Redirect Chain Checker
Follow HTTP redirect chains and detect loops.
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Enter a URL above to trace its redirect chain
Follow HTTP redirect chains and detect loops.
Enter a URL above to trace its redirect chain
HTTP redirects tell browsers and search engines that a page has moved to a different URL. When a server responds with a 3xx status code and a Location header, the client automatically follows the redirect to the new URL. This happens transparently to most users, but each redirect adds latency and can impact SEO if not configured correctly.
Redirects are essential for website maintenance, domain migrations, URL restructuring, and ensuring users reach the right content. However, excessive or misconfigured redirects can create chains that slow down page loading and confuse search engine crawlers.
301 (Moved Permanently) signals that a page has permanently moved to a new URL. Search engines transfer most of the original page's ranking signals to the new URL. Use 301 redirects for permanent URL changes, domain migrations, and consolidating duplicate content.
302 (Found) indicates a temporary redirect. Search engines typically keep the original URL indexed and do not transfer ranking signals. Use 302 redirects for A/B testing, temporary maintenance pages, or geo-based routing.
307 and 308 are the modern equivalents of 302 and 301 respectively, with the added guarantee that the HTTP method (GET, POST) is preserved during the redirect. 303 (See Other) always converts the request to GET, commonly used after form submissions.
A redirect chain occurs when one redirect leads to another, creating multiple hops before reaching the final destination. Each hop adds server response time, increasing total page load latency. Google has confirmed that while they follow redirect chains, each hop dilutes a small amount of PageRank.
Long redirect chains can also cause crawl budget waste. Search engine bots have a limited number of URLs they crawl per session. If your site has many redirect chains, bots spend their budget following redirects instead of discovering and indexing new content. Best practice is to update old redirects to point directly to the final destination, keeping chains to a single hop whenever possible.
A redirect loop happens when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects back to URL A (or through a longer cycle that eventually returns to a previously visited URL). Loops make the page completely inaccessible because browsers give up after a certain number of redirects, showing a "too many redirects" error.
Common causes include conflicting redirect rules in server configuration, CMS settings that conflict with .htaccess rules, HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects that conflict with www-to-non-www redirects, and CDN or load balancer configurations that create circular redirects. Always test redirect changes in a staging environment before deploying to production.
This tool follows the full redirect chain for any URL you enter. It sends a request with manual redirect handling, records each hop's URL, status code, response time, and server headers, then displays the complete chain visually. It also detects redirect loops and measures total chain latency.
The tool follows up to 10 redirects (hops) in a single chain. If the chain exceeds 10 hops, it stops and reports what it found. Most browsers also have a similar limit (usually 20), so chains longer than 10 hops almost always indicate a configuration problem.
A 301 redirect signals a permanent move. Search engines transfer ranking signals to the new URL and eventually replace the old URL in their index. A 302 redirect signals a temporary move. Search engines keep the original URL in their index and do not transfer ranking signals. Using the wrong type can hurt your SEO.
Each redirect requires a full HTTP round trip: DNS lookup, TCP connection, TLS handshake (for HTTPS), and waiting for the server response. A chain of 3 redirects can easily add 500ms or more to page load time, especially on mobile networks. This directly impacts Core Web Vitals and user experience.
Update the first redirect to point directly to the final destination URL. For example, if A redirects to B, and B redirects to C, change A's redirect to point directly to C. Then update any internal links to point to C as well. Check your server configuration, CMS settings, and CDN rules to ensure no conflicting redirect rules exist.