Baseframe field notes

Shopify redirects not working after a migration?

An imported redirect list records your intentions. A review checks what a visitor actually receives. Use this workflow to separate a broken rule, a wrong destination and a URL that still needs a business decision.

By Baseframe Kinetics · Reviewed September 27, 2026. The examples below are illustrative, not customer results.

First, check whether Shopify can apply the rule

Shopify's native redirects apply to broken source URLs. If the old address still serves an active page, adding a redirect does not override it. Some platform paths are reserved; query strings can also produce unexpected results. A cached 301 can make a browser show an older result. Check the exact address and compare a fresh browser session before changing the rule. See Shopify's redirect requirements and troubleshooting.

Test each language or market URL you actually use. Shopify's current documentation contains differing statements about subfolder inheritance, so this guide does not assume that one test proves every locale works. Keep the source locale and expected destination in your evidence.

Build a review list before changing anything

Start with old URLs from your previous sitemap, content inventory and traffic or link reports. Assign an intended destination to each. Google recommends mapping old addresses to their replacements, avoiding unnecessary redirect chains, and avoiding mass redirects to an irrelevant homepage. Removed content without a replacement may appropriately return 404 or 410. See Google's site-move guidance.

Download the review worksheet (CSV) ↓

This is a review worksheet, not a Shopify import file. It contains one fictional example row. Replace it with your own public URLs. Keep passwords, customer data and signed private links out of it. Your download does not send us your inventory.

Record intentions and observations separately

1. Write the expected result first. Record the old URL, intended final URL, final status and why that destination is suitable. If a discontinued item has no equivalent, record that decision explicitly instead of selecting the homepage by default.
2. Capture the exact request. Keep the scheme, hostname, path and relevant query string. Use a tool that exposes each response and Location header. Opening the final page alone does not show how the old address reached it.
3. Save the full chain and observation time. A sequence such as “301 → 200” is incomplete without the corresponding addresses. Record timeouts and blocked requests as unverified, not successful.
4. Inspect the destination content. Check product identity, locale and the visitor's intended task. A 200 response only tells you that the request succeeded; it does not establish an appropriate product match.
5. Choose an action and repeat the same check. Give each finding an owner and retain the original evidence. After a correction, test the original URL again and record the new chain.

Three different results need three different decisions

The old product lands on the wrong product

Suppose /blue-mug should reach /products/blue-mug, but reaches a red bowl with status 200. The successful response does not resolve the mismatch. Ask the merchant to confirm the correct item, then correct and retest the mapping.

The old URL still displays its original page

Check the source page's intended status before removing or hiding it. A live page may be intentional. Record whether the plan is to retain it or retire it; the redirect rule cannot make that business decision.

The request never completes

Keep the row unverified and note the observed error. A timeout is not proof that every visitor gets a broken page. Repeat under comparable conditions and investigate access or tooling limits before proposing a redirect change.

What this review can and cannot establish

A checked inventory provides evidence about those URLs at that time. It does not establish that a whole catalog migrated correctly or that rankings will recover. Our own-site example shows a real missing-page response defect and the correction, with timestamped evidence. It is not a Shopify customer case study.

If your existing tools and team resolve the list, you do not need an additional review. If you still have ambiguous results, the Migration Review pilot covers up to 100 agreed URLs, a prioritized report and one repeat check. The asking price is $99 USD; scope is confirmed before any order.