Before the page loads, a Shopify URL already tells a crawler what kind of page it is and what it is about. The folder, such as /products/ or /collections/, names the type, and the handle after it names the subject. So /products/merino-wool-crew-socks tells a person and a machine that this is a product called merino wool crew socks. The address /products/copy-of-sock-3 tells them almost nothing.
Google's guidance on URL structure asks for readable words rather than long ID numbers, hyphens between words and words in your audience's language. It also warns that overly complex URLs, especially ones with many parameters, can cause problems for crawlers. A Shopify store gets the folders right by default. The handles are where stores differ.
What does a Shopify URL say about a page?
Every Shopify address has the same parts. The domain comes first, then a folder that names the page type, then the handle. Products sit under /products/, collections under /collections/, pages under /pages/ and posts under /blogs/ plus the blog's name. The handle is the only part you write yourself.
That makes the handle the cheapest signal you control. It appears in every link to the page, and a crawler sees it before it loads anything. The best handle is the product's plain name, plus its material or type if that helps, and nothing else.
Why does one product sometimes have several URLs?
A Shopify product can be reached at more than one address. Some themes link to products from a collection page with an address like /collections/socks/products/merino-wool-crew-socks. Those links come from a Liquid filter called within. Shopify's documentation for it notes that the standard product page and the collection version have the same content on separate URLs. A selected variant adds ?variant= and a number to the end.
| Address | What a crawler can tell from it |
|---|---|
| /products/merino-wool-crew-socks | A product, and which one, in plain words. |
| /products/copy-of-sock-3 | A product, but not which one. |
| /collections/frontpage-2 | A collection, with no subject at all. |
| /collections/socks/products/merino-wool-crew-socks | The same product again, at a second address. |
Shopify's own article on canonical URLs says the canonical for products and variants is the default product page, with no collection or variant selected. So these duplicates should all point back to /products/merino-wool-crew-socks. Canonicals can still break, and old addresses pile up as pages move. Our companion guide to redirects, 404s and canonicals covers that upkeep.
What makes a good handle?
A good handle is short, in plain words, and names what the page is. Four habits cover most stores.
- Use the words a buyer would use, in the language of your store, joined with hyphens.
- Drop words that add nothing, such as "new", "best" or the year, since they go out of date.
- Never leave a handle that Shopify generated from a copy, such as copy-of-linen-shirt. The same goes for a handle that ends in a number added to avoid a duplicate.
- Keep the handle stable. A handle that changes every season breaks links and builds redirect chains.
Also check for letters from another alphabet that look identical to ours. A handle typed with one of them can look right and still break the address. Our guide to lookalike characters in Shopify handles explains how to find one.
How do I check and fix my handles in Shopify?
These steps work for products, and the same Search engine listing section exists on collections, pages and blog posts.
- Go to Products and open a product. Scroll to Search engine listing and click the edit icon to see the URL handle.
- Read the handle aloud. If it does not name the product in plain words, write a new one, such as merino-wool-crew-socks.
- Click Save.
- Go to Content > Menus and click View URL Redirects. Search for the old handle and check that a redirect from the old path to the new one exists. If it does not, click Create URL redirect and enter the old path in Redirect from and the new one in Redirect to. Click Save redirect.
- Open the old address in a browser and confirm it lands on the product.
- Open the product through a collection on the live store. Right click, choose View page source and search for "canonical". The address there should be the plain /products/ URL.
- Repeat for your 20 best selling products and your main collections first. Leave handles that already read well alone.
Change handles in one batch, then leave them. Each change adds a redirect, and a store that renames often ends up with chains.
How does a sock brand rename twelve copy-of handles without losing visits?
A sock brand on Shopify launched its 45 products by duplicating one listing again and again. Twelve products still have handles such as copy-of-crew-sock-2, and the collection for hiking socks sits at /collections/frontpage-2.
The owner renames the twelve handles to plain names, such as merino-wool-hiking-socks and cotton-ankle-socks, and renames the collection handle to hiking-socks. For each change the owner checks the URL redirects list and adds the missing redirects. A theme setting still links products through collection paths, so the owner confirms that the canonical on those pages names the plain /products/ address.
Is the URL enough on its own?
The URL is one signal among several. It works best when it agrees with the page title, the main heading, the breadcrumbs and the menu that leads to the page. Our guide to navigation that means something covers the menu side, and our guide to site architecture for AI shows how every page connects.
Two in three of the 216 Shopify storefronts we scored in June 2026 came in below 50 out of 100. Our score covers far more than addresses, so fixing handles is only the first step. A free scan of five key pages shows which layers your store loses points on.
Questions owners ask
Do URLs affect how AI reads my store?
A crawler sees a page's URL before it loads the page. A handle in plain words tells it what the page is about before the content loads, while a handle like copy-of-sock-3 tells it nothing.
Can I remove /products/ or /collections/ from my Shopify URLs?
Those folders are part of how Shopify builds every store's addresses, and the part you set in the admin is the handle after them. You cannot remove them in the admin, so put your effort into the handles, which you write yourself.
Should I change old product handles?
Change a handle when it does not name the product, such as one copied from another listing. Check that a redirect from the old address exists after every change, and change handles in one batch rather than every season.
Why does my product appear under a collection URL?
Some themes link to products through collection paths, which gives one product a second address. Shopify sets the canonical for products and variants to the default product page. Check the page source to confirm that the canonical names the plain /products/ address.
Sources
We opened every source below on November 9, 2026.
- URL structure best practices for Google, Google Search Central.
- within filter, Shopify Liquid documentation.
- Canonical URLs, Shopify Partners blog.
- URL redirects, Shopify Help Center.
- Visibility Mesh, The State of AI Visibility 2026, 216 Shopify storefronts scored in June 2026.