Should You Have a Trailing Slash (/) at the End of URLs?

Many webmasters want to know whether to include a trailing slash (/) at the end of URLs. This has potential implications for SEO because search engines like Google don’t always see different URL structures as equivalent. Here’s what Google representative John Mu has said about trailing slashes:

The short answer is that the trailing slash does not matter for your root domain or subdomain. Google sees the two as equivalent. But trailing slashes do matter for everything else because Google sees the two versions (one with a trailing slash and one without) as being different URLs. The trailing slash matters for most URLs Conventionally, a trailing slash (/) at the end of a URL meant that the URL was a folder or directory. At the same time, a URL without a trailing slash at the end used to mean that the URL was a file. However, this isn’t how many websites are structured today. Many sites with folders serve the same content whether the URL ends in a trailing slash or not. In this way, the two URLs below provide the exact same content https://www.example.com/category/blog-post/

https://www.example.com/category/blog-post

For example, this is usually the case with WordPress sites. They deliver the same content with and without the trailing slash. In some cases, the non-trailing slash and trailing slash version don’t redirect to the correct version. This can cause issues with crawling and duplicate content. In this case, Google recommends that you redirect from one to the other and use that version everywhere.

If you decide to include the trailing slash (like I do), then you should set up a 301 redirect from the non-trailing slash version to the trailing slash version. File names should not end in a trailing slash A trailing slash should not be added for URLs that end in a file name, such as .html, .php, .aspx, .txt, .pdf or .jpg. If you force a trailing slash on a file name, then that will cause the browser to think it is a folder and will result in a 404 error message. The trailing slash on the root domain does not matter It does not matter if your root or hostname has a trailing slash or not. Your web browser and Google see the see these two URLs as equivalent: https://www.example.com/ https://www.example.com However, different browsers may sometimes show the URL as either having a trailing slash or not when you look at the address bar. In some cases, the URL displays without a trailing slash in the address bar. But when you copy and paste it, then it shows with the trailing slash. This is normal. The browser is just hiding the trailing slash from the address bar to make it look better. Be consistent and redirect from one to the other It can cause problems with duplicate content and crawl efficiency if your pages are accessible with and without a trailing slash. That’s because Google sees the two different URLs as unique and may index both of them in search. For this reason, you should redirect from one to the other using a 301 redirect. In addition, you should always use your preferred version when doing internal linking, in your sitemap, in your rel canonical tags, etc. Here’s another tweet from Google’s John Mu on this: In other words, Google does not care which version you choose (trailing slash or not). But they want you to choose one version and use it consistently. If you are in doubt whether to use a trailing slash or not, then having the trailing slash is slightly better because it is more common. Trailing slashes in WordPress URLs WordPress uses a directory structure, so it makes more sense to include trailing slashes at the end of page URLs. In fact, this is the default behavior in WordPress. If you want to change it from one to the other, then you can do that easily in the WordPress permalinks settings. Go to your WordPress Dashboard -> Settings -> Permalinks. If you choose a “Custom Structure” for your permalinks, then you can either include or remove the trailing slash at the end.

Your options are: /%postname%/ -- Has a trailing slash at the end /%postname% -- No trailing slash If you change it, then WordPress will automatically enforce your chosen version. It will 301 redirect to it, change internal links and rel canonical tags, update the sitemap, etc. If you do this and the redirect doesn’t work, then you should contact your web hosting company for help. It is not recommended to mess with server configuration files like .htaccess unless you really know what you are doing. Which is better to use? It depends If you have a website that is already established, then you should probably use whatever your site is using today. In other words, if your site’s URLs do or don’t use a trailing slash, then stick to that approach. There is certainly no SEO benefit to switching. On the other hand, if you are starting a new site today, then it is probably better to include a trailing slash simply because this is more common and more likely to be expected by users. Whichever one you choose, it makes sense to be ultra-consistent and have 301 redirects from one to the other. If you have problems with the redirects or don’t know how to add them, then I recommend you contact your web hosting company’s technical support and ask them to set it up for you. On my WordPress sites, I use trailing slashes at the end of URLs. I also 301 redirect to the trailing slash version and use that everywhere — in sitemaps, links and rel canonical tags. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which one you choose, but it is important to be consistent.

How Important Is an H1 Tag for SEO?

Remember: it’s not about SEO.

It’s about users.

Make the message clear and each page layout simple.

Find out how important an H1 tag is for SEO today. Here's what headers on pages mean and how they are viewed by search engines.

Simply stated, H1 header tags are important.

But it isn’t just making sure we use H1s on webpages or even how we use them.

It’s actually understanding what an H1 is (in modern definition) and how it fits into a page’s organisation.

More importantly, it’s knowing how an H1 – and other header tags (H2, H3, H4, etc.) – fit into the overall user experience of that page and the website as a whole.

Technically, that main header tag doesn’t even have to be an H1.

But, whether it is an H1 or another header tag, that main header is incredibly significant.

Let me explain.

H1s Aren’t What They Used to Be

H1s used to be systematic and standardised; but no longer, as search is smarter than ever before and getting smarter every day.

