Fix Broken Links and Moved Pages with Redirects

Every site changes over time. Products are discontinued, collections are renamed, blog posts get merged and web addresses change with them. Anyone who saved or shared the old link, including search engines, then lands on an error page. A redirect is the tidy fix: it quietly sends the visitor from the old address to a suitable new one. This article explains how to decide what to redirect and how to do it without code.

What a 404 is, and when it is fine

A 404 is the standard “this page does not exist” response. Google’s documentation notes that it does not use any content from pages that return this kind of error, and that an already indexed address which returns a 404 is eventually removed from the index. That is perfectly healthy for a page that is gone for good and has no replacement. Trouble arises when the missing page had visitors, links or sales behind it, and nothing replaces it.

There is also a trickier cousin, the soft 404. This is a page that tells the visitor it cannot be found but still reports success to the browser. Search Console flags those. If you see them reported, ask your developer or platform support to make sure the error page reports properly.

Deciding whether to redirect

Is there a close replacement? If a product is replaced by a newer model, redirect to the new product. If a collection is renamed, redirect to the renamed collection.
Is there only a loose match? Send the visitor to the most relevant category, not to the home page. Landing on a page that has nothing to do with their search is frustrating.
Is the page gone with nothing similar? Let it be a 404, but make sure your error page offers search, popular categories and a way to contact you.

Permanent or temporary?

Google’s redirect guide separates two kinds. Permanent redirects, such as the common 301 and 308 types, tell Google that the new address is the one to show in results. Temporary redirects, such as 302 and 307, leave the original address in results. The advice is to choose permanent only when the change is final. If something is unavailable for a short time, such as a seasonal range, a temporary redirect keeps the old address alive in search.

Google also prefers server-side redirects over scripted ones, and suggests checking whether your platform already has built-in tools before writing your own. Many store platforms do.

Creating a redirect in Shopify

Shopify’s help documentation gives these steps:

In the admin, go to Content, then Menus.
Choose View URL Redirects, then Create URL redirect.
In the Redirect from box, type the old address. For a path on your own store, use the relative form, such as /collections/summer.
In the Redirect to box, enter the new address. Use a single slash to send traffic to the home page.
Click Save redirect.

A few rules from the same page are worth knowing:

A redirect only works for an address that is actually broken. If the old address still shows a live page, the redirect will not apply.
Browsers and search engines remember redirects, so removing one may not take effect for every visitor at once.
Certain paths cannot be redirected, including the cart, orders and apps paths, and the fixed product and collection index paths.
Addresses containing query strings may not behave as expected.
If you hide a collection or set a product to draft, its address starts returning a 404, which allows a redirect to work. Making it visible again removes the redirect automatically.
For many addresses at once, you can import a CSV file from the redirects screen and export the existing list for review.

If a redirect does not work, check both addresses for typos, make sure the old one has no active page, and clear your browser cache before testing.

A tidy-up routine

Before you delete or rename, write down the old address. Better still, set up the redirect in the same sitting.
Review Search Console for pages reported with errors and look at where the old addresses are linked from.
Update your own links. Menus, buttons, emails and social profiles should point straight to the new address instead of relying on a redirect.
Avoid chains. If A goes to B and B goes to C, change A to point to C.
Test every redirect in a private browser window after saving.
Keep a simple log of what you redirected, where to and when.

When it is time to call a developer

Get help for a domain change, a platform migration, or a redesign that changes hundreds of addresses at once. Ask too if redirects fail on addresses with query strings, if you see loops where a page keeps bouncing between two destinations, or if your error page needs rebuilding. For a big move, a developer can map old addresses to new ones in bulk. Our services page describes the work we do, and our themes may help if a redesign is already on the cards.