Product in collections URLs disappeared. Will this hurt SEO ranking?

Topic summary

After switching from the Minimal to the Dawn theme, product links no longer include the collection path. Previously: /collections/{collection}/products/{product}; now: /products/{product}. Google’s URL Inspection reports the collection-based product URL as not indexed, though the link still resolves when visited.

Key questions raised:

  • Will losing the collection path hurt SEO?
  • What are the pros/cons of product-only URLs?
  • Should the collection-based product URL be indexed?

Implementation detail (code-related): A reply notes Dawn uses a link pattern like {{ collection_product.url | within: collection }}. They suggest adjusting link generation by removing “| within:” to change URL behavior. The code snippet is central to how URLs are formed.

Outcomes/decisions: No definitive answer provided on SEO impact or whether to request indexing of collection-based product URLs. The discussion focuses on how to modify theme code rather than SEO strategy.

Status: Unresolved. The thread lacks a clear consensus on SEO implications and next steps beyond the code edit suggestion.

Summarized with AI on December 12. AI used: gpt-5.

Dawn theme using similar this
{{ collection_product.url | within: collection }}
if you want to old theme like, just search this and remove | within: