A Shopify store owner changed product URLs based on SEO app recommendations, resulting in numerous 404 errors appearing in Google Search Console. The old URLs now redirect to the homepage rather than the new product pages.
Key Issues Identified:
Recommended Solutions:
Status: The issue remains unresolved. The store owner needs to implement proper redirects to fix the 404 errors and prevent negative SEO impact.
I make a product in Shopify and it automatically makes an URL link.
Then I go to the SEO app to optimalize for Google.
The app prefer another URL for SEO, so I changed it (Someone said its not oke for Google to do it like this, is this right?) but now all the links Shopify created is an 404 page, who will redirect to my homepage. Now Google search control says I have a lot of 404 pages.
Is this really bad? Or how can I do it better?
Hi @tiffaninl ,
Changing the URL of a product in Shopify is generally okay, and Shopify automatically creates a redirect from the old URL to the new one. This helps users who saved the old URL to land on the correct page. However, if you are seeing a lot of 404 errors in Google Search Console, it might be because the redirects are not set up correctly or there are other issues with your site structure.
Redirecting all 404 pages to your homepage is not a good practice. According to SEO experts, including John Mueller from Google, this approach does not solve the problem and can make it harder to identify and fix real errors on your site. Instead, you should set up proper 301 redirects for each old URL to the new URL.
To manage redirects in Shopify, you can use the built-in redirect feature. Shopify automatically adds a redirect when you change the slug of an existing post. You can also upload CSV files with your redirects or use the URL redirect feature in the navigation section of the admin settings.
For more detailed guidance, you can refer to these resources:
I’m excited to let you know that the** Yoast SEO App** is now available on Shopify! This app can help you optimize your store’s SEO and improve its visibility.
You can take advantage of a 14-day free trial to explore its features and see how it works for your store. It’s a great opportunity to test its capabilities and determine how it can enhance your SEO strategy.
Hi @tiffaninl
The first thing you need to do is to check all the URLs from Shopify’s backend directly and see if they all are good or not. Then suggest you not change the URLs from other APPs easily, as you can directly manage them via the Shopify end. Moreover, make a redirection of all the issue URLs and return them to normal ones, and then let Google know your changes one more time by submitting a sitemap in Google Search Console. You can check this guideline I found from Google Search Centre directly for more details.
Concerning the redirections, you can consider using our APP SEOAnt, which contains one feature called Broken links under Line Management. It supports automatically and manually redirecting 404 URLs one by one or in bulk. I’m sure it will meet your demands after the experience. If you feel interested, please click here to install and make a full test by enjoying a 7-day Free Trial and 30% discount SEOAnt 30% Jeffery meanwhile, thank you.
