Trailing Slash in URLs: Does It Matter for SEO?
4 min read
The trailing slash debate: is /about/ the same as /about? For SEO, consistency is what matters.
How Google Treats Them
Google treats /page and /page/ as different URLs by default. If both return 200, Google may index both — creating duplicate content.
Server Behavior
| Platform | Default |
|---|---|
| Apache | Adds trailing slash to directories |
| Nginx | No trailing slash by default |
| Next.js | No trailing slash (configurable) |
| WordPress | Trailing slash on posts |
| Netlify | Adds trailing slash |
Best Practice
Pick one format and 301 redirect the other. Set canonical URLs. Most modern frameworks use no trailing slash.
Generate Clean URLs
URL slug generator creates clean slugs without trailing slashes.