I went the redirect way thank you.
Topic summary
Main issue: After deleting many Shopify products, Google Search Console (GSC) began flagging numerous broken pages (404) that correspond to those removed product URLs.
Recommended fixes:
- Implement 301 redirects from deleted product URLs to relevant pages (e.g., collection or comparable products) to preserve SEO and user experience.
- In GSC, click “Validate Fix” after implementing redirects and resubmit the product sitemap to prompt re-crawling.
- Use provided guides to identify broken URLs (combining GSC with ScreamingFrog) and to bulk-create redirects.
Clarifications:
- Simply “removing” the URLs isn’t feasible from GSC; Google will eventually drop them, but timing is unknown.
- Ignoring the errors can negatively impact SEO and customer experience.
Outcome/decision:
- The store owner chose to proceed with redirects.
Status:
- Resolution in progress: redirects to be implemented, sitemap resubmitted, and “Validate Fix” to confirm cleanup. No remaining open questions beyond monitoring GSC for updates.
Notes:
- GSC = Google Search Console. Linked guides are central for locating and bulk-fixing broken URLs.