Block or redirect by referrer URL
Overview
If a spammy site or an unwanted partner keeps sending visitors to your store, you can block them or send them elsewhere. Blockify looks at the referrer URL: the website a visitor was on when they clicked a link to your store. A Block referrer URL or Redirect referrer URL rule stops or redirects visitors who arrive from that website. You create these rules in Block & Re-director, on the Blacklist tab for a block rule and the Redirect tab for a redirect rule.
What you'll learn
How to block or redirect visitors from a website?
Step 1: Open Block & Re-director. In the Create a rule card, choose Block, Redirect or Whitelist, then click the Referrer URL tile.
Step 2: Check the Rule status card at the top. A new rule is Enable, so it works as soon as you save; click Disable to store it without applying it.
Step 3: Redirect rules only: under Redirect to, pick A Shopify market or Another URL and fill in the destination. + Add a display name opens an optional field for a short name shown instead of the full address. See A complete guide: Block & Redirect rules.
Step 4: Under Which referring sites, pick the countries the rule applies to, then choose Exact URL or URL Contains and enter the address (see the two options below).
Step 5: Enter a Ref URL name (optional) so you can recognise the source in the rule list, add a private note if you want, then click Save.
Exact URL
Enter the complete address, including https://, for example https://spam-site.example/offers. Only visitors coming from exactly that address match.
URL Contains
Enter the part of the address you want to match, for example abc. Any website address that contains it matches, so site.com/abc and abc.net are both caught.
How it works?
When a visitor clicks a link to your store, their browser tells your store which page they came from. Blockify compares that address with your rules:
Mode | Matches when | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
Exact URL | The website the visitor came from is exactly the address you entered | One specific page that sends unwanted traffic |
URL Contains | The address of the website they came from contains the text you entered | A whole domain or any page with a keyword in the address |
- A match is blocked (the visitor sees your blocking page) or redirected to the destination you set.
- Not every visit shows where the visitor came from. Visitors who type your address, open a bookmark, or use a browser that hides this for privacy never match these rules.
- Whitelist rules are checked before block rules. See Create a whitelist rule.
- To count how many visitors a rule stopped, filter the visitor log by Block reason and a date range.
Who can use this feature?
Available on the Enterprise plan and above. If you downgrade below Enterprise, referrer URL rules are turned off.
FAQs
- Should I use Exact URL or URL Contains?
Use URL Contains with the domain (for example spam-site.example) to catch every page of that site. Use Exact URL only when a single page is the problem.
- Can I block traffic from Facebook or Google ads?
Yes, with URL Contains and the domain, but remember this blocks every visitor who clicks a link there, including real customers.
- Why did a visitor from a blocked site still get in?
Their browser may not have shared the website they came from (direct visit, bookmark, or privacy settings), or a whitelist rule matched first. Check the visitor's access detail in the visitor log.
- Can I whitelist visitors from a website?
Yes. Block & Re-director > Whitelist > Whitelist referrer URL uses the same two matching modes.
Updated on: 05/11/2026
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