What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. When a visitor (or search engine) requests the old URL, the server responds with "301 Moved Permanently" and sends them to the new URL you've chosen.
301 redirects are the standard way to handle moved or deleted pages because they pass most of the link equity from the old URL to the new one. For Shopify merchants, they're the right tool for handling product changes, URL updates, and catalog reorganizations.
When Shopify merchants need 301 redirects
- Deleting a product — redirect the old product URL to a similar product, the parent collection, or a search page
- Changing a product handle — if you rename a product's URL handle, the old handle returns 404 unless redirected
- Reorganizing collections — merging or renaming collections creates broken collection URLs
- Migrating to Shopify — old platform URLs (e.g., from WooCommerce or Magento) need redirects to their new Shopify equivalents
- Restructuring navigation — changing page paths without redirects creates dead ends in your site structure
- Seasonal or campaign URLs — landing pages for past campaigns should redirect to current offers or the homepage
Types of redirects available
Viloko Redirect Manager supports three approaches to creating redirects:
- Single redirects — create one 301 redirect at a time. Ideal for individual broken paths where you know the exact destination.
- Smart Bulk Redirects — create multiple redirects in one action. Perfect for product migrations, seasonal catalog updates, or when you've accumulated a list of broken paths that all need destinations.
- Wildcard Redirects — define pattern-based rules for groups of similar URLs. For example, redirect all
/old-collection/* paths to a single new collection page.
Best practices for Shopify redirects
- Redirect to relevant destinations — send visitors to the most similar product, the parent collection, or a category page. Avoid redirecting everything to the homepage unless there's no better option.
- Don't chain redirects — create a direct redirect from the broken URL to the final destination. Avoid A → B → C chains.
- Review before publishing — check that the destination URL is correct and working before creating the redirect.
- Keep redirects inside Shopify — use Shopify native URL redirects so everything stays in one place and is managed through Shopify's infrastructure.
- Monitor over time — check that your redirects are working and that new 404s aren't appearing as your catalog changes.