The idea of using an H1 as a main category – a headline, if you will – has not changed.

But the role of that header is built more around the overall user experience of the page – and how it helps to improve that experience – than the keyword variations included in it and the order in which an H1 shows up in the header hierarchy.

So, that main headline doesn’t have to be an H1, but the fundamentals behind it acting as an H1 remain.

The main header of a website, which could easily be an H1, should be an overarching, short summary of the content on the page.

And the rest of the page’s content should comfortably exist below it on the page, likely in the form of subheaders.

To further understand the importance of an H1 – and how to craft perfect ones for your content – it helps to understand where H1s came from and how they evolved.

Because now, their purpose is important, but their formality is unrestricted with rules or prerequisites.

What H1s Used to Be

There used to be some pretty straightforward requirements for H1s in regard to SEO.

• Include the most important keyword(s).

• Don’t use more (or less) than one H1 per page.

• Make sure the H1 is the first and largest text on a page.

But Google has made it clear these are no longer the rules of the land.

Websites have evolved, as has the way they are presented, the way they are crawled (by search engines), and the way they are consumed (by humans).

What H1s Are Now

Having multiple H1s isn’t an issue.

It’s actually a fairly common trend on the web, especially with HTML5, according to Google’s John Mueller in the video linked above.

And how many H1s there are or where they line up on the page shouldn’t be overthought if the heading structure of a certain page is the best, most organized way to present the content on that page.

“Your site is going to rank perfectly with no H1 tags or with five H1 tags,” Mueller said in late 2019.

We should always favor the user experience over keyword density or even the hierarchy of headers.

(Since some CMSs use styling that may make other headers more prominent than the H1 for whatever design reason.)

And, since having multiple H1s doesn’t negatively affect a page’s organic visibility, nor does an H1’s lack of high-value keywords (if it makes the most sense and still summarizes the content on the page), crafting headers on a page should be done without too much focus on those elements being an H1 over an H2 or vice versa.

It’s just about making sure the content is organized in a practical and sensible manner.

Mueller cited three ways Google’s system works to understand page headers and how they support a page.

They include a page with:

• One H1 heading.

• Multiple H1 headings.

• Styled pieces of text (without semantic HTML).

This obviously illustrates a lot of freedom when it comes to page style and organization, as well as header tags in general.

And plenty of sites are being rewarded that use all three of the above-mentioned layouts.

Header tags, including H1s, are also useful for accessibility.

Especially for visually impaired site visitors that don’t have the ability to actually look at the website and its design.

Software that aids users with disabilities to consume websites will read headers in the order it sees them.

Thus, H1s are a large part of a website communicating with those users, but multiple H1s won’t affect that page’s effectiveness, even for the visually impaired.

Remember, it’s about the user experience.

10 times out of 10, having that semantic structure that indicates a clear organization of the content on the page is going to work in that webpage’s favor in terms of crawlability, digestibility, and ultimately, visibility.

Getting the Most from H1s & Header Tags

While it’s been said that H1s don’t directly affect organic rankings (i.e., keyword inclusion, multiple tags, etc.), it’d be impossible not to consider them to be a significant part of each webpage’s overall optimisation and, therefore, presentation.

If headers can help people understand the content on the page in an easier way, it’s likely they can help search engines in a similar manner.

And they do.

Consider your main header, which may very well be an H1, to be an accurate summary of the page and its content.

All other topics and categories on that page would likely line up below that main header as a subhead, typically going more in-depth about a topic within that main header.

Think of the semantic structure of a page in a simple way:

• Main header (could be an H1).

  • Subhead 1 (could be an H2).

  • Subhead 2 (could be another H2).

    • Secondary subhead 1 (could be an H3).

    • Secondary subhead 2 (could be an H3).

  • Subhead 3 (could be another H2).

    • Secondary subhead 1 (could be an H3).

    • Secondary subhead 2 (could be an H3).

    • Secondary subhead 3 (could be an H3).

  • Subhead 4 (could be another H2).

  • Subhead 5 (could be another H2).

Some content won’t have many or any subheads.

Some will have multiple.

Again, it’s about the content and the best way to present it to the audience.

Headers Are More Important Than H1s

Headers can be H1s, but they don’t have to be.

The main heading of a page can be an H1, but it doesn’t have to be.

The main heading of a page should be an overarching topic/summary of the page, and thus likely will also include target keywords.

But it’s not for a page’s SEO; it’s for the website visitor and the experience they have on the website.

Remember: it’s not about SEO.

It’s about users.

Make the message clear and each page layout simple.

Source:

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/

What is Facebook Reach?

What Is Facebook Reach and How Is It Calculated?

Understanding performance should be an integral part of any social media marketing strategy. And what better way to start than by brushing up on key metrics?

Even though Facebook is the number one social network in terms of global monthly active users, and a key focus of many brands’ digital marketing efforts, some of the platform’s metrics are not exactly straightforward.

How do I calculate monthly reach?

Can I just add daily reach and get a nice sum for a longer period of time?

What’s the difference between average reach and total reach?

