Forward slash on URL on Duplicate Content Report

[YoungEpilepsy]

Hi

I'm new to this whole Moz thing, so needing help from some kind people!

I've just looked at my Duplicate Page Content report and there are loads of URLs in there which are the same but are just differentiated by adding / at the end of the URL, e.g.

http://youngepilepsy.org.uk/news-and-events/events

http://youngepilepsy.org.uk/news-and-events/events/

Is this be a canonical issue? I can't understand why though as these aren't at the root. However when we add inline text links within the page HTML, there are some URLs with / and some without, could that be the reason?

Thanks for your help!

Jackie

[CleverPhD]

Two parts

1) If you link to two different URLs

http://youngepilepsy.org.uk/news-and-events/events

http://youngepilepsy.org.uk/news-and-events/events/

the two above would classify as that (with and without the slash are two different URLs)

and

2) if your server shows a 200 response on both of those URLs and shows the same content for those URLs

Then yes, you have a duplicate issue.

You need to

1) Make sure you keep consistent with how you link to URLs (with or without the slashes).

Decide on a standard, I personally like ending in slashes if this is an index page as this helps with reporting in places like Google Analytics where they are looking at your directory structure for reports.

If you never end in a slash

http://youngepilepsy.org.uk/news-and-events/events

and

http://youngepilepsy.org.uk/news-and-events/events/article-xyz

these two pages would be put into two different "folders" in your report for Google Analytics. I went round and round with the developers on this and had to show them the reports in GA to show why.

I also think we have had the standard that / being the index page for years now and then you have all the pages within it.  I know with modern CMSs there may not be any folders and these are all actually "routes", but as a mental organizational construct (and in the reporting example above) I think most people (who are not programmers) think that way.

That said, I currently help run a site that has no trailing slashes, and I am living with it, again, being consistent is the most important.  You will see many wall known SEO sites go sans slashes, so either way will work.

and

2) Then 301 redirect the "non standard" to the "standard" version (say the non slashed version to the slash version) so that you can clean up any other confusion that may be out there.

Cheers!