How to Create and Manage 301 Redirects with Shopify
301 redirects are an important part of maintaining a healthy and well-organized website. They allow you to redirect traffic from one page to another, whether it’s because you’ve moved content, changed your URL structure, or are dealing with broken links. In this article, we’ll show you how to create and manage 301 redirects in Shopify.
There are a few different ways to create and manage 301 redirects in Shopify, including using the Shopify Redirects app, adding redirects to your theme’s .htaccess file, and using a third-party app.
Using the Shopify Redirects App: The Shopify Redirects app is a simple and easy way to create and manage 301 redirects within your Shopify store. Once you install the app, you can easily create new redirects and manage existing ones. The app also has a feature that automatically creates redirects when you change the URL of a product or page.
Step 1: Install the Shopify Redirects App To install the Shopify Redirects app, go to the Shopify App Store and search for “redirects”. Select the app and click “Get”.
Step 2: Create a New Redirect Once you’ve installed the app, go to the app’s settings page and click “Add redirect”. In the “From” field, enter the URL of the page you want to redirect from. In the “To” field, enter the URL of the page you want to redirect to.
Step 3: Test Your Redirect Before you save your new redirect, it’s a good idea to test it. You can do this by visiting the “From” URL in your browser and making sure that it redirects to the correct “To” URL.
Step 4: Publish Your Redirect Once you’ve tested your redirect and are satisfied with it, you can publish it by clicking “Save”.
Adding redirects to your theme’s .htaccess file: Another way to create and manage 301 redirects in Shopify is by adding them to your theme’s .htaccess file. This method is best for more advanced users and requires editing code.
Step 1: Access Your Theme’s .htaccess File To access your theme’s .htaccess file, you’ll need to connect to your Shopify store via FTP. Once you’re connected, navigate to the public folder and locate the .htaccess file.
Step 2: Add Your Redirects Once you have the .htaccess file open, you can add your redirects. To create a redirect, you’ll need to add a line of code that looks like this:
Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://www.yourdomain.com/new-page.html
Step 3: Test Your Redirects Before you save your changes to the .htaccess file, it’s a good idea to test your redirects. You can do this by visiting the “old” URLs in your browser and making sure that they redirect to the correct “new” URLs.
Step 4: Save Your Changes Once you’ve tested your redirects and are satisfied with them, save your changes to the .htaccess file.
Using a Third-Party App: There are many third-party apps available in the Shopify App Store that can help you create and manage 301 redirects. Some popular options include:
- Redirect Manager
- SEO Redirect Pro
- Easy Redirects
These apps offer similar features as the Shopify