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Redirect Checker

Follow a URL through every redirect: each hop, its status code, chains, loops and where it finally lands.

What a redirect checker shows

When a page moves, the server answers the old address with a 3xx status code and a Location header pointing to the new one. Browsers follow it silently, so you rarely see how many steps it takes. The checker requests the address without following redirects automatically, records each hop and its status code, and stops at the first page that answers with content or an error.

It flags the problems that cost traffic: chains longer than one hop, loops where a URL redirects back to itself, redirects without a destination, and final pages that are not served over HTTPS.

Status codes in a chain

Typical problems and fixes

Chains after migrations. http → https → www → new path is four requests where one would do. Point every old variant directly at the final URL, and update internal links so they never hit a redirect at all.

Loops. Two rules that send traffic back and forth — often a trailing-slash rule fighting a CMS setting, or a CDN forcing HTTPS while the origin forces HTTP. The page never loads and the browser shows "too many redirects".

Temporary redirects for permanent moves. A 302 tells search engines to keep the old URL. If the move is final, switch it to 301.

Redirects to errors. After a migration, old URLs sometimes redirect to pages that no longer exist. Check your most-linked old URLs, not just the homepage.

FAQ

How many redirects are too many?
Aim for one: the old address should point straight to the final one. Google follows up to 10 hops, but every extra hop adds a round trip for visitors and wastes crawl budget. Chains usually grow when a site is migrated twice, for example http to https and later to a new domain.
Should I use 301 or 302?
Use 301 (or 308) when a page has moved for good: search engines then transfer the signals to the new URL and show it in results. Use 302 (or 307) only for genuinely temporary moves such as a maintenance page. A temporary redirect left in place for months is a common mistake.
What is the difference between 301 and 308, or 302 and 307?
308 and 307 keep the request method: a POST stays a POST. 301 and 302 may turn it into a GET. For ordinary page moves the SEO effect is the same.
Why does my redirect work in the browser but show an error here?
Browsers cache redirects, especially 301s, so you may be seeing an old result. Some servers also redirect differently depending on cookies or the user agent. This checker sends a clean request without cookies, like a search engine crawler.
Can I run this check from code?
Yes. The same check is in the Seonar API as redirect_chain. Send the URL with "checks": ["redirect_chain"] to get the chain as JSON, for example after every deploy.

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