How can you change your website URL in Shopify without negatively impacting SEO traffic or ranking?

How can you change your website URL in Shopify without negatively impacting SEO traffic or ranking?

January 06, 2025

Changing your website URL in Shopify can be a significant decision, and to minimize the negative impact on SEO traffic or rankings, you must follow best practices. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help ensure a smooth transition:

1. Plan the URL Change Carefully

Identify the URLs to Change: Decide if you're changing your domain name, specific page URLs, or both.
Assess Current Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to analyze traffic and rankings for the URLs being changed.

2. Set Up 301 Redirects

A 301 redirect ensures that traffic from the old URL is forwarded to the new one while passing most of the link equity.
In Shopify:
1. Go to your Shopify admin.
2. Navigate to Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects.
3. Add a redirect for each old URL, pointing it to the corresponding new URL.
Ensure all old URLs have proper redirects to avoid broken links and 404 errors.

3. Update Your Sitemap

Shopify automatically updates your sitemap.xml when URLs are changed.
Submit the updated sitemap to Google Search Console to speed up indexing of the new URLs:
1. Open Google Search Console.
2. Navigate to Sitemaps.
3. Submit the updated sitemap (https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).

4. Update Internal Links

Go through your website and update any internal links pointing to the old URLs.
This ensures smooth navigation for users and avoids unnecessary redirects.

5. Notify Google of the URL Change

If you’re changing the domain name (e.g., from www.oldsite.com to www.newsite.com), use the Change of Address Tool in Google Search Console:
1. Verify both the old and new domains in Google Search Console.
2. Select your old property, then navigate to Settings > Change of Address.
3. Follow the steps to notify Google of the change.

6. Inform External Link Partners

Reach out to websites linking to your old URLs and request they update their links to point to the new URLs.

7. Test the Changes

Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to crawl your website and ensure:
- All redirects are working correctly.
- There are no broken links or orphaned pages.

8. Monitor Performance

Track traffic and rankings closely after the change:
- Use Google Analytics to monitor traffic patterns.
- Check Google Search Console for crawl errors, indexing issues, or changes in rankings.
Expect temporary fluctuations in rankings as Google adjusts to the new URLs.

9. Update External Platforms

Update your website URL on social media profiles, email marketing tools, and directories to ensure consistency.

10. Optimize the New URLs

Follow best practices for SEO on the new URLs:
- Use keyword-rich URLs where appropriate.
- Ensure the meta titles, descriptions, and header tags are optimized.

Key Points to Minimize Impact

Don’t Rush: Implement changes methodically.
Communicate Clearly: Use redirects and notify search engines of changes promptly.
Monitor: Watch for drops in traffic or errors post-change and resolve issues quickly.

Comments