A product’s URL in PrestaShop — the link_rewrite — can be changed in two seconds from the SEO tab of the product page. And in those two seconds you can wipe out months of rankings: the old URL stops existing, Google still has it indexed, and every visit arriving from the search results lands on a 404.
What actually happens when you change a URL
To Google, a new URL is a new page: it starts from zero, with none of the history or signals the old one had. And the old URL, if nobody redirects it, becomes a 404 with traffic — the worst of both worlds. Changing the URL isn’t the problem; doing it without a plan is.
When it’s worth changing
- The URL is dragging along junk from the import: codes, double hyphens, meaningless words.
- It doesn’t contain the keyword you want the page to rank for.
- It’s excessively long or duplicates information already in the category.
- You renamed the product and the old URL is confusing to users.
If the current URL already ranks well and looks reasonable, the answer is usually to leave it alone: the upside of a “prettier” URL rarely outweighs the risk of a badly handled migration.
The safe procedure, in order
First, note down the exact old URL. Then change the link_rewrite on the product page. And immediately, create a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one — that tells Google “this page has moved, pass its authority to the new address” and turns the 404 into a clean handover. Finally, update any internal links that pointed to the old URL, so you don’t end up chaining redirects.
Change it and leave it
New URL, no redirect: the old one returns a 404, Google loses track, the rankings evaporate, and users arriving from search bounce.
Change it + 301
New URL with a 301 redirect from the old one: Google passes along the signals, the user lands where they should, and the page keeps what it earned.
💡 301 redirects in PrestaShop 8 have their own series on this blog — start with how to set up 301 redirects in PrestaShop 8.
What if it’s 50 URLs, not just one?
The typical case isn’t a single stray URL: it’s post-import cleanup, with dozens of link_rewrites full of noise. Opening 50 product pages to edit 50 URLs is the same tedious work as with the metas — and that’s exactly where Zeyvro SEO Bulk Editor fits in: it edits the URL (link_rewrite) of products, categories, and CMS pages from a single table, alongside the meta title and meta description, with saving row by row or in bulk and no page reloads. The module handles the editing; you handle the redirect plan — change with a clear head, and always redirect.
Frequently asked questions
Does changing a product’s URL make you lose your SEO?
If you don’t redirect it, almost certainly: the old indexed URL starts returning a 404 and the new one starts from zero. With a properly set-up 301 redirect, Google passes along the signals and the impact is minimized.
Does PrestaShop create the redirect automatically when you change the link_rewrite?
Don’t count on it as a general rule: always check what the old URL returns after the change. If it responds with a 404, you need to create the 301 yourself.
What exactly is the link_rewrite?
The PrestaShop field that defines the “friendly” part of a product’s, category’s, or CMS page’s URL — whatever comes after the domain. It’s edited on the SEO tab of each page, or in bulk with a mass editor.
Can I edit many URLs at once?
With Zeyvro SEO Bulk Editor, yes: the link_rewrite of products, categories, and CMS pages is edited from a single table, with saving row by row or in bulk.
Clean up your catalog’s URLs from a single screen — and always redirect.
See Zeyvro SEO Bulk Editor →Zeyvro builds modules for PrestaShop 8, developed from a real store in production. Unobfuscated code.