1.8 URL structure & internationalisationMediumInferred
Uppercase characters in URLs
URLs are case-sensitive after the domain, so /Page and /page can be treated as two different URLs. Mixed case invites accidental duplicates.
What it is
Mixed-case paths.
Why it matters
Case sensitivity can create duplicate URLs.
How to fix it
Use lowercase; redirect variants.
How to find it on your site
- Check whether your URLs contain uppercase characters.
- Test whether the uppercase and lowercase versions both resolve to 200.
- Standardise on lowercase and redirect uppercase variants.
- Add a server rule to lowercase incoming paths if needed.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Case-variant duplicates split signals across what should be one URL. Lowercasing consistently avoids the duplication.
Impact
Low-medium. Inferred.
Evidence
Consistent (lowercase) URLs avoid duplication. Google Search Central, Keep a simple URL structure; Google Search Central, Consolidate duplicate URLs (canonicalization)
Sources