Shopify Product Handles Explained: Everything You Need To Know

In eCommerce, every detail matters. One such detail is the humble Shopify product handle, which is the text that becomes part of your product’s URL slug. A well-chosen handle improves SEO, boosts user experience, contributes to your branding, and makes a significant difference.

This blog will clarify what Shopify product handles are, how to find and edit them (individually and in bulk), real examples of good vs. bad handles, and expert tips for controlling them smartly. Additionally, we will also mention lesseer-discussed angles many blogs skip, such as variant handling, redirect strategy, and audit frameworks. All of these can help your content stand out. 

Without further ado, let’s get into it! 

What Do Shopify Product Handles Mean?

A Shopify product handle is the final part of a product’s URL, following /products/, and acts as the product page’s unique identifier. It is also often called a slug or Shopify product handle URL. 

When you create a new product on Shopify, the platform automatically generates this handle based on the product’s title. It takes the title, converts it to lowercase, and replaces spaces and special characters with hyphens. For example, if your product title is “2-in-1 Water Bottle”, your auto-created URL will be: https://yourstorename.com/products/2-in-1-water-bottle. 

As handles are tied to the URL, they are visible to customers and crawled by search engines. Thoughtful handle structure helps you convey relevance, readability, and trust in your products. 

Learn more: What Is Shopify Sitemap And How To Optimize It?

Shopify Product Handle Examples

The following Shopify product handle examples will help you understand how handles function within your store’s URL structure. From that, you’ll see the difference between well-optimized and poorly structured handles, and learn how to ensure machine-readable, SEO-friendly slugs. 

1. Basic examples

These Shopify product handles demonstrate how Shopify automatically converts product titles into handles, and how minor adjustments make them more effective for search and readability. 

Note: The key difference between a Shopify product handle vs. title lies in SEO optimization. While the product title is written for users and branding, the handle is used for URL structure. Therefore, most product handles should focus on clarity, keyword relevance, and crawlability.

2. Good vs. bad handle examples

Below are the examples for good and bad Shopify product handles that you should consider: 

However, remember to avoid using keyword-stuffed product handles on Shopify, such as /products/best-cheap-wireless-earbuds-2025-sale, as over-optimization can harm SEO. 

Learn more: 

• Shopify SEO Checklist for Beginners

• 200+ CRO Templates tailor-made for Shopify merchants

3. Advanced examples (for collections or variants)

While variants or collection pages themselves do not have unique Shopify product handles, they are all accessed through the single-parent product handle. The URL has the parent handle plus a variant/ collection identifier; however, the core handle remains the product’s unique identifier. This means that the concept of a handle has remained; only the URL path has changed. 

If you need SEO-optimized variants/ collection pages, you can use canonical tags or structured data to help Google understand their relationship to the main page without separate handles.

Why You Need Product Handles on Shopify

For SEO Optimization

The Shopify product handle is a core part of the URL, and your URL is a primary ranking factor. Search engines like Google use URLs to clarify the topic of a page before they read the content.

• Keyword integration

Search engines read the URL as a signal. If your core keyword is “2-in-1 water bottle”, having that phrase in your handle reinforces relevance. In contrast, a generic handle like product-345 seems ambiguous, which is the biggest challenge for successful Shopify product handle SEO. 

• Avoiding special characters

The automation can remove problematic characters like '$_a, or '%', but it sometimes leaves excessive dashes or numbers that are not ideal. Clean handles, composed only of lowercase letters and hyphens, ensure web compatibility and avoid potential crawling or indexing issues. 

For UX/UI and Link Management

Beyond search engines, the URL of your product page is the address customers use to find your product. A complex, lengthy, or confusing URL can deter users and make sharing difficult.

Be mindful: Clean URLs are easier to share, remember, read, and maintain across platforms. 

Let’s take a look at the Shopify product handle example here to see an apparent difference: 

• Bad URL: /products/the-coolest-t-shirt-in-the-whole-world-made-in-2025

• Good URL: /products/mens-slim-fit-tee

For Brand Consistency

The URL, including the Shopify product handle, is an extension of your brand. A professionally structured handle reflects attention to detail and a commitment to quality. Handles that are consistent across your store should follow a specific pattern (e.g., brand-name-product-type). This significantly improves brand recall and the perceived quality of your online store presence.

Learn more: 12 Brand Building Tips Shopify Store Owners Need to Know

How To Use Product Handles on Shopify

Here’s a step-by-step guide to locate, edit, and bulk-manage Shopify product handle structures. 

How to get a product handle in Shopify

In the Shopify Admin Dashboard, select the Products tab and click the Add Product button. 

Click the Products tab in the Shopify Admin to add a new product to your store

In the Add product tab, fill the essentials for the product that you want to get a product handle: 

1. Title

2. Description

3. Media

4. Category

5. Price

6. Inventory

7. Shipping

8. Variants and Category metafields 

9. Status

10. Publishing

11. Product organization (Type, Vendor, Collections, and Tags)

12. Theme template

Fill in the essentials for your product pages to display on your Shopify store

Once you finish the fields from (1) to (8), the Search Engine Listing system automatically updates your Shopify product handle, which you can see directly in your Shopify’s Add Product. 

