Google: We Rank /page & /page.html Separately If Content Is Different

Jul 11, 2017 - 7:57 am 3 by

Google Cluster

As many of you know, since you are advanced technical SEOs, /page and /page.html technically are different URLs and different pages. But often, web servers are configured to make the page the same, so if you go to /page or /page.html, either you get redirected to one or the other OR you see the same content on both pages.

But since they are technically different pages, if /page and /page.html have completely different content - then Google technically can rank those pages separately for different keywords.

Gary Illyes from Google confirmed this on Twitter recently:

As long as the content is different enough, sure - Google can index and rank both.

But it is probably recommended you don't play those games and keep things as simple and consistent as possible. Use a different URL for different content and redirect one to the other in this example above.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: February 24, 2026

Feb 24, 2026 - 10:00 am
Bing Search

Microsoft Thwarts AI Prompt Injection Attacks Aimed To Manipulate AI Engines

Feb 24, 2026 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Support Form Requires You To Authorize Google To Make Changes

Feb 24, 2026 - 7:41 am
Bing Search

Microsoft Advertising Tests Shopping Carousel With Multiple Images Toggle

Feb 24, 2026 - 7:31 am
Google

Google Tests Removing Dates From Articles In Discover Feed

Feb 24, 2026 - 7:21 am
Bing Ads

Bing Updates Shopping Ads Design

Feb 24, 2026 - 7:11 am
 
Previous Story: Google Releases Google Earth Pro: Google Earth Free To Upgrade