Redirect Checker

About Redirect Checker

The Redirect Checker traces the full redirect chain for any URL, revealing every hop from the initial request to the final destination along with the HTTP status codes at each step. It identifies issues like redirect loops, excessive chains, and incorrect status codes that waste crawl budget and dilute link equity. SEO professionals and developers use it during site migrations and routine audits to keep redirect configurations clean.

Key Features

  • Traces complete redirect chains showing every intermediate URL and status code
  • Detects 301, 302, 303, 307, and 308 redirect types with clear explanations
  • Identifies redirect loops and chains longer than three hops
  • Shows response headers including cache-control, server, and location values
  • Bulk URL checking for analyzing hundreds of redirects at once
  • Displays total redirect chain response time to diagnose performance issues

How to Use Redirect Checker

  1. 1

    Enter the URL to check

    Paste the URL you want to trace into the input field. This can be an old URL you expect to redirect or any link you want to verify.

  2. 2

    Run the redirect trace

    Click the check button to follow the URL through all redirects until it reaches the final destination or encounters an error.

  3. 3

    Review each hop in the chain

    Examine every redirect step, noting the HTTP status code and destination URL at each point to ensure the correct redirect type is used.

  4. 4

    Identify and fix issues

    Look for chains with more than two hops, 302 redirects that should be 301s, and any loops that prevent the URL from resolving to a final page.

Common Use Cases

Site migration verification

After moving to a new domain or restructuring URLs, check that every old URL redirects correctly to its new equivalent with a 301 permanent redirect.

Link equity preservation

Verify that inbound links from external sites reach your pages through clean 301 redirects rather than chains or temporary 302 redirects that fail to pass full link equity.

Affiliate and campaign link auditing

Trace affiliate links and marketing campaign URLs to confirm they resolve to the intended landing page without unnecessary hops that slow down the user experience.

HTTP to HTTPS migration checks

Confirm that all HTTP URLs redirect to their HTTPS equivalents with a single 301 hop, avoiding mixed content issues and redirect chains.

Why Use Our Redirect Checker

Command-line curl can follow redirects, but it will not explain status code implications or detect SEO issues like equity-leaking 302s. This tool visualizes every hop with clear status code labels, warns about loops and excessive chains, and supports bulk URL checking, making it indispensable for site migrations and link audits without any software installation.

Migration Plans Remain Confidential

The URLs you trace and redirect chains you analyze are not logged or shared with any third party. Your site migration mappings, internal redirect logic, and legacy URL structures stay completely private, protecting sensitive infrastructure details from competitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?
A 301 is a permanent redirect that tells search engines to transfer all ranking signals to the new URL. A 302 is temporary, meaning search engines keep the original URL indexed. Using 302 when you mean 301 can prevent link equity from passing to the destination page.
How many redirects in a chain are too many?
Google will follow up to 10 redirects in a chain, but best practice is to keep chains to one or at most two hops. Every additional redirect adds latency for users and risks crawlers abandoning the chain, leaving pages unindexed.
Do redirect chains affect page speed?
Yes. Each redirect requires a separate HTTP round-trip, adding hundreds of milliseconds of latency. Long chains noticeably slow page load times, hurt Core Web Vitals scores, and create a poor user experience, especially on mobile connections.

Last updated: April 6, 2026