In short. Squarespace returns a 404 for uppercase page paths and documents a 301 redirect to the lowercase slug.
Definition: Squarespace uses lowercase URL slugs. When a visitor requests a page with uppercase letters in its path, Squarespace displays a 404 error; a 301 redirect can send that incoming path to the lowercase version. Squarespace's URL slugs guide documents both behaviors.
Key facts
- Squarespace defines a URL slug as the exact address of a specific page or collection item. Its URL slugs guide gives
/aboutas the automatic slug for a page titled “About.” - The same guide states that URL slugs are lowercase and that uppercase characters entered while editing are changed to lowercase.
- An uppercase letter in a requested page path produces Squarespace's 404 error. The guide recommends a 301 redirect from the incorrect capitalized URL to the uncapitalized version.
- Squarespace's URL mappings guide describes 301 redirects as permanent and 302 redirects as temporary.
Why does /About fail when /about works?
Squarespace treats the slug as part of the page address. For a page titled “About,” the slug guide gives this lowercase address pattern:
https://yourdomain.com/about
Editing a slug with uppercase characters results in a lowercase saved slug. A request for a path containing uppercase letters is a separate request, and Squarespace's documentation says that the site's 404 error displays when a visitor enters uppercase letters while trying to visit a page. The result is a missing page response for /About even though /about is the page's lowercase path.
The same documentation says that changing a page's slug does not automatically redirect traffic to the new URL. It lists an old link, an old typed URL and an old QR code as routes that can lead to a 404 after a slug change.
How should a capitalized incoming path be redirected?
Squarespace's URL mappings guide places redirects in Developer tools, then URL mappings. The site owner enters the mapping in the text field and clicks Save. The guide describes a mapping as an old URL, an arrow, a new URL and a redirect type, using this form:
/old-url -> /new-url 301
For a page whose working slug is /about, the capitalized incoming path can be represented by the same documented form:
/About -> /about 301
The URL slugs guide specifically identifies a 301 redirect as the way to send visitors from an incorrect capitalized URL to the uncapitalized version. The URL mappings guide classifies 301 as the permanent option and 302 as the temporary option. A stable lowercase page path therefore uses the permanent mapping, while a temporary replacement uses the temporary type.
The mappings guide also says that redirects only work when the page being redirected from has been deleted or disabled, and that correctly formatted redirects are required for saving. A capitalized path that has no matching lowercase slug is the incoming path addressed by the slug guide's redirect instruction.
How can I check the public path?
The URL slugs guide gives three ways to find a page slug. Full preview shows it after the built-in domain in the address bar. Private or incognito browsing shows it after the domain name. Page or item settings expose the URL slug field. The logged-in editing URL can omit the page slug, so the public preview or a private browser gives the relevant path.
Test the lowercase page and the capitalized incoming path separately after saving the mapping:
https://yourdomain.com/about
https://yourdomain.com/About
The first path is the lowercase slug documented for the “About” example. The second is the capitalized request covered by Squarespace's 404 and 301 guidance.
Related terms
- How do I add a URL mapping in Squarespace?
- How do I choose a temporary redirect in Squarespace?
- HTTP redirects
FAQ
Will Squarespace lowercase a capitalized path typed by a visitor?
No. The URL slugs guide says uppercase letters entered while editing are changed to lowercase, while uppercase letters entered when trying to visit a page produce the site's 404 error. A 301 mapping handles the incoming capitalized path.
Should the mapping use 301 or 302?
Use 301 when the lowercase destination is permanent. Squarespace documents 302 for a temporary change.
Does changing a slug create a redirect automatically?
No. Squarespace says traffic will not automatically redirect after a slug change and recommends creating a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
Sources
Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer