Preserving URLs Using Page Redirects

Introduction

This guide explains how to preserve existing page paths in Shopify while redirecting them to new content. This is particularly useful for maintaining SEO rankings and retaining URL engagement, such as accumulated likes on social media platforms.

Reasons for URL Preservation

• SEO Benefits: Keeping the original URL can help maintain your page ranking on search engines.

• Social Media Engagement: URLs with accumulated likes and shares can retain their social proof.

• Consistency: Ensures users and external links can still find your content even after it has been updated or moved.

Setting Up Redirects

Step 1: Identifying the Existing URL

Identify the URL of the page you wish to preserve. This URL will be redirected to the new content without changing the address seen by visitors.

Step 2: Creating Redirects in Shopify

Via Shopify's URL Redirect feature

1. Navigate to your Shopify admin panel.

2. Go to Online Store > Navigation.

3. Select URL Redirects.

4. Click on Create URL Redirect.

5. Enter the existing URL you wish to preserve in the Redirect from field.

6. Input the new page's path in the Redirect to field.

7. Save the redirect.

Step 3: Ensure the URL isn't Referenced by an Existing Page

If you have an existing page referencing the URL you're redirecting (for example, "/pages/my-page"), then the redirect won't work. Find that page in Shopify Admin, then unpublish or delete it in order to make the redirect work.

Step 4: Ensuring the Redirect Works

After setting the redirect, ensure that the original page is either deleted or unpublished in Shopify. This step is crucial as Shopify prioritizes existing pages over redirects.

Advanced: Using Replo A/B Testing with Existing Ads & Traffic Sources using Shopify Page Redirects

📄 A/B Testing with Reploallows you to redirect traffic between two (or more) different pages to test variations in content, design, or functionality.

When you have an existing ad or external traffic source that directs users to a specific Shopify page, you can leverage the URL redirects mechanism outlined above to introduce Replo A/B testing without altering any ad setups. This is especially useful if your ad has been live for months/years and has built up significant social proof and user trust over time.

How it works

Simple! Your existing ad directs visitors to a Shopify URL that has already established credibility. Simply take the existing URL the ad is pointed at, and set it up to redirect to the A/B Testing Link Replo provides. The A/B Testing Link then splits the incoming traffic into your test. .

Since the original URL is preserved in the ad, you don’t need to destroy or update your ad which saves you time and headache.

Session and other stats tracking for A/B tests work well this way, as the URL redirect Shopify uses in this case is a server-side 307 redirect. As such, the session will begin on the redirected page (the variant you set up in your A/B test) and NOT on the decommissioned page.

SEO for Redirected Pages

Because Shopify URL Redirects use a 307 redirect, your search engine rankings for any decommissioned pages should remain intact. A 307 redirect tells any search engine bots to continue using the previous URL (the decommissioned one in this case) so it will continue to rank and provide its normal SEO benefits.

Limitations

Because Shopify URL Redirects only work for broken URLs, you can't setup a URL redirect for Product or Collection pages. A broken URL is a page that errors when visit (Page not found or 404). Generally anything with a URL structure of /apps, /application, /cart, /carts, /orders, /services, /products, /collections, or /shop won't work because these won't error.

Conclusion

Using URL redirects in Shopify allows you to preserve valuable URLs while updating or changing your site's content. This method supports maintaining SEO rankings, social media engagement, and consistent user experience. For A/B testing, redirects can be used to seamlessly distribute traffic between different page variations.