What Is Trailing Slash & How It Affects SEO

Effective SEO lies in the details. From a dash to a slash, every little thing counts. In fact, trailing slashes in SEO are far beyond a punctuation mark! They denote folders and directories and can even downgrade your rankings if not used properly.

These URL-ending slashes have been an issue of debate for years among SEOs. And as Google algorithms and web design tools change, so does their use.

So, if you are wondering how URL trailing slashes affect SEO today, read on for more.

What Is A Trailing Slash?

In SEO, a trailing slash is the forward slash you see at the end of URLs. It is used to mark a directory or folder.

This URL slash can be seen at the end of the root domain, for example,

https://www.example.com/

and any website URL, like:

https://www.example.com/page/
or
https://www.example.com/blog/blog-post/

But you may also see URLs without trailing slashes at the end, i.e.,

https://www.example.com
https://www.example.com/page
https://www.example.com/blog/blog-post

All these URL versions are completely fine! There’s no real difference for users. But URL ending slashes are important for SEO.

Throughout the years, there’s been quite a lot of discussion on whether trailing slashes affect SEO. To get a better understanding, let’s look into the evolution of the URL-ending slash.

The History Of Trailing Slashes

In the old days, websites were structured in hierarchical directories and folders. So, the trailing “/” URLs indicated the current destination was a directory that eventually contained a folder:

https://www.example.com/directory/folder/

and “non-/” URLs were files:

https://www.example.com/directory/folder/index.html

Today, though, web pages are loaded dynamically, and the .html ending is no longer necessary.

Search engines are smart enough to understand a web page without its file extension appended to the URL. And, in fact, without including the ‘index.html’ - which signified a website’s homepage. Consequently, using trailing slashes (or not!) is a matter of preference.

But there’s a catch!

For best search engine optimization results, you need to be consistent with your URL slashes!

Let’s delve into more detail.

Should I Use A Trailing Slash (Or Not)?

Roughly speaking, you can use a trailing slash - or not. This is up to you. But, if you decide to use trailing slashes in your URLs, you should do so throughout your webpages - and vice versa.

Otherwise, you could face some serious SEO issues, like duplicate content.

Expect for your homepage.

Indeed, it makes no difference for search engines whether you use URL slash or not at the end of your root domain.

Trailing Slash In Root Domain

A few years ago, Google’s John Mueller clearly stated that trailing slashes in root domains (AKA hostnames) or sub-domains are irrelevant for users and search engine optimization.

Today, search engines are smart enough to understand that:

https://www.myhomepage.com
and
https://www.myhomepage.com/

... are the exact same thing.

For a more streamlined approach, though, some SEOs advise:

"If you use a trailing slash on your homepage, use it on all your other pages as well."
Trupti Desai (Bitly) in ‘SEO-friendly URLs’

Do Trailing Slashes Matter In URLs?

In SEO, trailing slashes matter. Although you can freely choose whether to use them or not, some SEO experts suggest checking your server’s default configuration before making the final decision.

For instance, Apache servers might automatically redirect a URL to its trailing slash version. This can result in a few hundred milliseconds of additional latency and, thus, affect user experience.

The bottom line?

The best way to treat trailing slashes for SEO is to standardize the URL version that loads the quickest.

Once you decide on the optimal format, you must ensure your website is ‘slash-consistent.’ Indeed, trailing slash discrepancies can hurt your search engine optimization efforts.

Trailing Slashes For SEO: Issues & Inconsistencies

In large-scale websites and site migrations, trailing slash inconsistencies are a common issue that affects SEO. Here’s how:

Duplicate Content

URLs with a trailing slash are treated as separate pages from those without. If your pages work in both formats, you will end up with the same content on two seemingly different pages. This creates duplicate content issues and lowers your SEO score.

Even if you have great content, Google will find it difficult to determine which one is the right source and will not rank either.

Crawl Budget

Google allocates a limited amount of crawl budget for every website. The larger your website, the less crawl budget is allocated to every page.

As a result, giving Google two different versions of the same page (with and without a trailing slash) spends your crawl budget aimlessly.

Link Equity

To rank high, you need a solid backlink profile. Now, suppose that you have some great content that many other websites link to. But, if some referrals link to the ‘/’ version and others to the non-slash version of your page, then your link juice is split in half.

Reporting

Mixing up slash/non-slash variations of the same URL (and page) also affects reporting in Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and other tools.

Suppose you choose to present URLs with trailing slashes. Then, you should (automatically) redirect all versions without an end-slash.

Otherwise, one of the two URL versions may not be included in your reports. Or, they may both be included as separate pages.

Either way, you will end up with the wrong metrics.

How To Fix Trailing Slash Mismatches?

To fix trailing slash mismatches in your website, you should redirect your secondary URL version to your chosen one. You can do so via your .htaccess file, server configuration settings, CMS, or any other automated function.

Avoid creating long lists of manual redirects that slow things down and are prone to mistakes and inconsistencies.

And remember: as in all things SEO, working on your trailing slash URL needs thorough investigation and flawless execution.

Work With SEO Experts

At Atropos Digital, we take care of every detail of your website. Our aim is to provide top SEO services with lasting results.

Whether building a new website or migrating an old one, our search engine optimization services ensure you reach or maintain a high position in SERPs.

Want to find out more? Book a strategy call!