Free Redirect Checker

What Is the Redirect Checker?

A redirect checker fetches any URL and shows the complete redirect chain - every hop from the original URL to the final destination, along with the HTTP status code returned at each step. Instead of manually tracing redirects through browser developer tools or command line, this tool shows the full redirect path in seconds.

Redirects are instructions that send users and search engines from one URL to another. They are essential for site migrations, URL changes, and fixing broken links - but poorly configured redirects are one of the most common sources of crawl inefficiency, link equity loss, and indexing problems on established websites.

This tool checks any URL and returns the complete redirect chain, each status code, response time at each hop, and the final destination URL - giving you everything needed to identify and fix redirect problems before they affect rankings.

Why Redirect Health Matters for SEO

Every redirect adds a step between Google and your content. A single clean 301 redirect passes link equity efficiently and causes minimal crawl overhead. A redirect chain - three, four, or five hops to reach the final URL - loses link equity at each step, slows page load time, and wastes crawl budget on unnecessary intermediate URLs.

Redirect problems that directly affect SEO performance include:

• Redirect chains - multiple sequential redirects that dilute link equity and slow crawl speed.
• Redirect loops - two or more URLs redirecting to each other indefinitely, making the page inaccessible.
• 302 redirects used in place of 301s - temporary redirects that do not pass link equity to the destination.
• Broken redirect destinations - redirects pointing to pages that return 404 errors.
• Cross-protocol redirects - HTTP redirecting to HTTPS in multiple steps rather than a single hop.
• Redirects in the XML sitemap - sitemap URLs that redirect rather than pointing directly to final destination URLs.

Identifying and fixing these problems removes friction from Google's ability to crawl, index, and assign link equity correctly across your site.

How to Use This Tool

1. Enter the URL you want to check.
2. Click Check Redirect.
3. Review the complete redirect chain showing every hop.
4. Check the HTTP status code at each step.
5. Identify any chains, loops, or unexpected destination URLs.
6. Fix problematic redirects at the server or CMS level.
7. Recheck the URL to confirm the fix is working correctly.

HTTP Status Codes This Tool Returns

Understanding the status code at each redirect hop tells you whether the redirect is configured correctly and how it affects SEO.

• 200 OK - The URL returned content directly with no redirect. This is the desired final destination status.
• 301 Moved Permanently - The correct redirect type for permanent URL changes. Passes link equity to the destination. Use this for all permanent redirects including HTTP to HTTPS, old URLs to new URLs, and domain migrations.
• 302 Found - A temporary redirect. Does not reliably pass link equity to the destination. Often used incorrectly in place of 301 for permanent changes - a common source of link equity loss on sites that have undergone URL restructuring.
• 307 Temporary Redirect - The HTTP/1.1 equivalent of 302. Appropriate for genuinely temporary redirects but should never be used for permanent changes.
• 308 Permanent Redirect - The HTTP/1.1 equivalent of 301. Passes link equity and preserves the request method. Less commonly used than 301 but functionally equivalent for SEO purposes.
• 404 Not Found - The destination URL does not exist. A redirect pointing to a 404 page passes no link equity and creates a dead end for both users and crawlers.
• 410 Gone - The page has been permanently removed. More explicit than a 404 - use this when content has been intentionally deleted and will not return.
• 500 Server Error - The server encountered an error processing the request. A redirect chain ending in a 500 error means the destination page is broken at the server level.

Best Practices for Redirect Management

1. Always use 301 for permanent redirects - A 301 redirect tells Google the move is permanent and transfers link equity to the new URL. Using a 302 for a permanent change means Google may continue indexing the original URL and the new URL may not accumulate the link equity it should.
2. Eliminate redirect chains - When a URL redirects to another URL that redirects again, each hop loses a fraction of link equity and adds latency. Update redirect rules so every old URL points directly to its final destination in a single hop.
3. Check redirect destinations regularly - Redirects pointing to pages that have since been deleted, restructured, or moved again become broken chains. Run a redirect audit after any significant site change to confirm all redirect destinations are still live and returning 200 status.
4. Remove redirected URLs from your sitemap - Your XML sitemap should contain only final destination URLs returning 200 status. Sitemap entries that redirect waste crawl budget and generate Search Console warnings. Use the XML Sitemap Generator to rebuild your sitemap with clean direct URLs after fixing redirect issues.
5. Consolidate HTTP and HTTPS in one hop - The redirect from HTTP to HTTPS should always be a single direct 301. Multi-hop HTTP to HTTPS redirects - HTTP to HTTP www to HTTPS www, for example - create unnecessary chain length that slows every page load and wastes crawl budget on intermediate URLs.
6. Fix redirect loops immediately - A redirect loop makes a page completely inaccessible to both users and crawlers. If this tool detects a loop, the fix must happen at the server configuration level - typically in the .htaccess file, nginx config, or CMS redirect settings.