You’re absolutely right—Shopify has a very rigid URL structure, and it does not allow full customization of the URL hierarchy like WordPress does. Shopify forces specific URL prefixes such as:
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/pages/ for static pages
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/products/ for products
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/collections/ for collections
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/blogs/ for blog posts
Why Does Shopify Restrict URL Structure?
Shopify is built as a SaaS platform with a predefined URL structure to ensure consistency across all stores. Unlike WordPress, which allows full control over permalinks, Shopify does not give direct access to the .htaccess file or URL rewrites.
SEO Impact & Workarounds1. Canonical Tags & Internal Linking
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Since you can’t change the URLs, use canonical tags to signal preferred URLs to Google.
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Proper internal linking helps search engines understand hierarchy even if the URL structure isn’t perfect.
- Custom Themes & Workarounds
Some themes or custom Liquid code allow tweaking certain aspects, but they cannot fundamentally change Shopify’s enforced URL structure. Editing server.liquid or theme.liquid can modify paths displayed in breadcrumbs or navigation, but not the actual URL.
Final Verdict
Unfortunately, you cannot fully customize Shopify’s URL structure the way you can in WordPress. Shopify’s SEO strengths come from speed, structured data, and ease of use, but URL structure is a major limitation.