How to Structure Shopify URLs for SEO: Best Practices in 2025

 

🔍 Why Shopify URL Structure Matters for SEO in 2025

In 2025, Shopify SEO continues to be a major factor in getting organic traffic to your store. One often-overlooked but critical SEO factor is your Shopify URL structure.

An optimized, clean, and keyword-rich Shopify URL helps:

• Improve click-through rate (CTR) in search results

• Make pages easier to crawl and index by Google

• Enhance user trust and navigation

• Align with Google’s updated EEAT and structured content standards

If you’re serious about growing your online store, understanding how to structure Shopify URLs for SEO is a must.

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🧱 Understanding Default Shopify URL Structure

Shopify automatically generates URL paths based on page types:

Content Type	Default Shopify URL Format
Product Pages	/products/product-name
Collection Pages	/collections/collection-name
Blog Posts	/blogs/blog-name/article-title
Pages	/pages/page-name

While these structures are not fully customizable (Shopify doesn’t allow URL folder changes), you can still optimize URLs within the allowed format for better Shopify SEO.

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✅ Best Practices to Optimize Shopify URLs for SEO (2025)

1. Use Keyword-Rich Slugs

• Always include your target keyword in the URL.

• Example: /products/bamboo-cotton-towel instead of /products/item12345.

This helps both Google and customers understand what the page is about instantly.

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2. Avoid Stop Words and Unnecessary Fillers

Bad: /products/the-best-t-shirt-in-the-world
Good: /products/best-tshirt or /products/organic-cotton-tshirt

Shorter URLs rank better and are easier to remember and share.

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3. Keep URLs Lowercase and Use Hyphens

Shopify automatically uses hyphens (-) for spaces, which is SEO-friendly.

❌ /Products/Organic_Cotton_TShirt
✅ /products/organic-cotton-tshirt

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4. Don’t Change URLs After Publishing (Unless Necessary)

If you change the URL slug of a live product or blog post, make sure to:

• Set up a 301 redirect from the old URL

• Update internal links and sitemap

Google uses these URLs to index your site, and breaking them affects your rankings.

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5. Create SEO-Friendly Collection URLs

Collections are powerful for targeting category-level keywords.

Instead of:
/collections/winter-2025-men

Use:
/collections/mens-winter-jackets

Make sure the collection title, meta title, and URL slug all align with your SEO goals.

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6. Blog URLs: Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords

Blog posts use /blogs/blog-name/article-title. Optimize the article-title slug for long-tail keywords.

Example:
/blogs/news/how-to-wash-bamboo-fabric-correctly

This helps improve SEO for informational queries and boosts topical relevance.

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7. Avoid Duplicate Content by Using Canonical URLs

Shopify sometimes creates duplicate URLs (especially with tags or filtered collections).

Make sure to:

• Use canonical tags in your theme ({{ canonical_url }})

• Avoid indexing tag URLs like /collections/shirts/red

This keeps your site structure clean and avoids SEO penalties.

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8. Use the Shopify URL Redirect Tool

Go to:
Online Store > Navigation > View URL Redirects

Here, you can:

• Create 301 redirects

• Manage changed slugs

• Track broken URLs

This tool is vital for Shopify SEO maintenance.

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9. Avoid Special Characters and Dynamic Parameters

URLs like:
/products/shoes?variant=12345678
are not SEO-friendly.

Stick to clean, readable paths. Shopify handles variants well internally, so there's no need to link to parameter-heavy URLs.

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📈 Bonus: Shopify URL Structure and Core Web Vitals

Clean, static URLs:

• Load faster

• Reduce unnecessary redirects

• Help your store pass Google’s Core Web Vitals

Improving your Shopify permalink structure contributes to both technical SEO and user experience, which are key ranking factors in 2025.

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🧠 Quick Checklist: SEO-Friendly Shopify URLs in 2025

✅ Include target keywords
✅ Use hyphens instead of underscores
✅ Keep it short and descriptive
✅ Avoid changing URLs after launch
✅ Apply 301 redirects for changes
✅ Avoid non-HTML pages like tag filters
✅ Monitor URLs in Google Search Console

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🛠 Example of a Well-Optimized Shopify URL Structure

• Home: /

• Collection: /collections/mens-summer-shirts

• Product: /products/linen-shirt-white

• Blog: /blogs/style-tips/how-to-style-a-linen-shirt

• Page: /pages/about-us

All of these:

• Follow Shopify's default structure

• Include keywords

• Are clean, descriptive, and crawlable

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📌 Final Thoughts

Although Shopify limits URL folder structure customization, there’s plenty you can do to optimize Shopify URLs for SEO. Small tweaks in your product, collection, and blog URLs can have a significant impact on search engine rankings, CTR, and user experience.

Need help fixing or planning your Shopify URL structure for SEO in 2025?
At RootSyntax, we specialize in Shopify SEO audits and theme optimization. Let’s talk and grow your store organically.