Add trailing slashes to URLs?

[whollyjordan]

Hello!

I want to migrate a WordPress site to a new platform. Automad looks cool, so here I am. HOWEVER, my WP site uses trailing slashes (domain.com/page/) and Automad doesn't.

Is it practical to modify Automad to add the slash? OR, is this something I need to do server-side? (or something I shouldn't do at all... in which case, I'll pass on Automad for this project, which will be a shame!)

PS. Kudos to the dev. This is really cool.

[marcantondahmen]

All URLs with a trailing slash are automatically redirected to the non-slash version. So migration should be no issue. Users won't notice. Also search engines should be fine since it is a permanent redirect.

Traditionally a trailing slash should only be used for directories. This is not the case with a CMS and dynamic content and is therefore misleading.

[whollyjordan]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Yes, I appreciate the redirects will happen automatically. That's cool.

I asked out of preference to avoid a site-wide redirect 😂

(I agree that the slash shouldn't be there for non-folders...)

[whollyjordan]

In case it helps a future knowledge seeker, some personal comments:

Search engines treat a URL with and without a slash as wholly distinct.

For example:

domain.com/page
domain.com/page/

= two different URLs.

If you are migrating a site that terminates all URLs with a slash (common "nowadays") to a platform that removes all trailing slashes, then you are committing a site-wide URL change. This is not trivial if you don't go into this with your eyes open.

In terms of SEO, if done correctly, which at a minimum means ensuring all now-old URLs are 301 redirected to the new slug format, then you'll probably be alright.

Legend has it, "in the old days" a 301 redirect would lose you ~15% of the "link juice" (PR) in the process.

BUT popular (?) present day opinions say this is no longer the case; that a 301 transfers 100% of the value.

(Google also state this, but they have been known to lie or have talking heads who don't have complete knowledge.)

What the truth is, I don't know. It's hard to isolate and test such things...

Still, to each their own. I think that probably there is no loss. But, I wouldn't carry out such a change on a client's website on that assumption. Not unless the client was fully aware of the details and instructed me to do so. But, for personal projects, I'm okay with it.