I recently read about the challenges of renaming file names in Shopify. Some people claim it’s either not possible or can’t be done in bulk, and while bulk renaming isn’t available (yet), changing file names individually is still relatively easy.
Yes, renaming files on Shopify can impact your SEO, especially if those files (like images) are already indexed by search engines or linked to your site. When you rename a file, the old file URL becomes broken, which could lead to 404 errors if the previous URL was linked or indexed.
If your file name isn’t SEO-friendly (like teeblackfront-6717e9bba0d90), changing it can actually improve your rankings. A file named Black-Youth-T-Shirt is far more likely to align with search terms that people might use on Google. Descriptive names are key: they should be clear, relevant, and directly connected to the content of the file, which can significantly enhance SEO.
How can you minimize the SEO impact?
Redirect Old URLs: Use 301 redirects to direct traffic from the old file URL to the new one. Unfortunately, Shopify doesn’t support automatic redirects for image files, so you’d need to handle this manually or use apps to help.
Update Internal Links: If you’re using the images or files in blog posts, product pages, or anywhere else on your site, update those links to reflect the new URL.
Re-submit to Google: After renaming, it can help to re-submit the updated URLs to Google via Search Console to expedite reindexing.
How I Updated My Product Names
To change my product names, I made updates directly in the product listings:
- Go to Shopify Products.
- In the Media section, open your first image.
- In the Name field, enter your new name (using hyphens between words), then press Save.
- While the image window is open, ensure there is an entry in the Alt Text box.
Important Tip: If you use this image on a page (such as a landing page), double-check that it still appears correctly. If it’s missing, go to Theme > Customize and update the image. You can use the Search function to locate the new image.
This took some time to complete but given all I had read about the importance of descriptive names, it felt like a worthwhile exercise. Additionally, I was able to fill in any missing Alt text along the way.