Ecommerce Glossary

What is a 301 Redirect?

A 301 redirect is what you use when a page has been moved, and the old URL shouldn’t be used anymore.

If someone visits that old link, they’re taken to a different page instead. Search engines also follow that change and start showing the new URL in place of the old one.

Why do 301 redirects matter for SEO?

When URLs change, things don’t just “update” automatically. Old links still exist—in Google, in emails, in ads, everywhere.

Without redirects, those links just break.

Key benefits of using a 301 redirect
Benefit	What it means
Preserve SEO value	Most of the authority from the old page carries over
Prevent broken pages	Visitors don’t end up on error pages
Protect existing traffic	Old links continue to work as expected
Support website changes	Search engines understand the page has moved

When should you use a 301 redirect?

Anytime a page is no longer available at its original URL, you should ask one simple question: Where should this traffic go now?

If there’s a clear answer, a 301 redirect is usually the right move.

Common Situations Where 301 Redirects Are Needed
Scenario	What to do
Website migration	Send old URLs to their new versions
URL structure changes	Map old URLs to updated ones to preserve ranking
Deleted or removed pages	Redirect to the closest relevant page
Domain change	Move all URLs to the new domain
Merging similar pages	Point multiple pages to one stronger page

What is an example of a 301 redirect?

Here’s the simplest way to picture it:

Example of a 301 Redirect in Action
Old URL	New URL
www.example.com/old-product	www.example.com/new-product

Someone clicks the old link → they land on the new page. That’s it.

Over time, search engines stop showing the old URL altogether.

How do 301 redirects affect SEO?

Search engines need a clear signal when a page URL changes. A 301 redirect tell search engines that the page has moved and they understand that signal.

Instead of treating the new page as something completely separate, search engines connect it to the old one.

SEO Impact of 301 Redirects
Factor	Impact on SEO
Link equity transfer	Most authority moves to the new URL
Rankings	Helps keep positions stable after changes
Traffic	Prevents traffic drops from outdated links
Indexing	Replaces the old URL in search results

If there’s no redirect, the new page often has to build everything from scratch again.

Without 301 redirects, search engines may treat the new page as unrelated to the old one, which can lead to traffic loss and ranking drops.

What are the common 301 redirect mistakes to avoid?

Most redirect issues don’t show up right away. That’s what makes them tricky.

You only notice later—when traffic dips or pages stop ranking.

Common 301 Redirect Mistakes
Mistake	What happens
Missing redirects	Pages break, users get a page not found/404 error, and traffic is lost
Redirect chains	Multiple steps slow things down
Redirect loops	Pages keep redirecting to each other in a loop, so neither users nor search engines can access the page
Redirecting to irrelevant pages	Users land on the wrong page
Not updating internal links	Your site keeps pointing to outdated URLs

How are 301 redirects used in Shopify?

This becomes important when migrating to Shopify.

Shopify doesn’t let you fully control URL formats. It adds its own structure (like /products/), so even if your content stays the same, your URLs usually don’t.

That URL mismatch is where redirects come in.

How Shopify handles 301 Redirects
Aspect	What it means in Shopify
Fixed URL structure	Shopify pages have predefined paths, so old URLs may change after migration.
Manual redirect setup	Redirects must be added whenever URLs are updated to keep old links working.
Bulk redirect support	You can upload many redirects at once using a CSV file
Built-in redirect management	Shopify’s admin lets you manage redirects without extra apps

Correct redirect planning keeps links, SEO, and user experience intact.