-shopify-store-seo-in-2025-complete-guide

3. Avoid dates in URLs

✓ /blogs/guides/spring-fashion-trends
✗ /blogs/guides/spring-fashion-trends-march-2024

Dateless URLs stay evergreen and can be updated without changing the URL.

Handling URL Redirects

Changing URLs without proper redirects breaks links and loses SEO value. Always set up redirects.

When to Redirect

• Changing a product handle
• Removing a product (redirect to collection or similar product)
• Restructuring collections
• Fixing URL typos
• Rebranding products

Setting Up Redirects in Shopify

Method 1: Automatic (when editing)

When editing URL handles, check “Create URL redirect from old URL”

Method 2: Manual redirect

1. Go to Online Store → Navigation
2. Click View URL redirects
3. Click Create URL redirect
4. Enter old URL and new URL
5. Save

Method 3: Bulk upload

For many redirects, use a CSV import:

1. Go to URL redirects page
2. Click Import
3. Upload CSV with Redirect from and Redirect to columns

Redirect Best Practices

• Use 301 (permanent) redirects for moved content
• Redirect to the most relevant page, not just the homepage
• Check for redirect chains (A → B → C should be A → C)
• Monitor 404 errors in Search Console and redirect important ones

Common URL Structure Mistakes

Mistake 1: Duplicate Products with Different URLs

Creating the same product multiple times for different collections creates duplicate content.

Wrong approach:

/products/blue-shirt-mens-collection
/products/blue-shirt-casual-wear

Right approach:

/products/blue-shirt
(appears in multiple collections via collection assignments)

Mistake 2: Variant URLs Without Strategy

Shopify creates variant URLs like:

/products/t-shirt?variant=12345678

These are fine for shopping but can cause duplicate content if not handled properly. Shopify handles this with canonical tags, but be aware of it.

Mistake 3: Not Redirecting Old URLs

Changing handles without redirects results in:

• Lost rankings for that URL
• Broken backlinks
• Poor user experience (404 pages)

Always redirect.

Mistake 4: Overly Long URLs

✗ /products/the-best-organic-fair-trade-sustainable-cotton-t-shirt-for-men-unisex-fit-soft-comfortable-ethically-made-size-small-medium-large-xl

Keep URLs under 75 characters when possible. Focus on the core keywords.

Mistake 5: Special Characters and Spaces

URLs should only contain lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.

✗ /products/women's-shirt
✗ /products/50%off-sale
✓ /products/womens-shirt
✓ /products/sale-50-percent-off

Shopify automatically converts most problematic characters, but double-check handles.

URL Structure for International Stores

If you sell in multiple countries/languages, URL structure becomes more complex.

Shopify Markets Approach

Shopify Markets creates URL patterns like:

/en-us/products/product-name (US English)
/en-gb/products/product-name (UK English)
/fr/products/product-name (French)

Best Practices for International URLs

• Use consistent handles across languages when possible
• Set proper hreflang tags (Shopify Markets handles this)
• Don’t mix languages in the same URL
• Consider local keyword research for translated handles

URL Audit Checklist

Review your store’s URLs with this checklist:

Products

• Handles include primary keywords
• No unnecessary words or characters
• All lowercase with hyphens
• Under 60-75 characters
• Redirects in place for changed URLs

Collections

• Handles match category keywords
• Logical hierarchy for subcollections
• No duplicate or confusing collection URLs
• Handles align with navigation structure

Blog Posts

• Handles include target keywords
• No dates in URLs (unless essential)
• Consistent blog handle naming
• Evergreen URLs that don’t need changing

Technical

• No 404 errors in Search Console
• Redirect chains resolved
• Canonical tags correct
• No duplicate content from URL variations

Tools for URL Optimization

Shopify Built-in

• URL redirects: Online Store → Navigation → URL Redirects
• Handle editing: Edit website SEO section on any page

External Tools

• Google Search Console: Find 404 errors and crawl issues
• Screaming Frog: Crawl your site to audit all URLs
• StoreAuditor: Analyze URL structure across your product catalog

Monitoring

Set up regular checks for:

• New 404 errors (weekly)
• Redirect chain growth (monthly)
• URL pattern consistency (quarterly)

Advanced: URL Structure Strategy

For Large Catalogs (1000+ products)

• Develop handle naming conventions
• Document patterns for team consistency
• Use bulk editing for handle updates
• Plan collection structure before adding products

For Multi-Brand Stores

Consider brand prefixes in handles:

/products/nike-air-max-90
/products/adidas-ultraboost-22

This creates consistency and aids internal search.

For Seasonal/Temporary Products

Use general handles that can be reused:

✓ /products/holiday-gift-set (reuse yearly)
✗ /products/holiday-gift-set-2024 (new URL each year)

Key Takeaways

1. Handles are your only control: Optimize them carefully
2. Keywords in URLs help: But don’t over-optimize
3. Keep URLs short and clean: Under 75 characters
4. Always redirect changed URLs: Never break links
5. Plan before publishing: Changing URLs later is risky
6. Audit regularly: Catch issues before they hurt rankings
7. Be consistent: Develop patterns and stick to them

Your URL structure is permanent infrastructure. Get it right from the start, and you’ll avoid painful migrations later.

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Want to audit your store’s URL structure? Try StoreAuditor free and identify URL optimization opportunities across your catalog.