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Free redirect checker

A redirect checker that traces a URL's full redirect chain hop by hop — the status code at each step, where it points next, and the final destination — and flags loops and long chains. See exactly what happens between the link a visitor clicks and the page they land on.

Enter the URL to start from. We follow each redirect and show the status code and destination at every hop.

What happens between the click and the page

A redirect is invisible to the person clicking the link — they see the destination and nothing in between. But between the URL they clicked and the page they land on, there can be one hop or five, each adding a round trip and each an opportunity to lose a little ranking signal or send a crawler somewhere unintended. This tool makes that hidden path visible: every hop, its status code, and where it forwards to, laid out in order so you can see the chain a visitor and a crawler actually traverse.

Permanent or temporary is not a cosmetic choice

The difference between a 301 and a 302 is the difference between “this moved for good” and “this is a detour”, and search engines act on it. A permanent 301 passes the old URL’s standing to the new one and drops the old page from the index; a temporary 302 keeps the original indexed. Use a 302 for a move that is really permanent and you strand your ranking signals on a URL you have abandoned. Labeling each hop is how you catch that mismatch before it costs you.

Flatten the chain

Chains grow quietly: a page moves once, then again a year later, and now the original URL points to the first move, which points to the second. Each extra hop is a delay and a small leak. The fix is almost always to update the first redirect to point straight at the final destination, collapsing the chain to a single hop. A loop — where the chain circles back on itself — is the worst case, making the page unreachable entirely, and this tool calls it out separately.

Where this fits

Redirects sit alongside the other server-level behavior. The HTTP header checker shows the headers on the final response; the broken link checker finds links that lead to a dead end rather than a redirect; the indexability checker confirms the destination can actually be indexed. To see the whole site scored at once, run the free website checker, and what counts as a good score explains the number.

Redirect questions

What does a redirect checker do?
A redirect checker follows a URL step by step and shows you the full chain: every hop, the status code each one returns, and where it points next, all the way to the final destination. It flags a redirect loop, an overly long chain, and whether the redirects are permanent or temporary — the details that decide whether the redirect is helping or quietly costing you.
What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
A 301 is a permanent redirect: it tells search engines the page has moved for good, so they should index the destination and pass the old page's ranking signals to it. A 302 is temporary: it says the move is short-term, so keep the original URL indexed. Using a 302 for a permanent move is a common mistake — it can hold ranking signals on a URL you have actually retired. This tool labels each hop so you can catch that.
Why are redirect chains bad for SEO?
Each redirect in a chain adds a round trip before the visitor sees anything, so a chain of three or four redirects is a real delay on a slow connection. Crawlers also have a limited appetite for following long chains, and a small amount of ranking signal can be lost at each hop. One redirect is fine and often necessary; the goal is to avoid chains where A points to B points to C when A could point straight to C.
What is a redirect loop?
A redirect loop is a chain that returns to a URL it already visited — A sends you to B, and B sends you back to A — so it never resolves. The browser follows it a set number of times, gives up, and shows an error page instead of any content. To a search engine the page is simply unreachable. A loop makes a page completely inaccessible, which is why this tool checks for one explicitly and stops following once it detects it.
Should www and non-www both redirect to one version?
Yes. Pick one canonical host — either www.example.com or example.com — and permanently redirect the other to it with a 301. The same goes for HTTP to HTTPS. Serving the same content on multiple hosts without redirecting splits your ranking signals across URLs search engines see as different. A single, consistent destination consolidates them. This tool shows exactly where each variant lands so you can confirm they all agree.
How many redirects is too many?
As a rule of thumb, more than two hops in a chain is worth cleaning up, and this tool follows up to ten before stopping. The ideal is a single redirect straight to the final URL. If you find a chain, the fix is usually to update the earliest redirect to point directly at the final destination rather than at the next link in the chain — flattening three hops into one.
How do I fix a 'too many redirects' error?
This error means the URL is caught in a loop, usually two rules sending traffic back and forth, such as HTTP forcing HTTPS while an SSL misconfiguration bounces it back. Trace the chain with the tool above, then remove or correct the conflicting rule — a common cause is a CDN and the origin server both handling the HTTPS redirect.
Does a 301 redirect pass SEO value?
A 301 redirect passes essentially all of a page's ranking signals to the destination, so it is the correct choice when a URL moves permanently. A 302 signals a temporary move and Google keeps the original indexed, so using 302 for a permanent change can strand the authority on the old URL.
How long should I keep a 301 redirect in place?
Keep a 301 redirect for at least a year, and ideally permanently, because search engines and old backlinks keep sending traffic to the original URL long after the move. Removing it too early turns those links into 404s and loses the authority the redirect was preserving.
What is the difference between a redirect and a canonical tag?
A redirect physically sends visitors and crawlers to a different URL, so the original is no longer reachable, while a canonical tag leaves both pages live and only tells search engines which to index. Choose a redirect when a page should be retired, and a canonical when both must stay accessible.
Why does my URL redirect to HTTPS automatically?
An automatic redirect from HTTP to HTTPS is intentional and correct — it ensures every visitor lands on the secure version of a page. It becomes a problem only when it conflicts with another rule and forms a loop, which is why the checker shows the full redirect chain rather than just the final page.