Shopify Handle: What is it and how to manage it

What is a Shopify Handle?

A Shopify handle is a URL-friendly version of a name used to identify resources such as products, collections, and pages within your Shopify store. It typically consists of lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. For example, a product named "Organic Cotton T-Shirt" might have the handle "organic-cotton-t-shirt," resulting in a URL like `https://yourstore.myshopify.com/products/organic-cotton-t-shirt`.

Purpose and Importance of Shopify Handles

1. URL Structure: Handles are part of the URL structure for resources in Shopify, helping to organize and identify content. For example, a collection named "Summer Sale" might have the handle "summer-sale," creating a URL like `https://yourstore.myshopify.com/collections/summer-sale`.

2. SEO: Descriptive handles with relevant keywords can enhance SEO. A handle like "best-running-shoes" is more likely to rank better in search engines for related searches compared to a generic handle.

3. User Navigation: Clean and descriptive handles make URLs easier for users to understand, which can improve navigation and overall user experience.

Finding handles for products in Shopify is straightforward. Here’s how you can locate them:

1. Log In to Your Shopify Admin: Start by logging into your Shopify admin dashboard.

2. Navigate to Products: Go to the "Products" section in the Shopify admin panel.

3. Select a Product: Click on the product for which you want to find the handle.

4. View the Product URL: In the product details page, scroll down to the "Search engine listing preview" section. Click on "Edit website SEO." Here, you will see the "URL and handle" field.

5. Identify the Handle: The handle is the part of the URL that comes after `/products/`. For instance, if the URL is `https://yourstore.myshopify.com/products/organic-cotton-t-shirt`, the handle is "organic-cotton-t-shirt."

Best Practices for Creating Shopify Handles

1. Simplicity: Keep handles simple and descriptive. Use clear, relevant terms rather than complex codes. For example, "blue-wool-scarf" is better than "product5678."

2. Keywords: Include keywords relevant to the product to aid SEO. Think about what terms customers might use when searching for the product.

3. Hyphens: Use hyphens to separate words in handles. Hyphens are treated as spaces by search engines, which is preferable over underscores.

4. Avoid Special Characters: Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens. Special characters can cause issues in URLs.

Managing and Updating Handles

When you update a handle, it can affect existing links and SEO. To manage this:

1. Set Up Redirects: Create redirects from the old URL to the new one to prevent broken links and preserve SEO value.

2. Update Internal Links: Make sure any internal links pointing to the old handle are updated to the new one.

Conclusion

Shopify handles are an integral part of your store’s URL structure. They affect SEO, user navigation, and site organization. By understanding how to find and manage handles, you can ensure your store remains well-organized and user-friendly.

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