How to Set Up 301 Redirects During Shopify Migration

Kishan Mehta
3 days ago
5 min read

A store migration changes more than the platform. It can change product URLs, collection URLs, blog URLs, landing page paths, and internal links. When those old URLs are not redirected properly, shoppers may land on 404 pages, and search engines may lose the connection between old and new pages.

That is why 301 redirects should be planned before launch. A strong Shopify migration redirect plan protects organic traffic, backlinks, indexed pages, and customer journeys while the store moves to Shopify. Redirects are not only a technical task. They protect the traffic, rankings, and revenue your old store has already built.

Why Are 301 Redirects Important During Shopify Migration?

301 redirects tell browsers and search engines that an old URL has permanently moved to a new Shopify URL. They help preserve traffic, rankings, backlinks, and customer journeys when URLs change during migration.

Protect Organic Rankings: Redirects connect old ranking pages with their new Shopify URLs and help search engines process the move correctly.
Preserve Backlink Value: Backlinks pointing to old pages should lead to the closest relevant Shopify page. Google states that permanent redirects do not cause PageRank loss.
Reduce 404 Errors: Redirecting old product, collection, blog, and landing page URLs helps prevent customers and crawlers from reaching broken pages.
Support Customer Journeys: Visitors using old emails, ads, bookmarks, social links, or search results can still reach the correct page.
Protect Revenue Continuity: Redirects keep valuable traffic flowing toward active product and collection pages instead of broken URLs.
Support Migration Stability: Proper redirect planning helps reduce SEO and traffic issues when products, collections, blogs, and content pages move to Shopify.

What Should You Do Before Setting Up Redirects?

Redirect planning should begin with a complete review of the existing website. Collect important URLs, identify their value, and decide where each page should lead after migrating to Shopify. During a Wix to Shopify migration, product, collection, blog, and content URLs may change, so each important Wix URL should be mapped to the closest Shopify destination.

Review the Current Website: Use Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console, GA4, and XML sitemap exports to collect existing URLs.
Prioritize High-Value Pages: Identify URLs with traffic, rankings, backlinks, sales, assisted conversions, and strong internal links.
Group URLs by Page Type: Separate product pages, collection pages, blogs, CMS pages, landing pages, policy pages, and discontinued pages.
Review Existing Redirects: Check current redirect rules and remove unnecessary chains or loops before migration.
Map Each Old URL: Assign every important old URL to the most relevant new Shopify page.
Save Metadata and Schema: Preserve title tags, meta descriptions, alt text, structured data, H1s, and important on-page content.
Keep Redirect Paths Direct: Old URLs should point directly to the final Shopify URL whenever possible.

How Should You Set Up and Test 301 Redirects in Shopify?

After the mapping sheet is ready, redirects should be added in a clear sequence and tested before launch. The same URLs should also be checked after launch to find missed redirects or incorrect destinations.

Step 1: Finalize the URL Mapping

Confirm that each important old URL points to the most relevant new Shopify page. Product pages should map to matching products, collections to relevant collections, and blog URLs to related content.

Step 2: Clean the Redirect List

Remove duplicate URLs, tracking parameters, outdated paths, and unnecessary variations. A clean redirect list makes setup and testing easier.

Step 3: Add Redirects in Shopify

Create the redirects in Shopify admin or upload them through a bulk import. Check that both the old URL and new destination are entered correctly.

Step 4: Test Important Redirects Before Launch

Open high-traffic pages, backlink URLs, product pages, collections, blogs, and campaign links. Confirm that each old URL reaches the correct Shopify page.

Step 5: Check Redirect Chains and Loops

Old URLs should point directly to the final Shopify destination. Avoid multiple redirect steps or loops that can slow users and create crawl issues.

Step 6: Crawl the Store After Launch

Run a crawl after the new store goes live. Check for 404 errors, missed redirects, incorrect destinations, and broken internal links.

Step 7: Monitor Redirect Issues After Launch

Continue reviewing 404 errors, crawl activity, indexing, and important traffic pages after migration. This helps catch redirect issues that may only appear once customers and search engines begin using the new URLs.

Common Redirect Mistakes to Avoid During Shopify

Migration

Redirect mistakes often occur when migration tasks are rushed close to launch. A few missed or poorly mapped URLs can affect traffic, rankings, and user experience. These are the most common issues to avoid.

Redirecting Old Pages to Irrelevant URLs

An old page should redirect to the closest matching new page. Sending old product, collection, or blog URLs to unrelated pages can confuse shoppers and weaken SEO value. Use the homepage only when there is no helpful alternative.

Ignoring Blog and Landing Page URLs

Product URLs usually get attention, but blog posts, guides, landing pages, FAQs, and policy pages can also bring organic traffic. These URLs should be included in the redirect plan.

Keeping Redirect Chains From the Old Store

Old redirect rules may already have chains. If these are copied into the Shopify setup, they can create slow or messy redirect paths. Review old redirects before launch and point them directly to the final Shopify URLs.

Forgetting Backlink URLs

Some pages may not receive much current traffic but still have valuable backlinks. Use backlink tools to find these URLs and map them carefully.

Not Monitoring 404 Errors After Launch

Some missed URLs appear only after search engines, customers, ads, emails, or old bookmarks send traffic to the new store. Post-launch 404 monitoring helps find and fix these gaps quickly.

How CartCoders Helps With Shopify Migration Redirects

CartCoders helps brands migrate to Shopify with SEO-safe URL mapping, 301 redirect planning, metadata preservation, schema preservation, clean data transfer, app reconfiguration, and post-launch SEO monitoring. Its migration process includes pre-migration SEO audits, top-page identification, backlink mapping, redirect testing, Search Console submission, 404 tracking, and indexing checks during the first 30 days after launch.

Our skilled experts can help with:

Old URL audits and exports
URL mapping sheet preparation
Product, collection, blog, and landing page redirects
301 redirect setup and testing
Metadata and schema preservation
Search Console submission
404 tracking and indexing checks
Post-launch SEO monitoring

Conclusion

301 redirects are one of the most important parts of migrating to Shopify. They help search engines and shoppers move from old URLs to the correct new Shopify pages without broken paths.

A strong redirect plan starts with a full URL audit, careful mapping, one-to-one redirects, testing, and post-launch monitoring. When redirects are handled properly, your new Shopify store can go live with better SEO protection and fewer traffic risks.

A clean redirect strategy also helps protect the traffic, backlinks, and revenue your old store has already earned.

FAQs

Why Are 301 Redirects Needed During Shopify Migration?

They help protect rankings, backlinks, indexed pages, traffic, and customer journeys after old URLs change.

Should I Redirect All Old URLs to the Homepage?

No. Each important old URL should redirect to the closest relevant Shopify product, collection, blog, or content page.

Which URLs Should I Redirect First?

Start with URLs that have rankings, backlinks, traffic, conversions, sales, or strong internal links.

How Do I Test Shopify 301 Redirects?

Test redirects with crawl tools, manual URL checks, Search Console, analytics, and 404 reports after launch.

Can Bad Redirects Hurt SEO After Migration?

Yes. Missing redirects, wrong targets, redirect chains, redirect loops, and broken URLs can affect traffic and rankings.