Hi I tried your method in the bulk edit tool, but the issue is that it does not give you the option to re-direct the old URL - unless I have missed something.
Topic summary
Mass update of product handles, titles, and descriptions for SEO via CSV. Original plan: export products, edit in Excel, delete all products to avoid duplicate handles, then re-import. Questions raised about brief downtime, redirects, and prompting search engines to re-crawl.
Follow-up outcome from the original poster is not provided. A later warning advises against deleting and re-importing: this breaks relationships (e.g., orders to products) because Shopify generates new internal product IDs on import.
Suggested alternative: use Shopify’s bulk editor and enable the Handle column to update handles directly (screenshot shows where to add the field). This avoids deleting products and preserves IDs and relationships.
Concern: bulk editor doesn’t offer URL redirects. Staff confirms redirects are separate from handle changes; there is a help guide for creating/managing redirects, but there is no way to create redirects in bulk. If handles change, redirects must be added individually.
Status: No confirmed resolution of the original workflow, SEO impact, or downtime. Key guidance: don’t delete/re-import; use bulk edit; redirects require manual setup.