Free Redirect Checker
Follow redirect chains, check HTTP status codes, and detect redirect loops for any URL. Identify 301 vs 302 redirects, measure response times per hop, and get actionable recommendations for fixing redirect issues that harm your SEO.
Check Redirect Chain
How Redirects Affect SEO
Redirects are a necessary part of web infrastructure, but they come with SEO costs when misused. Every redirect hop adds latency for users and crawlers. More importantly, each hop in a redirect chain slightly dilutes the "link equity" (PageRank) that flows through to the final destination page.
Google's crawl budget is also affected by redirect chains. For large sites with thousands of URLs, unnecessary redirects can waste crawl budget that could be spent discovering and indexing new content.
301 vs 302 Redirects: What's the Difference?
301 — Permanent Redirect
Tells search engines this page has moved permanently to a new location. Google will transfer virtually all link equity to the destination URL and update its index to point to the new page. Use for permanent URL changes, site migrations, and consolidating duplicate content.
Recommended for permanent moves
302 — Temporary Redirect
Indicates the page has temporarily moved. Search engines may continue to index the original URL and may not fully transfer link equity to the destination. Use only for genuinely temporary redirects like A/B tests or maintenance pages.
Use sparingly — prefer 301 for permanent changes
Common Redirect Issues to Avoid
- Redirect chains longer than 3 hops: Each additional hop adds latency and dilutes link equity. Consolidate chains into direct redirects where possible.
- Redirect loops: URL A redirects to URL B which redirects back to URL A. This causes the page to be completely inaccessible to users and crawlers.
- 302 redirects used permanently: If a redirect is permanent, always use 301 (or 308 for POST requests) to ensure full link equity transfer.
- Missing HTTP → HTTPS redirect: Your HTTP version should always permanently redirect to HTTPS to avoid duplicate content and ensure all traffic is served securely.
- Redirecting to pages that also redirect: This creates unnecessary chain length. Always redirect directly to the final destination URL.
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