Back to all fixes

Shopify Duplicate Product URLs: Why They Happen and How to Fix Them

3 min read
  • shopify
  • seo

The Problem

You duplicated a product in Shopify, updated the title and photos, and published it. Everything looks great on the page. Then you check the URL:

/products/harbor-mist-linen-shirt-copy

The product is called “Coastal Breeze Linen Shirt.” The URL still says the name of the product you copied from, with -copy tacked on.

Why This Happens

Shopify sets a product’s URL handle when the product is first created, based on its title at that moment. After that, the handle stays the same even if you change the title.

When you duplicate a product, Shopify creates the new one with the original handle plus -copy. You rename the product, update the images, set the price, and hit publish. The handle quietly stays behind.

Google uses the URL as one of the signals to understand what a page is about. A URL that names a different product works against you. And -copy in a URL just looks unfinished.

The Fix

  1. In Shopify admin, open the product and scroll to Search engine listing. Click Edit.
  2. Change the URL handle to match the actual product name. Lowercase, hyphens between words, for example coastal-breeze-linen-shirt.
  3. A checkbox will appear: Create a URL redirect. Leave it checked. This sends anyone with the old URL to the new one instead of a 404.
  4. While you’re here, check the page title and meta description too. On a duplicated product these often still describe the original.
  5. Save.

That redirect checkbox is the important part. It covers old links from social posts, bookmarks, and search results automatically.

Watch Out for CSV Imports

If you have a lot of these to fix, don’t try to change handles through a CSV export and import. In Shopify’s CSV format, the handle is the column that identifies the product. Changing it and re-importing creates a new product instead of renaming the existing one.

Handle changes need to go through the admin UI so the redirect gets created. If you have hundreds to fix, that’s an Admin API job.

Avoiding It Next Time

Duplicating a product is a fine starting point. Just make the Search engine listing section part of your workflow: update the handle, title, and meta description before you publish.

If you’d rather have someone handle this for you, get in touch.