Google’s Gary Illyes answered the query in an Workplace Hours hangout about whether or not a double ahead slash in a URL has an affect on the search engine optimization for a web site.
A double ahead slash occurs for plenty of causes which are usually associated to a coding concern on the CMS or within the .htaccess file which may end up in duplicate webpages that solely differ within the URL.
It’s a hard drawback that typically can’t be solved by creating an .htaccess rule to rewrite the URL to take away the additional ahead slash as a result of that doesn’t actually clear up the precise drawback.
The one solution to actually clear up the double slash within the URL drawback is to trace down what precisely is inflicting the internet server to generate double ahead slashes within the URLs.
That is the query that was requested:
“What’s the search engine optimization affect of utilizing double slashes in a URL, corresponding to in https://www.instance.us//us/store?”
Gary Illyes answered:
From a puritan perspective, that’s not a problem. Should you take a look at RFC 3986, part 3, the ahead slash is a separator and is OK to look within the URL path as many occasions as you want, even repeatedly.
From a usability perspective it’s most likely not the best concept, and it could additionally confuse some crawlers.”
Associated: The Full Information to On-Web page search engine optimization
Usability And Crawler Confusion
Usability of a web site is essential as a result of that may result in consumer dissatisfaction and frustration, which might have a detrimental long run impact on web site recognition, which in flip may have an oblique affect on visibility if no person recommends the location, individuals cease visiting the location and web sites are hesitant to hyperlink to the location due to poor usability.
Crawler confusion will be thought of to contribute direct affect on search engine optimization. It’s a finest follow to make a website simple to crawl and perceive so something that causes crawler confusion must be handled instantly.
Google can most likely determine it out however hoping Google figures out learn how to crawl a website just isn’t a finest follow.
Have an skilled on htaccess check out your guidelines to see if that’s the reason for the issue. Or else have a developer take a look at the code to see if there’s one thing there that’s producing the double ahead slashes. Crawling with Screaming Frog may also help pinpoint the place the double ahead slash is beginning which in flip can present a clue for what’s inflicting that technical concern.
Watch the Google Workplace Hours hangout on the 5:46 minute mark of the video:
Featured Picture by Shutterstock/Sklo Studio
