About the HTTPS, WWW & Trailing Slash Checker
Your homepage can usually be reached at four addresses: http and https, each with and without www. If they do not all redirect to one preferred version, search engines may see duplicate copies and split signals between them. This checker requests every variant from our server, plus the URL with and without a trailing slash, and shows where each one ends up and how many hops it took.
The ideal result is that every variant reaches the same final HTTPS URL with a single 301 redirect and that URL returns 200. If a variant returns 200 on its own, sits behind a 302, or needs two hops (http to https, then to www), fix the server or CDN rules. Our .htaccess and Nginx redirect generator includes ready-made HTTPS and www rules you can copy.
How to use it
- Enter your domain or a page URL.
- Run the check to request all http/https, www/non-www and trailing-slash variants.
- Confirm every variant ends on the same HTTPS URL with one 301.
- Fix any variant that returns 200, uses a 302 or takes two hops.
Frequently asked questions
Should my site use www or non-www?
Search engines do not prefer one over the other. What matters is choosing one version and redirecting everything else to it consistently, then using it in canonicals, sitemaps and internal links. www can be slightly easier to manage with some DNS and CDN setups, but either is fine for SEO.
Does a trailing slash matter for SEO?
To search engines, /page and /page/ are different URLs. If both return 200 with the same content, you have a duplicate. Pick one style, redirect the other with a 301, and link consistently. The root domain is an exception: example.com and example.com/ are treated as the same URL.
Why does http go to https and then to www in two steps?
This usually happens when HTTPS is enforced in one place, such as the hosting panel, and the www rule in another, such as .htaccess or the CMS. Each rule fires separately, creating a two-hop chain. Combine them into a single rule that sends every non-canonical variant straight to the final https://www or https:// address.