Bulk Import & Export Redirects in Shopify - A Complete Guide

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Managing redirects is a critical part of running a healthy, high-converting Shopify store — especially after large product updates, migrations, or SEO audits. Doing it manually for each URL is tedious and inefficient. That’s where Swift Redirects, the top-rated Shopify 404 redirect app, comes in with its robust bulk import and export capabilities.

In this complete guide, you'll learn how to easily upload, edit, and download redirects using CSV files — saving hours of manual effort and protecting your store from SEO losses and poor user experiences.

Why Bulk Redirects Matter

If your Shopify store has gone through one or more of the following, bulk redirects are essential:

  • Replatforming from Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, etc.
  • Restructuring product or collection URLs
  • Deleting seasonal or discontinued products
  • Changing blog URLs or content structure
  • Cleaning up old, irrelevant URLs

Without redirects, users land on 404 pages, search engines devalue your pages, and you risk losing backlinks and ad traffic.

Step-by-Step: Bulk Importing Redirects via CSV

Here’s how to upload hundreds (or thousands) of redirects into your store using Swift Redirects.

1. Install Swift Redirects

First, install the app from the Shopify App Store. Once installed, you’ll find it in your Apps panel inside the Shopify admin.

2. Go to the Redirect menu

  • Click on the “Import” button at the top-right
  • You’ll see a prompt to upload a CSV file
Import redirects - swift redirects & 404

3. Download the CSV Template

Click “Download Sample CSV” to get the correct format. It typically includes columns like:

  • redirect_to (e.g., /example_product)
  • redirect_from (e.g., /products/example-product)

4. Upload Your File

Save the CSV and return to the Import tab. Upload your file and confirm the mapping of columns if prompted. Click “Import.”

5. Verify Imported Redirects

Once done, you’ll see a confirmation email with the number of redirects added. Also you can check go to the Redirects tab to confirm everything was added. Each redirect will be listed with source and destination paths.

From here, you can edit, delete, or add tags to organize them.

How to Export Existing Redirects

Need to audit or back up your current redirects? Swift Redirects lets you export them in seconds.

Steps to Export:

  • Go to the Redirects tab
  • Click on the “Export” button at the top-right
  • You will see a prompt to choose “Export all redirects/Export unresolved redirects/Export resolved redirects”.
  • Click on Export button to download CSV.
Export Redirects - Swift Redirects & 404

This is useful for backup purposes, or to make bulk updates and reimport later.

Best Practices for Bulk Redirect Management

  • Use consistent formatting: Start all paths with a single slash (/) and avoid trailing slashes unless needed.
  • Avoid loops: Don’t redirect a URL to itself or create chains like A → B → C.
  • Stick to 301s for SEO: Use 301 permanent redirects for SEO value preservation unless there's a temporary need.
  • Test before deploying: If importing a large file, test 1–2 rows first to ensure proper format.
  • Update campaigns and ads: Always redirect landing pages that were used in emails, ads, or backlinks.

Use Case Examples

Shopify Migration

You’ve just moved from WooCommerce to Shopify and need to redirect your old URLs to their new Shopify equivalents. With Swift Redirects, just match your old URLs with their Shopify versions in a CSV and import. Done in minutes instead of days.

Collection Cleanup

You merged multiple outdated collections into a new one. With a simple CSV file, you can redirect all previous collection URLs to the new collection automatically.

Post-Promotion Redirects

After a flash sale, those campaign pages may go offline. Instead of letting visitors land on 404s, you can batch redirect them to your new promotion or main collection page.

SEO and UX Impact

Search engines reward clean site structures with no dead ends. Visitors are more likely to stay and convert if they aren’t hitting error pages. Bulk redirect management directly improves:

  • Crawlability and indexing
  • Bounce rate
  • Average session duration
  • Retention and trust

Swift Redirects vs Shopify Native Redirects

Feature Shopify Native Swift Redirects
Manual Redirects ✅ ✅
Bulk CSV Import ✅ ✅
Export Redirects ✅ ✅
404 Detection & Logs ❌ ✅
Pattern & Regex Redirects ❌ ✅

What Merchants Say

“We had 500+ URLs to fix after a rebrand. Swift Redirects made it effortless — just uploaded the CSV and all redirects were live instantly. Huge time saver!” – Shopify Plus Merchant

Final Thoughts: Scale Redirects with Ease

Broken links should never be the reason you lose customers or search rankings. With Swift Redirects, you can handle even the largest redirect jobs with ease — no developer needed.

Whether you’re launching a new site, running a campaign, or cleaning up SEO issues, the bulk import and export features are your power tools to scale redirect management effortlessly.

Start using Swift Redirects today and take control of your Shopify 404 strategy — the smarter, faster way.

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