How to keep URLs short and consistent
SEO1 min readFixes 2 checks trailing-slash-consistency, url-length
Short, readable URLs with consistent trailing slashes are easier to share, crawl and rank. Aim for under 100 characters.
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What a passing site looks like
- Internal links use trailing slashes consistentlywarning · −0.5 ptseffort M
- URL length: passeswarning · −0.5 ptseffort M
1. Trailing slash consistency
Why it matters. /shop/ and /shop are two different URLs to a search engine. Linking to both styles creates duplicate pages and splits their signals.
How to fix it.
- Choose one style (with or without trailing slash) and redirect the other to it with a 301.
- Update internal links and the sitemap to use the chosen style everywhere.
2. URL length
Why it matters. Long URLs are cut off in search results and hard to share by hand. Short, readable URLs get more clicks and fewer typos.
How to fix it.
- Shorten the slug to 3–5 meaningful words and drop tracking or session parameters from the canonical URL.