WordPress WWW & Non-WWW, HTTP & HTTPS Both Indexed Fix

Verify WordPress General Settings

Log into your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Settings > General. Ensure that both the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) fields are set to your preferred canonical URL. This means consistently using either WWW or non-WWW, and always HTTPS. For example, if you prefer HTTPS and non-WWW, both fields should be https://example.com, not http://www.example.com or https://www.example.com.

WordPress Admin > Settings > General

✓ Critical first check. ~2 minutes.

Implement Server-Side 301 Redirects (.htaccess for Apache)

This is where most "wordpress www and non www both indexed" and "wordpress http and https both indexed" issues are resolved. Access your site's root directory via FTP/SFTP or your hosting file manager. Edit the .htaccess file. Add the following rules above the # BEGIN WordPress block to force HTTPS, non-WWW, and remove trailing slashes (adjust if your preference is WWW or to keep trailing slashes).

# Force HTTPS
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://example.com/$1 [L,R=301]

# Remove Trailing Slash (adjust if you prefer to keep it)
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.*)/$ /$1 [L,R=301]
        

⚠ Backup .htaccess first. Incorrect rules can break your site. ~10-15 minutes.

Verify Nginx Configuration (if applicable)

If your server runs Nginx, .htaccess files are ignored. You'll need to configure 301 redirects within your Nginx server block. Locate your site's Nginx configuration file (often in /etc/nginx/sites-available/your-site.conf or similar). Add these rules to enforce HTTPS and non-WWW. Consult your hosting provider if unsure about Nginx configuration.

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name www.example.com example.com;
    return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name www.example.com;
    return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name example.com;
    # ... rest of your server block for example.com ...
    # To remove trailing slash:
    rewrite ^/(.*)/$ /$1 permanent;
}
        

⚠ Requires root access or hosting support. ~15-30 minutes.

Check CDN/Cloudflare Settings

If you use a CDN, log into its dashboard. For Cloudflare, check SSL/TLS > Edge Certificates to ensure "Always Use HTTPS" is enabled and your SSL/TLS encryption mode is "Full (strict)" or "Full", not "Flexible". Also, review Rules > Page Rules for any conflicting redirects. Incorrect CDN settings are a frequent cause of "wordpress http and https both indexed" issues, especially if the origin server is not properly configured for HTTPS.

Cloudflare Dashboard > SSL/TLS > Edge Certificates & Rules > Page Rules

✓ Essential for sites behind a CDN. ~5-10 minutes.

Update Internal Links and Canonical Tags

Even with redirects, outdated internal links can waste crawl budget. Use a plugin like "Better Search Replace" to update old HTTP or WWW links in your database to the canonical HTTPS, non-WWW version. Also, verify that your SEO plugin (e.g., Yoast SEO, Rank Math) is generating correct canonical tags. These tags tell search engines the preferred version of a page, helping resolve "wordpress with and without trailing slash both indexed" and other duplicate content issues. For specific duplicate content types like archive pages or WooCommerce products, canonical tags are often the primary solution.

Database search & replace:
Search: http://www.example.com
Replace: https://example.com

SEO Plugin Settings:
Yoast SEO > Tools > File editor (for robots.txt)
Rank Math > General Settings > Links (for canonicals)
        

✓ Prevents internal link confusion. ~15-30 minutes.

Submit Updated Sitemaps and Request Reindexing

After implementing redirects and updating internal links, generate a fresh sitemap from your SEO plugin. Submit this new sitemap to Google Search Console (and Bing Webmaster Tools). Use the URL Inspection tool in GSC to fetch and render a few key pages, then request reindexing. This accelerates the process of search engines discovering your canonical URLs and de-indexing the duplicates.

Google Search Console > Sitemaps > Add a new sitemap
Google Search Console > URL Inspection > Request Indexing
        

✓ Speeds up search engine recognition. ~5-10 minutes.