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That's a bummer. I don't have much Shopify experience (and none with Traffic Control). Probably best to get in touch with them if you can. If they are absolutely not helpful, I can ask around about it.

The product page is both its own page, with its own ranking, and an internal link on the category page. If you go to yoursite.com/product/acura-integra-cv-axle-shaft-90-01-honda-civic/ you should get a page all about that particular product. Google should recognize this as a unique page, as it has a unique url.

On the category page yoursite.com/auto/drivetrain/cv-axle-shaft-assembly/, all the products of this category will show, each with their own internal links to their own unique product pages.

I suggest trying to rank the category page for broader terms related to the category (the type of product) and the product pages more specifically (e.g. include car make/model, etc)

As long as those anchor points are also set up appropriately, I don't see this being an issue. It sounds like the client is trying to be helpful to their site visitors by ensuring their request is directed precisely to the most relevant information. The redirects should work without issue.

That's a bummer. I don't have much Shopify experience (and none with Traffic Control). Probably best to get in touch with them if you can. If they are absolutely not helpful, I can ask around about it.