Editing an Existing Product
Updating a product that is already live — including the one case where its web address should be changed.
Finding the product
Products → search by title or SKU. The fields and their paths are the same as when the product was created — see New Product Guide and Writing Product Copy.
Safe to change at any time
| Change | Notes |
|---|---|
| Description, Romance copy, Feature bullets, Meta beam | Update in place, then update the French |
| Specifications | Same fields as when it was created |
| Images | See “Replacing an image” below |
| Tags, Product type, Vendor | Changes which collections it appears in — confirm the new value exists first |
| Category | Changes which filter group it sits in — match a comparable product |
The web address, and when it can be changed
A product's web address comes from its handle, which Shopify generates from the title when the product is first saved. After that it is fixed. Correcting a title later does not correct the address.
So a product created as “Retro Toster” keeps /products/retro-toster even after the title is fixed. That is the one legitimate reason to edit a handle.
- Check whether it is worth changingBefore touching it
If the product is days old and nothing links to it, correcting the address is low risk. If it has been live for months, the wrong-but-working address may be safer. Ask RevShift if unsure.
Decision made deliberately
- Edit the handleProducts → [Product] → Search engine listing → Edit
The URL handle field sits at the bottom of that panel. Change only the misspelled part.
New handle reads correctly
- Leave the redirect box tickedThe same panel
Shopify offers to create a redirect from the old address to the new one. Leave it on — that is what stops existing links breaking.
Redirect option ticked before saving
- Tell RevShiftOutside Shopify
So the change can be checked against the sitemap and any hard-coded links.
RevShift informed
Handles cannot be changed safely in a Matrixify import for the same reason: an import has no redirect step. Correct addresses one at a time, in the admin.
Replacing an image
- Upload the new image firstProducts → [Product] → Media
Add it before removing the old one, so the product is never left with no image.
- Move it into positionProducts → [Product] → Media
Drag it to the position the old one held. First position is the card image everywhere on the site.
- Delete the old imageProducts → [Product] → Media
Only once the replacement is confirmed in place.
Taking it off the site
Three options depending on why — covered fully in Publishing and Scheduling a Product.
| Situation | Do this |
|---|---|
| Temporarily unavailable, still selling it | Set Status to Draft |
| Staying in the range, should not be on the website | Untick Online Store in Publishing |
| Discontinued, not coming back | More actions → Archive product |