Table of Contents
Why Shopify URL Structure Matters for SEO
Your Shopify store’s URL structure plays a foundational role in how search engines crawl, index, and rank your content. Clean, descriptive URLs improve:
- Keyword relevance and click-through rates
- Crawlability and site structure
- Internal linking and navigation
- User trust and usability
But Shopify comes with some built-in limitations. You can’t fully customize every URL path, and certain structures—like the /products/ or /collections/ folders—are locked in by the platform.
Still, you have plenty of control where it counts. And with the right strategy, you can build a URL structure that supports both SEO and user experience.
Default Shopify URL Structure Explained
Shopify automatically organizes URLs into a nested folder system:
- Home: yourstore.com/
- Product Pages: yourstore.com/products/product-name
- Collection Pages: yourstore.com/collections/collection-name
- Blog Posts: yourstore.com/blogs/blog-name/article-title
- Static Pages: yourstore.com/pages/page-title
You cannot remove /products/, /collections/, or /blogs/. These are hardcoded into Shopify’s routing system.
However, what you can control is everything after the slash—including the slug itself, canonical tags, redirects, and URL hygiene.
Best Practices for Shopify URL Optimization
1. Keep URLs Short, Descriptive, and Keyword-Focused
- Avoid unnecessary filler words
- Use hyphens instead of underscores
- Include primary keywords relevant to the page
Example:
Good: yourstore.com/products/organic-coffee-beans
Bad: yourstore.com/products/product1234 or yourstore.com/products/the-best-coffee-ever
2. Avoid Duplicate Product URLs Through Collections
Shopify creates secondary product URLs when products appear in collections:
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/collections/collection-name/products/product-name
While these URLs are functional, they can create duplicate content issues if not handled correctly.
What to Do:
- Use canonical tags to point to the main product URL (/products/product-name)
- In your theme, ensure rel=”canonical” is correctly set in product.liquid
Avoid linking to collection-based URLs in your primary navigation or product feeds
3. Create Logical, Flat URL Structures
Flatten your hierarchy where possible:
- Use simple slugs like /pages/about instead of /pages/about-our-team
- Use /blogs/journal/how-to-brew instead of /blogs/journal/how-you-can-brew-the-best-coffee-at-home
While you can’t remove Shopify’s top-level folders, you can create concise slugs that keep URLs readable and crawlable.
4. Use Descriptive URLs for Static Pages and Blogs
Make informational pages work for SEO:
- /pages/shipping-policy
- /pages/returns
- /blogs/recipes/french-press-guide
Avoid vague slugs like /pages/page1 or /blogs/post-123.
5. Use 301 Redirects for Changed URLs
If you rename a product, collection, or page:
- Shopify will prompt you to create a 301 redirect
- Always leave this box checked
- You can manage redirects under Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects
Broken links harm SEO and user experience. Redirects keep link equity flowing.
6. Avoid Creating Tag and Search Page URLs for Indexing
URLs like:
- /collections/all/tagged/summer
- /search?q=coffee
Should not be indexed. These are dynamically generated and rarely have unique, high-value content.
Use robots.txt and canonical tags to prevent them from being crawled and indexed. As of 2021, Shopify allows editing robots.txt.liquid to manage this.
7. Audit Your URL Structure Regularly
Use tools like:
- Google Search Console (Coverage Report)
- Screaming Frog or Sitebulb (URL and crawl depth analysis)
- Ahrefs or SEMrush (to monitor indexed pages and keyword rankings)
Look for:
- Duplicate URLs
- Crawl traps (search filters, tags)
- Orphan pages
Non-canonical pages being indexed
Common Shopify URL Mistakes to Avoid
- Letting products index under both collection and product paths
- Using default auto-generated slugs with numbers or nonsense words
- Failing to redirect old URLs after renaming
- Linking to collection-based product URLs in internal navigation
Overloading pages with query parameters and expecting them to rank
Advanced Tips for Shopify URL Management
Use Canonical Tags Strategically
Canonical URLs signal to Google which version of a page to index. Shopify includes these by default, but some themes or apps override them.
Check your product.liquid template to ensure:
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<link rel=”canonical” href=”{{ product.url | within: collection }}”>
is set correctly—or overridden to point to the base product path if needed.
Optimize for Internal Linking Consistency
Your internal links should all point to the preferred URL—not a mix of /collections/… and /products/….
Fix navigation, featured product modules, and promotional banners to ensure consistent linking patterns.
Final Thoughts: Shopify URL Structure and Long-Term SEO
You can’t rewrite Shopify’s core URL framework—but you don’t need to. With the right optimization tactics, you can:
- Avoid duplicate content
- Improve keyword targeting
- Clean up indexing
- Build a stronger foundation for technical SEO
At RedShift, we help Shopify stores restructure their URLs, clean up duplicate pages, implement canonical best practices, and improve SEO visibility across the board.
Shopify gives you structure. RedShift helps you optimize it.
