Redirect Chain Checker
This free redirect checker requests a URL and follows each redirect by hand, up to ten hops, showing every address in the chain with its status code and whether the hop is permanent or temporary. It reports the final URL and status, flags chains longer than two hops, loops and temporary redirects, and says what to change. Use it after a migration or an HTTPS move.
Redirect Chain Checker
Technical SEO
About this tool
Redirects pile up quietly: http to https, then non-www to www, then an old slug to a new one, then a trailing slash. Each hop costs a round trip for visitors and a little ranking value for search engines, and Google stops following after a handful. A loop takes the page down entirely. Chains are invisible in a browser because it simply arrives at the end.
The checker requests the URL from our server without following redirects automatically. For each 3xx answer it reads the Location header, lists the hop with its status, and requests the next address, re-checking every one for safety, until a page answers, the chain loops back on itself, or ten hops are used. It also notices a meta refresh or JavaScript redirect hidden in a page that answers 200, the kind search engines treat with suspicion.
What it shows is the path from our server with a desktop browser user agent and no cookies. Sites that redirect by country, language or device may send your visitors somewhere else. Redirects that happen inside JavaScript after the page loads are not followed; only the meta refresh form is reported.
Frequently asked questions
How many redirects are too many?
One is ideal, two is acceptable, three or more is a chain worth fixing. Google follows up to ten hops before giving up, but every hop delays the visitor and may lose some ranking value. Point every old address straight at the final page instead of at the next old address.
What is the difference between 301, 302, 307 and 308?
301 and 308 are permanent: search engines transfer ranking signals and show the new address. 302 and 307 are temporary: the old address is kept in the index. 307 and 308 also forbid changing a POST into a GET. For moved pages, use 301 (or 308); use 302 only for genuinely short-lived changes.
What is a redirect loop and how do I fix it?
A loop is a chain that returns to an address it already visited, so browsers show "too many redirects". It usually comes from two rules fighting: a plugin forcing https while the server or CDN forces http, or www and non-www rules pointing at each other. Disable the rules one at a time until the loop breaks, then keep a single rule.
Why does my redirect go through http first?
Because the link started with http:// and the server redirects to https before applying the next rule. Combine the rules so that http://old goes straight to https://final in one hop, and add an HSTS header so browsers skip the http step on later visits. The http headers checker shows whether HSTS is set.
Does the checker follow meta refresh and JavaScript redirects?
It reports a meta refresh tag found in the final page but does not follow it, and it cannot see redirects performed by JavaScript because it does not run scripts. Both are poor substitutes for a server-side 301: search engines may ignore them and they delay the visitor.