When you hide a product, its page no longer opens for shoppers. By default they see "not found" (404). You can instead send them to the product that replaced it (Replaced by, a 301 redirect) or tell Google it is gone for good (Discontinued for good, 410). A product that is only out of stock stays live.
Where to find it
Hide or show a product in Admin › Online store › Products › All products (tick it, then Hide).
The two choices are on the product's edit page: All products, the edit icon, then press SEO (Google) to open that section. You need the Products & stock feature.
How it works
| The product is… | A shopper opening its link gets |
|---|---|
| Shown (also when out of stock) | The product page, as usual |
| Hidden, nothing else set | "Not found" (404) |
| Hidden, Discontinued for good ticked | "Gone" (410): Google drops the page sooner |
| Hidden, Replaced by filled in | Sent to the new product's page (301): Google moves the old page's value to the new one |
Replaced by wins over Discontinued for good when both are set. If the replacement is hidden too and has its own Replaced by, the shop follows it (a few steps at most) to a product that is shown. If none is shown, the old page answers as if Replaced by were empty.
Example: Rangdhanu Fashion stops selling "Summer Lawn 2025" and adds "Summer Lawn 2026". They hide the old product and type the new product's address in Replaced by. Old Facebook posts and Google results now land on the new lawn.
Step by step
- Open the old product with the edit icon.
- Press SEO (Google).
- In Replaced by, paste the new product's link (or just the end of it, for example summer-lawn-2026). Or tick Discontinued for good if nothing replaces it.
- Press Update.
- In All products, tick the old product and press Hide.
Good to know
- Only your own products. Replaced by accepts a product of your store only, and not the product itself. Otherwise you see "No other product has this address."
- Your team can still look. Signed in to your shop with product access, you and your staff can still open a hidden product's page to check it.
- Out of stock is not hidden. The page stays live, so Google keeps it and shoppers can order when it is back.
- Hidden products are never suggested in related products on other pages.
- These boxes are only on the edit page, not when adding or copying a product.
Common problems
- The old link still opens the product. It is not hidden. Hide it in All products.