Shopify Urls

How Shopify URL Structure Works

A Shopify store URL starts with a protocol (https://), then a domain, then a path. The path is made of a fixed prefix and an editable handle. For example, in /products/blue-widget, /products/ is fixed and blue-widget is the handle.

The default store URL ends in .myshopify.com. You can set a custom primary domain in Settings > Domains. Google treats the custom domain as the canonical address.

URL parameters are query strings after a question mark. They help with filtering or tracking but can create duplicate content if not handled. Shopify automatically handles some parameters, but you should keep URLs simple.

• Fixed prefixes: /products/, /collections/, /pages/, /blogs/
• Editable handle: the slug you write in the SEO listing field
• Parameters: ?variant=, ?sort_by=, ?filter= — use sparingly

Editing Shopify URL Handles for SEO

To edit a URL handle, go to the product, collection, page, or blog post in the Shopify admin. Scroll to the Search engine listing preview section and click Edit website SEO. The URL handle field is there.

Make the handle short, descriptive, and keyword-relevant. Use hyphens, not underscores. Avoid stop words like 'and' or 'the'. For example, use /products/blue-widget instead of /products/the-blue-widget-123.

After changing a handle, Shopify automatically creates a redirect from the old URL. But if you change the handle manually or via bulk edit, verify the redirect exists. Broken links hurt user experience and SEO.

• Keep handles under 5 words
• Include one primary keyword naturally
• Never use numbers or dates unless meaningful

Common Shopify URL Mistakes and Fixes

Many merchants change a URL handle without checking for existing redirects. This breaks bookmarks and external links. Always test the old URL after a change.

Another mistake is using long, messy slugs with extra parameters. For example, /products/blue-widget?variant=123456 is harder to read than /products/blue-widget. Clean URLs help users and search engines.

Some people assume they can rewrite the entire URL path, like changing /products/ to /item/. Shopify does not allow this. Work within the fixed structure and optimise the handle.

URL Parameters and Duplicate Content

URL parameters like ?variant= or ?sort_by= can create multiple URLs for the same product. Google may see these as duplicates. Shopify uses canonical tags to point to the main URL, but you should still avoid unnecessary parameters.

If you use tracking parameters (like ?utm_source=), they are fine for analytics but should not appear in sitemaps or internal links. Google ignores them for ranking but they can clutter your URL.

For filtering collections, use Shopify's built-in filter system. It adds parameters like ?filter.color=blue. These are handled with canonical tags, but too many filter combinations can still cause crawl waste.

How Shopify URLs Compare to Other Platforms

Unlike Wordpress SEO, Shopify does not let you customise the entire URL structure. WordPress uses permalinks that you can rewrite completely. Shopify's fixed prefixes limit flexibility but keep URLs consistent.

what woocommerce vs shopify means: WooCommerce, a WordPress plugin, offers full URL customisation. Shopify is more rigid but simpler to manage for non-developers.

Wordpress vs Shopify: WordPress gives you control over every part of the URL. Shopify trades that control for ease of use. For most stores, the fixed structure is fine if you optimise handles well.

For deeper URL best practices, see url seo. Also check SEO Friendly URL for readability. Use internal linking seo to connect pages with clean URLs.

For consistency with URL structure, see trailing slash seo. If you use Shopify, remember that the handle is your main lever for SEO.