Pattern redirects use browser-based JavaScript to detect and redirect broken links. Because they run after the 404 page loads, you may briefly see the 404 error page before being redirected. This delay only happens the first time a visitor lands on the broken link. After that, the browser caches the redirect for faster future visits.
If you're on Enterprise you can use Pattern Matches to track which URLs are triggering these redirects and choose to convert high-traffic ones into 301s for better performance and SEO.
Why does the delay happen?
Pattern redirects work differently from 301 redirects. Instead of setting up a server-level redirect for each broken URL which is saved in your store, they:
- Wait for the 404 error page to load
- Detect a match against your pattern redirect rules
- Use JavaScript in the browser to forward the visitor to the correct destination
This process introduces a brief split-second delay where you may momentarily see the 404 page before being redirected.
Will this happen every time?
No. The redirect is cached by the browser after the first few visits, meaning:
- Your first visit to a broken link may show a short delay
- Subsequent visits to that same URL will redirect immediately
- Your customers won’t repeatedly experience the brief delay
Why not just use a 301 redirect?
Pattern redirects are best for scale and speed, not SEO. Since they don’t create server-level 301s, they:
- Don’t pass SEO authority
- Aren’t indexed by search engines
- Can’t be tracked in Shopify’s native 301 redirect list
Use them when you need to quickly manage large sets of broken links but SEO isn’t your top priority, like discontinued collections, market subfolders, or when migrating your store to the Shopify platform.
With Pattern Matches, you can view which customer URL visits are triggering pattern redirects and optionally convert those URLs to 301 redirects, combining the flexibility of patterns with the SEO value of permanent redirects.
Need 301s instead?
If you want SEO benefits or zero-delay redirection, you can:
- Create individual URL redirects
- import 301 redirects in bulk using a spreadsheet
- Use Pattern Matches to identify high-traffic paths from pattern redirects and convert them into 301s.