Redirect Checker
Paste any URL and see every redirect hop: the status code, where each one goes, how long it took, and where the chain ends. Spot redirect loops, long chains, temporary 302s, http to https problems and duplicate www versions in seconds.
- Every hop, header and timing
- Request as Googlebot or a browser
- Tests http, https, www and non-www
Checking a whole migration? Use the SEO Migration Redirect Checker for lists, or build the rules with the Redirect Rule Generator.
The whole redirect journey, not just the first response
A browser follows redirects silently. This tool stops at every hop and tells you what happened.
Every hop
The status code of each response, the URL it came from, the Location header it sent you to and a plain-words reason such as HTTP to HTTPS or www added.
Timing and server
How long each hop took and what server answered, so a slow redirect layer stands out.
Choose the user agent
Request as Chrome, Googlebot desktop, Googlebot smartphone or Bingbot, because some sites redirect crawlers and visitors differently.
The four versions
Tests http and https, with and without www, and checks that all four end on one URL.
Loops and chains
Flags a URL that comes back to itself, and any chain of two or more hops that wastes crawl budget.
Non-server redirects
Spots a meta refresh or a JavaScript redirect on the final page, which search engines handle less reliably than a 301.
Redirect status codes and what search engines do with them
The status code tells browsers and search engines whether a move is permanent. The wrong one is a common cause of lost rankings after a migration.
| Code | Name | Meaning | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Moved Permanently | The address has changed for good. Signals transfer to the new URL. | Migrations, URL changes, http to https. |
| 308 | Permanent Redirect | Like 301, but the request method is kept. | Permanent moves of forms and APIs. |
| 302 | Found | A temporary move. The old URL usually stays indexed. | Short detours, A/B tests. |
| 307 | Temporary Redirect | Like 302, but the request method is kept. | Temporary moves of forms and APIs. |
| 303 | See Other | Sends the visitor to a different page after a form post. | Post-submit pages, not SEO moves. |
| 200 after a chain | OK | The chain ended on a normal page. | The goal of any redirect. |
How to trace a redirect chain
Four steps from a URL to a clear answer.
Enter the URL
Paste one or more addresses. Add https:// or leave it off, and it will be added.
Pick how to request it
Use the default, or choose Googlebot or Chrome to see how the site treats them.
Read the chain
Follow the numbered hops. Look at the codes, the reasons and the final status.
Fix and re-test
Shorten chains to one hop, use 301 for permanent moves, then trace the URL again.
What a healthy redirect setup looks like
Most redirect problems are small and easy to spot once the chain is visible.
One hop
Every old URL should reach its final address in a single redirect. Each extra hop costs time and crawl budget.
Always https
http:// should redirect to https:// with a 301, and the https version should never redirect back.
One host
Pick www or non-www and redirect the other. Both answering 200 creates duplicate versions of your site.
Permanent means 301
Use 301 or 308 for permanent moves. A 302 can keep the old URL in the index.
Redirect on the server
Server-side redirects are fast and reliable. Meta refresh and JavaScript redirects are slower and less certain.
Keep them for a year
Leave migration redirects in place for at least a year so ranking signals are transferred.
What a redirect checker shows and why one URL can take several hops
A redirect is a server response in the 3xx range that carries a Location header and tells the browser or crawler to request a different URL. Browsers follow these responses so quickly that you never see them. You type one address and land on another, and the steps in between stay hidden.
A redirect checker stops at each step. It lists the status code of every response, where it pointed, and where the chain finally ended. That matters because the details change how search engines treat the move. Google says a permanent redirect (301 or 308) is a strong signal that the target should be the canonical URL, while a temporary one (302, 303 or 307) is a weak signal. Googlebot follows up to 10 hops, and Search Console reports a redirect error when a chain is too long or loops.
Most problems come from rules added at different times in different places: the web server, a CMS plugin, a CDN and the application itself. Each layer does something sensible alone, and together they create a chain or a loop. Tracing the real path is the quickest way to find which layer is responsible. The status code definitions themselves are in RFC 9110.
When to trace a redirect
Use it any time a URL should end somewhere specific and you need proof that it does.
After switching to HTTPS
Check that http:// reaches the https:// page in one 301 and that the secure page never sends visitors back. Repeat for the www and non-www versions.
When a page shows too many redirects
The browser error does not say which rules fight each other. The trace shows the URL that repeats, which points you to the conflicting rules.
Behind Cloudflare or a CDN
A proxy in front of the server adds its own redirect layer. Trace a URL after changing SSL settings or page rules to confirm the chain did not grow.
