Changing your Shopify blog URL might sound like a minor tweak, but it can have a significant effect on your online store's SEO and user experience. Whether you're rebranding, optimizing for search engines, or simply tidying up your site structure, updating your blog's URLs is a task worth doing right.
In this post, we'll walk you through the process of changing your Shopify blog URL step-by-step. We'll cover everything from understanding why you might want to make the change, to the technical steps involved, and finally, some SEO considerations to keep in mind. Let's get started!
Why Change Your Shopify Blog URL?
Before diving into the technical aspects, it's important to understand why you might want to change your blog URL in the first place. There are several reasons, and each has its own set of benefits.
- Branding Alignment: Sometimes, your existing blog URL might not reflect your current brand identity. Changing it to match your brand can create a more cohesive online presence.
- SEO Optimization: A well-structured URL can improve your site's SEO, making it easier for search engines to understand what your content is about. This can lead to better rankings and more organic traffic.
- Better User Experience: A clear and descriptive URL can enhance user experience by giving visitors a better idea of what to expect from a page before they even click on it.
Whatever your motivation, understanding the "why" behind the change can guide you in making the right decisions during the process.
Assessing the Current URL Structure
Before you make any changes, it's a good idea to take a close look at your current URL structure. This will help you understand what needs to be improved and prevent any unwanted surprises down the road. Here's how you can do it:
- Catalog Your Current URLs: Make a list of all your current blog URLs. You can do this manually, or use a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your site and export a list.
- Identify Problematic URLs: Look for URLs that are too long, contain unnecessary parameters, or don't include relevant keywords. These are your primary targets for change.
- Note High-Performing Pages: Identify which pages are already performing well in terms of traffic and SEO. You’ll want to be extra careful when changing these URLs to avoid losing their current SEO benefits.
Having a clear picture of your current setup will help you make informed decisions moving forward.
Planning Your New URL Structure
Now that you know which URLs need changing, it's time to plan your new structure. Good planning will make the transition smoother and help maintain your SEO rankings. Here are some tips:
- Keep It Short and Sweet: Aim for a URL that is concise yet descriptive. Avoid unnecessary words or characters.
- Use Keywords Wisely: Incorporate relevant keywords to help with SEO, but don’t overstuff your URL with them. Balance is key.
- Maintain Consistency: Use a consistent format across all your URLs. This makes it easier for users and search engines to navigate your site.
Once you have a plan, write down your new URLs so you can easily implement them during the next steps.
Backing Up Your Shopify Blog
Before making any changes, it’s crucial to back up your current blog. While Shopify doesn’t offer a direct way to back up your blog, you can manually save your content. Here's how:
- Copy Blog Content: Go to each blog post and copy the content into a Word document or Google Doc.
- Export Your Blog: Use the Shopify app store to find apps like "Blog Exporter" that can help you export your blog content.
- Take Screenshots: Take screenshots of your blog’s current look and feel for reference, in case you need to revert changes.
Backing up your blog ensures that you have a safety net in case anything goes wrong during the URL change process.
Changing the Blog URL in Shopify
Now comes the technical part—changing the URL in Shopify. Follow these steps carefully:
- Access Your Blog Posts: From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Blog Posts.
- Select the Blog Post: Click on the blog post you want to edit.
- Edit the URL: In the Search engine listing preview section, click Edit website SEO. Change the URL and handle section to your new URL.
- Save Changes: Click Save to apply the changes.
Repeat this process for each blog post whose URL you want to change.
Setting Up Redirects
Changing URLs can lead to broken links, which is something you definitely want to avoid. To prevent this, set up 301 redirects for your old URLs. This tells search engines and browsers that your content has moved permanently. Here’s how:
- Go to Redirects: In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Navigation > URL Redirects.
- Create a New Redirect: Click on Add URL Redirect.
- Enter Old and New URLs: In the "Redirect from" field, enter the old URL. In the "Redirect to" field, enter the new URL.
- Save the Redirect: Click Add to save the redirect.
Redirects ensure that visitors and search engines can still find your content, even if the URL has changed.
Updating Internal Links
After changing your URLs, make sure to update any internal links within your site that point to the old URLs. This helps maintain a smooth user experience and keeps your site’s crawlability intact. Here’s what to do:
- Check Your Content: Go through your site’s pages, posts, and navigation menus to find any links pointing to your old blog URLs.
- Edit Links: Manually update these links to point to your new URLs.
- Use a Tool: Consider using a tool like Ahrefs or Moz to scan your site for any remaining old links you may have missed.
Updating internal links is a small step that can have a big effect on the usability and SEO of your site.
Monitoring the Changes
Once everything is set up, it’s time to monitor the changes to ensure everything is functioning as expected. Here’s what to look out for:
- Check for Errors: Use Google Search Console to monitor for crawl errors or any 404 pages that may appear.
- Monitor Traffic: Keep an eye on your analytics to see if there are any significant changes in traffic, both positive and negative.
- Gather Feedback: Ask users for feedback on your site’s navigation and usability. Fresh eyes can often catch things you might miss.
By monitoring the changes, you can quickly address any issues that may arise and ensure a smooth transition.
SEO Considerations
Changing your blog URL does come with SEO risks, but with careful planning and execution, you can mitigate them. Here are some SEO considerations to keep in mind:
- Maintain Content Quality: Ensure that the content quality remains high. Search engines reward content that is valuable to readers.
- Update Sitemaps: Make sure your sitemaps reflect the new URLs and submit them to search engines for indexing.
- Build Links: Reach out to sites that linked to your old URLs and ask them to update their links to your new URLs.
Keeping SEO in mind throughout the process will help you maintain your site’s ranking and visibility.
Final Thoughts
Changing your Shopify blog URL is not just a technical task; it's an opportunity to improve your site's user experience and SEO. By following the steps outlined above, you can make the transition smoothly and effectively.
If you're looking for additional help with SEO or want to drive more targeted traffic to your store, consider working with Pattern. We specialize in helping ecommerce brands and SaaS startups grow by creating programmatic landing pages and conversion-focused content. Unlike many SEO agencies, we focus on real results—turning more of your traffic into paying customers. At Pattern, we view SEO as part of a broader growth strategy, ensuring that every dollar you invest delivers a real return on investment.