The Search Engine Listing will automatically update your Shopify product handle

At that time, you only need to click the Save button at the end and activate the product handle. 

Click the Save button to finish your creation of Shopify product handles 

Learn more: 20 Shopify Product Page Examples to Learn From in 2025

How to change/ edit product handle on Shopify

In Shopify Admin, select the Products tab > a product to change the Shopify product handle. 

Select the target product that you want to change its handle on your Shopify store

Then, scroll down to the Search Engine Listing section and click on the symbol “Edit”. 

Find the Search Engine Listing section and select the Edit symbol for your changes

In the URL handle box, edit to your current Shopify product handle structure. 

Click the URL handle box to start your editing on an existing product handle

Next, check the box to create a URL redirect in case the product is already live now. 

Redirect your product handle URL after your updates in Shopify’s Products tab

Finally, click the Save button to finish. 

How to import updated handles in bulk

You do this for your Shopify product handles when you add product bulk to your store using the Shopify Import function via a third-party app, Shopify CSV import, and Shopify API/ Admin API. 

Let’s take a look at how each method works below!

Method 1: Shopify CSV import/export

In the Products tab, click the Export button to open the window “Export Products”. 

Open the Export products window to export the CSV file for Shopify product handles

Then, select the proper field “Current page/All products” and “Export as” (2 options). 

Next, click the Export products button to get a CSV file to edit product handles on Shopify. 

Edit product handles Shopify in the CSV file exported from the Shopify Admin 

After that, re-import the CSV to Shopify and map the handle column accordingly. 

Method 2: Use an app/plugin

Your third-party app exists that lets you automate handling updates (from title or pattern-based templates), and manage redirects automatically. However, you still need to test on a subset first.

Method 3: Shopify API / Admin API

If you're comfortable with development, call Shopify’s productUpdate endpoint to change the handle programmatically. This is suitable when you maintain products via extensive integrations.

5 Best Tips To Manage Shopify Product Handles

Mastering these Shopify product handle tips helps you create a clean URL structure, boost SEO performance, and keep your store running smoothly. Let’s explore everything with GemPages!

Tip #1. Keep it short, descriptive, and lowercase

Conciseness is King. A shorter URL is perceived as more trustworthy by both users and search engines. Your Shopify product handles should clearly describe the product, using only the essential words. It’s also recommended to avoid unnecessary filler words like "the," "and," or "of” and use lowercase letters and hyphens to have the most effective product handle structure. 

Tip #2. Use target keywords for SEO, but don’t stuff

Let’s include your primary target keyword early in the handle if possible. This is one of the most direct signals you can give Google about your page's relevance. However, resisting the urge to pack multiple keywords into one handle (e.g., mens-shoes-sneakers-runners-trainers) is critical. This is counterproductive, harms readability, and is bad for Shopify product handle SEO. 

Tip #3. Avoid frequent changes (may affect indexing)

Changing your handles too often might break your existing links and confuse search engines.

While understanding how to use the product handles Shopify is fundamental for your success, remember that each change requires time for Google to reindex and update your URLs. Therefore, let’s try to stick with one optimized structure early on, and only update your product handles when absolutely necessary, such as after a full rebranding or product name overhaul.

Tip #4. Audit handles regularly for broken links

This is a step many merchants overlook. Product handles are not used for your storefront; they are used in internal link references within Liquid codes, external apps, and marketing materials. If you change a handle that is still referencing the old handle, you could have integration issues.

Shopify Liquid is the key machine language used for your Shopify store

Beyond checking for 404 errors, you should audit your internal and external links in Google Search Console to ensure all your most-linked-to pages point to the current handle. Tools like Screaming Frog can crawl your site to spot broken links caused by your URL handle changes.

Tip #5. Use a redirect when updating a Shopify product handle

This is the most critical technical step. Every time you change a Shopify product handle, the original URL becomes instantly broken. You must set up a 301 permanent redirect from the old URL to the new one. While Shopify offers a checkbox in the SEO editing section to automate this, when performing bulk changes, an app or a manual redirect list is required. This preserves your hard-earned SEO authority and ensures a positive user experience by avoiding 404 pages.

Conclusion

Shopify product handles are far more than simple technical details; they are a powerful lever for your store's SEO and overall operational efficiency. By dedicating time to crafting clean, keyword-optimized handles, you provide search engines with clear context for your products. From that, you can ensure that your Shopify store gets improved visibility and higher rankings.

Through this Shopify product handle tutorial, we hope that you can learn how to create and change a product handle, refine your URL strategy, and optimize every product page effectively. Visit GemPages blogs today to learn helpful insights when working with the Shopify ecosystem.

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