To see what a crawler gets
Request the URL as Googlebot or Bingbot to see whether the site answers bots differently from visitors. It simulates the user agent only, so strict bot checks may still differ.
Before sharing a campaign or short link
Follow a tracking or shortened link to its end. Confirm that it lands on the intended page and does not pass through an unwanted detour.
For one important URL in an audit
When a single high-value page loses traffic, trace it first. A new temporary redirect or an extra hop is a common and cheap thing to rule out.
Redirect mistakes and how to fix them
Most redirect faults are small: the wrong code, one hop too many, or two rules that disagree.
Using 302 for a permanent move
What goes wrong: A temporary redirect is a weak signal, so Google may keep the old URL in results. Some plugins and hosts default to 302 unless you choose otherwise.
The fix: Use 301 or 308 when the move is permanent. In Apache Redirect with no status gives a 302, so write Redirect permanent or use a RewriteRule with R=301.
Chains built from several rules
What goes wrong: http://example.com/page goes to https, then to www, then to a trailing-slash URL. Each rule is correct alone but together they cost three hops.
The fix: Write one rule that sends every variant to the final URL directly. Then update internal links, canonicals and the sitemap to that final URL.
A loop from SSL settings
What goes wrong: With Cloudflare's Flexible SSL mode, requests reach the origin over HTTP. If the origin redirects all HTTP to HTTPS, the visitor goes round in circles.
The fix: Remove the HTTPS redirect from the origin, or use a Full encryption mode with a certificate on the origin. Cloudflare documents this exact case.
Several hosts answering 200
What goes wrong: If both the www and non-www versions return a normal page, search engines see two copies of your site and have to pick one themselves.
The fix: Choose one host, redirect the other to it with a 301, and make sure the canonical tag names the same version.
Relying on meta refresh or JavaScript
What goes wrong: Google can read a meta refresh or script redirect, but only after fetching and rendering the page. A delayed meta refresh is read as temporary.
The fix: Use a server-side redirect whenever you can. Keep client-side redirects for hosts where you cannot edit the server config.
Testing in a browser that remembers
What goes wrong: A 301 can be cached, so a browser may keep following an old redirect after you changed the rule and make the fix look broken.
The fix: Trace the URL with a tool that sends a fresh request, or test in a private window, before concluding the change did not work.
Redirect terms explained
- Hop
- One redirect response in a journey. A URL that redirects once has one hop. The tool numbers every hop so you can see the order.
Locationheader- The response header that holds the address the client should request next. A redirect without a usable
Locationvalue cannot be followed. - 301 and 308
- Permanent redirects. 308 means the same as 301 but forbids changing the request method, which matters for POST requests more than for ordinary page views.
- 302 and 307
- Temporary redirects. The original URL is expected to be used again. 307 keeps the request method, while 302 historically let clients switch POST to GET.
- 303 See Other
- Sends the client to another page, usually to show the result of a form submission. It is not meant for moving a page, so it should not appear in SEO redirects.
- Redirect chain
- A URL that redirects to a second URL that redirects again. Google advises pointing the first URL directly at the final destination.
- Redirect loop
- Redirects that return to a URL already visited, so the request never ends. Browsers stop and show an error, and Google reports a redirect error.
- Meta refresh
- An HTML
metatag in the page head that sends the visitor elsewhere after a set delay. It works without server access but is slower and less clear than a status code.
Related tools, guides and services
A trace answers one question. These help with the questions around it.
HTTP Status Code Checker
Check the first and final status of a whole list of URLs at once.
ToolSEO Migration Redirect Checker
Test hundreds of old URLs against the destinations you planned.
ToolHTTP Header Viewer
Read every response header, including caching and Location, for any URL.
SEO audit errors that matter
See where redirect chains and wrong status codes rank among the issues an audit reports.
ServiceTechnical SEO service
Get redirects, canonicals and crawl paths reviewed and fixed across your site.
ServiceSEO migration service
Plan and verify the redirects for a redesign, replatform or domain change.
Built by
Madhav Kushwaha
SEO, AEO, GEO & Digital Marketing Consultant in Kathmandu, Nepal, and trainer at ODcrU Academy and TechAxis Institute. I built this checker because the first question in any technical audit is where a URL really ends up. A browser hides the hops and a crawler buries them. This shows the whole chain, with the headers and timing I would otherwise open DevTools to find.
Redirect Checker: Frequently Asked Questions
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