Shopify HTTPS Protocol Setup

Your Shopify store should be running entirely on HTTPS. If HTTP URLs aren't properly redirecting to their secure HTTPS equivalents, you're exposing your customers to security risks and killing your SEO rankings. Google explicitly penalizes sites with HTTPS implementation issues.

This guide shows you how to identify HTTP redirect problems and fix them before they cost you traffic and sales.

Why HTTPS Redirects Matter

When users or search engines access the HTTP version of your store, they should immediately redirect to HTTPS via a 301 status code. If this doesn't happen, you're creating duplicate content issues, splitting your SEO authority, and triggering browser security warnings.

Google has explicitly stated that HTTPS is a ranking signal. Sites without proper HTTPS implementation rank lower than secure competitors—period. Combined with fix mixed content issues, poor HTTPS setup devastates your organic visibility.

How to Audit HTTP Redirects with Screaming Frog

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the fastest way to identify HTTP redirect issues across your entire store:

Step 1: Initial Crawl Setup

1. Download and install Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free for up to 500 URLs)
2. Launch the application
3. Enter your store's URL in the search bar at the top
4. Click Start to begin crawling

Let the crawl complete. Depending on your store size, this takes 5-30 minutes.

Step 2: Identify HTTP URLs

After crawling finishes:

1. Click the Internal tab to view all internal URLs
2. Look at the Address column for any URLs starting with http://
3. Check the Status Code column for these HTTP URLs

Proper redirects show 301 status codes. If you see 200 status codes on HTTP URLs, they're serving content directly instead of redirecting—this is a major problem.

Step 3: Export Problem URLs

Click the Export button to save a list of all HTTP URLs and their status codes. This becomes your fix list. Focus first on high-priority pages like your homepage, top product pages, and collection pages.

Fixing HTTP to HTTPS Redirect Issues

Update Internal Links in Content

Most HTTP problems in Shopify come from hardcoded HTTP links in your content:

1. Log into your Shopify Admin dashboard
2. Navigate to Online Store > Pages (or Blog Posts)
3. Search page content for http:// references
4. Edit each page and replace HTTP links with HTTPS versions
5. Save changes

Pay special attention to old content. Links added before Shopify enabled HTTPS by default often still point to HTTP versions.

Fix Navigation and Menu Links

Your navigation menus and footer links might contain HTTP references:

1. Go to Online Store > Navigation
2. Click each menu (Main menu, Footer menu, etc.)
3. Review all links—edit any using HTTP protocol
4. Update to HTTPS and save

This is especially important for your Shopify URL structure since navigation links appear on every page.

Update Theme Code References

Hardcoded links in your theme files require manual editing:

1. Navigate to Online Store > Themes
2. Click Actions > Edit code
3. Use the search function (Ctrl+Shift+F) to find http://yourdomain.com
4. Replace all instances with https://yourdomain.com
5. Save files and test thoroughly

Common locations include header.liquid, footer.liquid, and any custom sections.

Coordinate with Other SEO Elements

Your HTTPS setup interacts with multiple SEO configurations. Ensure your Shopify canonical tags all point to HTTPS versions. Update your Shopify sitemap submission in Shopify Search Console to use HTTPS URLs exclusively.

Also verify your www redirect settings work properly with HTTPS. You should redirect to one canonical version: either https://www.yourstore.com OR https://yourstore.com—never both.

Verify Your Fixes

After making changes:

1. Clear all browser caches
2. Re-run Screaming Frog crawl on your site
3. Check the Internal tab again for any remaining HTTP URLs
4. Verify all HTTP URLs now show 301 status codes
5. Confirm destination URLs use HTTPS protocol

Check for Mixed Content Issues

Mixed content occurs when HTTPS pages load HTTP resources (images, scripts, stylesheets). This breaks the security guarantee and triggers browser warnings.

In Screaming Frog:

1. Check the Internal and External tabs
2. Look for any resources loaded via HTTP
3. Update these to HTTPS or use protocol-relative URLs (//example.com/image.jpg)

Read the complete fix mixed content guide for detailed troubleshooting steps.

Ongoing Monitoring

HTTP redirect issues can reappear after:

• Installing new apps that inject HTTP content
• Updating themes without checking link protocols
• Adding content with hardcoded HTTP references
• Migrating or importing old data

Set a monthly reminder to audit your HTTPS implementation. Run a quick Screaming Frog crawl and check Shopify Search Console for security warnings. Catching problems early prevents ranking losses.

Proper HTTPS implementation isn't optional anymore—it's the baseline for any legitimate eCommerce store. Fix your redirects today and secure both your SEO and your customers' trust.

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