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Redirect Checker

Trace a URL through every redirect. See each hop, its status code and how long it took, and find chains, loops and temporary redirects.

Fetching and analysing the page…

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Redirect Checker - results and guide

What the Redirect Checker checks

  • Every hop from the first URL to the final one, with status code and time
  • Redirect chains of two or more hops
  • Loops and chains that never end
  • Temporary redirects (302, 303, 307) where a permanent one is expected
  • Hops that drop from https back to http
  • The status of the final page
  • Meta refresh redirects in the final HTML

What is a redirect?

A redirect tells the browser that the page it asked for lives at another address. The server answers with a 3xx status code and a Location header, and the browser requests the new URL. Redirects keep old links working when a page moves, send http visitors to https, and merge the www and non-www versions of a site.

A 301 or 308 is permanent: search engines replace the old address with the new one and carry its ranking signals across. A 302, 303 or 307 is temporary: the old address stays in the index.

Why redirect chains are a problem

A chain is a redirect that leads to another redirect. Each hop is an extra round trip, which on a mobile connection can add several hundred milliseconds before the page even starts to load. Googlebot follows up to 10 hops and then gives up, and long chains waste the limited time it spends on a site.

Chains grow by accident: an old URL redirects to a newer one, which later moves again. The fix is to point every old address straight at the final destination. A loop, where two URLs redirect to each other, makes the page unreachable. For the specific cases of http to https and www to non-www, see the HTTPS Redirect Checker and the WWW Redirect Checker.

How to use the Redirect Checker

  1. Enter the address of the page you want to check. You can leave out https://.
  2. Press Trace redirects. The page is fetched from our servers, the way a search engine crawler would fetch it.
  3. Read the findings from top to bottom: problems first, then warnings. Each one says what to change.

Common problems and how to fix them

A chain of several redirects

Edit the redirect rules so the first URL goes directly to the last. Also update internal links to use the final address.

A 302 where a 301 is intended

Many frameworks and plugins default to 302. Set the status explicitly to 301 for permanent moves.

"Too many redirects" error

Two rules contradict each other, often one forcing https and another forcing http at a proxy or CDN. Check the SSL mode in the CDN and the rules on the origin server.

Frequently asked questions

How many redirects are too many?
One is normal. Two or more in a row is a chain worth shortening. Google follows up to 10 hops, browsers about 20.
Do 301 redirects lose ranking?
No. Google has confirmed that 301 and 308 redirects pass full ranking signals. Problems come from chains, loops and redirects to unrelated pages.
Should I use 301 or 302?
Use 301 when the move is permanent, which is nearly always. Use 302 only for short-lived situations such as a temporary promotion.
Can this tool detect JavaScript redirects?
No. It follows server redirects and reports meta refresh tags. A redirect performed by JavaScript only happens in a browser.

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