What is a URL Redirect Checker?
A redirect checker is a tool that maps out the route that a URL takes if it redirects to another URL. HTTP redirects (301, 302, 307, 308) are mechanisms used to redirect your users and the search engines to different URLs, such as from a legacy page to a new page or from an unsecure to a secure URL.
Our URL Redirect Checker checks each redirect hop and shows you the chain of redirections which you can use to check if the chain is right and you can notice redirect loops.
The different types of HTTP Redirects.
- 301 — Moved Permanently — This indicates that the URL has moved to a new location and the old location will no longer be available. SEO value (link equity) is passed to the new URL.
- 302 — Found (Temporary) — A temporary redirect. Original site link should continue to be indexed.
- 307 — Temporary Redirect — Temporary redirect as in 302, but maintains the original request method (GET or POST).
- 308 — Permanent Redirect — This is similar to 301, but it saves the original request method.
To use the URL Redirect Checker, follow these steps:
- Type in a URL (like
https://example.com). - Click Check Redirects.
- See all redirects including each hop, status code, and destination URL.
Why Check Redirects?
- SEO health — Long redirect chains consume crawl time and reduce page speed. Search engines can only deal with a maximum of 5 redirects.
- Identify loops — If there are loops, the browser will show up errors.
- Check migrations — When moved, double check that old URLs redirect to new ones.
- HTTPS enforcement — Ensure that the redirections for HTTP requests are performed correctly to HTTPS.
Redirect Best Practices
- Don't use chains — Redirect URLs directly to the final destination, and don't use intermediate redirects.
- Use 301 for permanent moves — This is good for SEO as it passes SEO value to the new URL.
- Stay within 3 hops — Each redirect will introduce latency and potential to be dropped by search engines.
- Test both HTTP and HTTPS — Check that both
http://andhttps://versions will redirect.
Privacy
Our tool tracks the redirects from our server and prints the redirect chain. No URLs, results or IP addresses are kept, logged or shared.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a redirect chain mean?
A redirect chain is when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C, etc. The steps are the “hops” in the chain. Long chains are not recommended.
Is the URL Redirect Checker free?
Yes. No captchas, no sign up, no limits, it is 100% free.
What's the difference between 301 and 302?
A 301 is a permanent move — the search engines pass the rank signal to the new URL. If it is a temporary move, it should be indicated by a 302, and the original URL should be retained in the index. Use 301 for a 301 permanent redirect if the old URL is never going to be used again.
How many hops can search engine follow?
Google chases up to 10 redirects but suggests that there should be no more than 5 redirects in a chain. In addition, the last page might not be able to be crawled or indexed.