Why would some internal links (to the home page) not have a trailing backslash?

It’s possible that the missing trailing slash on internal links to the homepage might be a result of how those links were initially created. In most cases, this shouldn’t cause any major issues, as most web servers are configured to treat URLs with or without a trailing slash as equivalent when it comes to serving the homepage. However, it’s generally a good idea to maintain a consistent URL structure for better SEO and user experience.

To ensure consistency, you can follow these steps:

1. Check your WordPress settings: Go to your WordPress admin dashboard, then navigate to Settings > General. Make sure the “WordPress Address (URL)” and “Site Address (URL)” fields have a consistent structure (either with or without the trailing slash).
2. Update your menu links: Go to Appearance > Menus and check the links to the homepage in your navigation menus. Make sure they have a consistent structure (either with or without the trailing slash).
3. Update any hardcoded links: If you have manually added links to the homepage in your theme files, widgets, or content, update them to have a consistent structure (either with or without the trailing slash).
4. Use a redirection plugin: To ensure that all requests to your homepage are served with the desired URL structure, you can use a redirection plugin like “Redirection” or “Yoast SEO” to create a redirect rule that enforces your preferred format.

As for Google Search Console not listing internal links to the homepage, it’s unlikely that the missing trailing slash is the sole reason. Google typically consolidates different versions of a URL (with or without a trailing slash) when indexing and displaying data in Search Console. If you still experience issues with the homepage’s internal links not being listed, you may want to check your website’s sitemap, navigation structure, and internal linking strategy to ensure that search engines can crawl and index your site efficiently.

Many thanks Linards – I may be looking too much into this…

However, re “Check your WordPress settings: Go to your WordPress admin dashboard, then navigate to Settings > General. Make sure the “WordPress Address (URL)” and “Site Address (URL)” fields have a consistent structure (either with or without the trailing slash).”
I notice when I ADD a trailing backslash here, when I save it the backslash disappears.

The behavior you’re observing is actually expected in WordPress.

In the Settings > General section, when you add a trailing slash to the “WordPress Address (URL)” or “Site Address (URL)” fields and save it, WordPress automatically removes the trailing slash from the URLs.

This is because WordPress treats the root domain without a trailing slash as the canonical URL for the homepage. When creating internal links to the homepage, it is recommended to use the root domain without a trailing slash.

Regarding Google Search Console not listing internal links to the homepage, the missing trailing slash should not be the issue. As mentioned earlier, Google typically consolidates different versions of a URL when indexing and displaying data in Search Console.

Make sure your website’s sitemap is up-to-date and properly submitted to Google Search Console. Additionally, review your site’s navigation structure and internal linking strategy to ensure search engines can crawl and index your site efficiently.

Many thanks for your input.