If you’ve ever asked any of these questions, or you generally want to better understand Facebook reach and find out how it’s relevant to your social strategy, keep reading. We will go over how Facebook defines the metric, how many different types of reach there are, and what marketers should do with all this information.

It’s not that complicated, we promise!

So, what exactly is Facebook reach?

Let’s start with the very basics: definitions. According to Facebook, reach is the number of unique users who had any content from your Facebook Page or about your Page enter their screen. So, in simple terms, it’s the count of Facebook users who came into contact with your brand on Facebook.

The definition alone seems straightforward. What makes matters a bit more complicated, is the fact that reach is calculated in 1-day, 7-day, and 28-day increments.

For example:

· If a user sees your content twice in one day and then twice the next day, and you choose to view reach in 1-day increments, the user will be counted once on day 1 and once on day 2;

· If you choose to view 7-day or 28-day reach, the same user will only be counted once in the 7-day and 28-day periods, respectively, regardless of the number of times they see your type of content.

What does this mean? The exact same performance in terms of reaching Facebook users can be represented in a few different ways, depending on the timespan you take into account. Keeping this in mind when analyzing your results will help you avoid misunderstandings.

What are the different types of Facebook reach?

Understanding how Facebook reach is calculated is a good start, but it’s also important to know the differences between the different types of reach:

· Post reach is the total number of people who saw a particular post from your Page in their Facebook news feed;

· Page reach is how many people had any of your content enter their feed.

Both of these types of reach can be further divided into 3 categories:

Organic reach

This is the reach that you get for free thanks to Facebook’s algorithm. It includes your fans seeing your content in their feed when you post it, people seeing your pictures and albums, or users who see mentions of your profile in their feed.

You can boost your organic reach by finding out when your audience is the most active and working towards increasing your engagement.

Viral reach

Viral reach consists of the people who saw your content thanks to a third person, as opposed to directly through your Page. So, for example, if one of your fans shares your post and their Facebook friends see it – they would be counted as viral reach. High viral reach is a sign that your community is highly engaged and willing to act as your ambassadors online.

Paid reach

This category is pretty self-explanatory and consists of all the users who saw your content through Facebook advertising (aka your target audience).

You can increase your paid reach by optimizing your Facebook campaign settings: experimenting with targeting and bidding, creating new target audiences, and testing multiple creatives.

NapoleonCat’s total reach analysis

What does all this mean?

Theory is one thing – the way you apply it to benefit your strategy is another. Here are some key takeaways you should keep top of mind when analyzing your reach on Facebook.

You cannot sum up reach

Reach is a key metric that is based on the number of unique users exposed to your content. It only makes sense when viewed in the context of the 1-, 7-, and 28-day timeframes defined by Facebook.

For example, when analyzing reach in 7-day increments, a user may have seen your content 2 times in one week, and 2 times in the second week. In both cases, they should be counted as 1 user per week. However, you can’t add them up, since the sum will no longer convey unique users for any of the predefined timeframes.

Understand total reach

Another thing that should be mentioned is total reach. This is not, as some may believe, a sum (again, adding reach is a big no-no) of reach calculated in shorter increments.

Total reach is another way to call the reach of a Page or an individual piece of content in a certain timeframe that includes the different types of reach: organic, paid, and viral.

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Your number of fans does not equal your organic reach

Some social media marketers still believe that organic reach on Facebook is generally equal to the amount of fans you have. This is not the case.

First of all, the Facebook algorithm decides who gets to see your post, and that’s not going to be your entire fan base. The actual reach depends on the type of content you post, the time you post it, and many other factors.

Second, organic reach isn’t limited to your fans. It also includes events like mention views from users outside of your fanbase.

The future of Facebook reach

Since 2014, organic reach on Facebook has been steadily declining, mostly due to the platform’s growth and larger amounts of content that suddenly started appearing.

The ad content space became more and more competitive with time, and Facebook made the practical decision to not show everyone everything there is to show. Instead, users would only see the content that Facebook’s algorithm deemed most relevant to them. This, of course, meant that audiences of individual Pages and profiles would shrink, and the reach of organic posts would continue to decrease as well.

Even more changes came in 2018, when Facebook decided to overhaul the algorithms that dictated what was shown in users’ feeds. In January 2018, Mark Zuckerburg wrote a post, explaining that the company was shifting its focus towards maintaining connections between people. Sounds great, right? For business owners trying to get through to new audiences with their marketing, not so much.

One of the things that changed wasn’t reach as such but the way reach was calculated. Up until February 2018, the reach metric took into account how many times your content has been loaded in individual news feeds. As of today, Facebook calculates reach based on how many times a post enters a person’s screen. This is supposed to make the organic reach of Pages more consistent with the way Facebook measures reach for ads.

Wrap up

Facebook reach is a metric often used to assess the performance of businesses on the platform, however, it’s not as straightforward as vanity or engagement metrics. Understanding reach is a crucial step to fully understanding the effectiveness of your Facebook marketing and refining your strategy.

We hope our guide helped make things clearer. Let us know in the comments if there is anything else you would like to know about Facebook reach!