Unlisted Product Status: A Complete Guide for Shopify Merchants

Shopify’s Unlisted Product Status is a powerful new feature that allows merchants to manage their product visibility in a more controlled and strategic way. Whether you’re running a private sale, testing products, or simply want to streamline your storefront, this status offers an efficient solution. In this guide, we’ll explain what the Unlisted Product Status is, why you should use it, how it affects SEO, and how you can set it up.

What Is the Unlisted Product Status in Shopify?

The Unlisted Product Status is a feature introduced by Shopify in October 2025. This status allows merchants to make a product available for purchase without displaying it on the store’s search, collections, or product recommendations. Products set as Unlisted will still be purchasable via their direct URL but will not be visible to customers browsing your site.

How It Differs from Other Product Statuses

Shopify offers several product statuses to manage visibility:

• Active: Products are fully visible and available for purchase across all channels.
• Draft: Products are hidden and not yet ready for sale.
• Archived: Products are no longer for sale and are hidden from all storefronts.
• Unlisted: Products are hidden from search and collections but are still available via direct links.

The Unlisted status provides a middle ground between Active and Archived, allowing for more control over visibility.

When Should You Set a Product to Unlisted?

The Unlisted Product Status is ideal for several scenarios:

• Private Sales: If you want to offer exclusive products to select customers or during a VIP-only sale, you can make the product unlisted and share the link directly.
• Bundles or Add-Ons: If you sell products that are add-ons or part of a bundle (e.g., free gift with purchase), you can set these items as unlisted to avoid cluttering your storefront.
• Beta Testing or Pre-launch: You can use the Unlisted status for products you’re testing or planning to launch later. This keeps them available for a select audience while still hiding them from general view.
• B2B or Wholesale: If you have a wholesale or B2B store, you can use the Unlisted status to keep certain products hidden from general customers but available for your business clients.
  

How the Unlisted Status Impacts SEO and Discovery

SEO Considerations: Noindex, Nofollow

When a product is marked as Unlisted, Shopify automatically adds noindex, nofollow tags to the product page. This tells search engines not to index the page or follow any links on it. This is particularly useful if you want to keep certain products off the search engines’ radar.

However, this also means that unlisted products will not appear in search results, collections, or the sitemap. This can help streamline your store and improve the focus of your SEO efforts on your most visible products.

How Long Does It Take for Google to De-Index an Unlisted Product?

Although the noindex tag prevents the product from being indexed, it may take some time for Google to reflect this change. It’s important to test and ensure that the product is no longer appearing in your sitemap or search results.

How to Set a Product as Unlisted in Shopify

Setting a product to Unlisted in Shopify is straightforward. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to Your Shopify Admin: In your Shopify admin panel, click on Products.
2. Select the Product: Find the product you want to unlist.
3. Change the Status: From the product page, use the dropdown menu or bulk editor to change the product’s status to Unlisted.
4. Save: Make sure to save your changes.

After you set the product to Unlisted, you should test it by checking that it no longer appears in store search, collections, or sitemap but can still be accessed through the direct URL.

Developer Setup for Unlisted Status

For developers, Shopify has made it easier to manage Unlisted products through the API. You can set a product’s status to Unlisted using Shopify’s GraphQL Admin API or REST Admin API. Additionally, third-party apps and custom integrations may need to be updated to fully respect the Unlisted status, especially if they rely on product visibility or filtering.

Best Practices for Using Unlisted Products

• Use for Specific Audiences: Unlisted products work best when shared with a specific audience. Keep track of who has access to these products to prevent unwanted visibility.
• Regular Testing: After marking a product as Unlisted, always verify that it’s properly hidden from the storefront and collections but accessible via direct URL.
• Avoid Clutter: Use the Unlisted status to clean up your store and remove products that don’t need to be visible to the general public, such as limited-time offers or add-ons.
• Keep SEO in Mind: While Unlisted products are hidden from search engines, ensure that products meant to be discoverable are still indexed and visible.
  

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Third-party Apps: Some third-party apps or custom integrations might still show unlisted products if they aren’t configured correctly. Ensure that your apps respect the Unlisted status.
• Internal Links: Be cautious about internal links that might direct customers to unlisted products. These links should only be shared with the intended audience.
  

Unlisted vs. Other Product Visibility Options

Before the Unlisted status, merchants often used the seo.hidden metafield or unpublished channels to achieve similar results. However, the Unlisted status is more efficient because it integrates directly into the Shopify admin interface and automatically handles SEO and visibility without additional customization.

Why Unlisted Is More Efficient

Using the Unlisted status instead of the seo.hidden metafield is more streamlined. It ensures that your products are hidden from both search engines and the Shopify storefront without needing extra steps, making it a more user-friendly solution.

Key Takeaways

The Unlisted Product Status is a game-changer for Shopify merchants who need greater control over product visibility. Whether you’re running a private sale, offering add-ons, or testing products, this feature allows you to hide items from your store’s search, collections, and SEO while still allowing select customers to make a purchase via direct URL.

By understanding how to use and manage the Unlisted status, you can keep your store clean, focused, and organized, ensuring that only the right products are visible at the right time.