Redirect Checker: Trace the Full Redirect Chain
The redirect checker follows an address step by step and shows the complete redirect chain with status codes – from http:// to https://, from non-www to www, all the way to the final page. See at a glance whether a 301 really is permanent, where a 302 is hiding and whether chains or loops have crept in.
Source: § 15.4 (Redirection 3xx), RFC 9110 – HTTP Semantics. Updated: .
How it is calculated
The redirect status codes that matter
| Code | Meaning | Effect in Google |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | Moved Permanently | Strong signal: the target is shown in search results |
| 308 | Permanent Redirect – same method kept | Same as 301 |
| 302 | Found – temporary | Weak signal: the old URL usually stays indexed |
| 307 | Temporary Redirect – same method kept | Same as 302 |
| 303 | See Other – after a form submission | Same as 302 |
RFC 9110 defines the codes; Google Search Central explains how Google treats them. For a site move, a new domain or the switch to HTTPS, 301 or 308 is right. 302 and 307 are meant for genuinely temporary situations such as a campaign page or maintenance.
Why redirect chains hurt
A classic chain is http://example.com → https://example.com → https://www.example.com/. Each hop is a separate request that adds latency, often more than 100 ms on mobile. Google follows up to 10 hops but advises redirecting straight to the final destination. Better: one rule that sends every variant to the main address in a single step, plus internal links that already use the final URL. The htaccess redirect generator writes such a rule for Apache.
How the checker works
- Enter an address, with or without https:// (https is assumed – type “http://” to test the HTTP redirect).
- Our server requests each hop separately without following it automatically and records status code, target (Location header) and response time.
- It stops after at most 5 redirects or when a loop is detected, then lists the assessment and tips.
Every redirect target is validated again: if a redirect points to an internal address (localhost or a private network), the check stops. The robots.txt of every domain in the chain is respected.
Limitations
Server-side redirects (HTTP 3xx) are detected. JavaScript and meta refresh redirects are shown by the SEO checker. Some servers redirect differently by language, device or country – the checker sees the response to our server in a Cloudflare data center.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
A 301 means “moved permanently”: Google passes the signals to the target and shows the new URL. A 302 means “temporary”: Google usually keeps the old URL in its index. For a permanent move, use 301 (or 308).
How many redirects in a row are too many?
Google follows up to 10 hops, but each one costs load time. Ideally every old address needs just one redirect straight to the destination. The checker warns from two hops and stops after five.
How can I see where a link redirects to?
Paste the link into the field and click “Check redirects”. The table lists every stop with status code and target – short links included – without you having to open the destination.
What is a redirect loop?
Two or more rules keep sending visitors to each other, for example https → http → https. Browsers then report “too many redirects”. A common cause is an HTTPS rule in the CMS clashing with one at the host or CDN.
Are the URLs I check stored?
No. The URL goes to our server for this one request only; nothing is logged. For the limit of 30 checks per hour, the server keeps a one-way hash of your IP in memory for at most one hour.
Sources and legal basis
- § 15.4 (Redirection 3xx): RFC 9110 – HTTP Semantics
- Google Search Central – Redirects and Google Search (301/308 permanent, 302/307 temporary)
- Google Search Central – HTTP status codes (Google follows up to 10 redirect hops)
- Google Search Central – Site moves with URL changes (avoid chaining redirects)
- RFC 6797 – HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
As of:
Related tools
- htaccess redirect generator (301, HTTPS, www).htaccess redirect generator: 301 redirects, force HTTPS, www, domain moves and more. With a URL test run and the Nginx equivalent, local in your browser.
- HTTP Status CodesLook up HTTP status codes: the meaning of 200, 301, 404, 500 and over 40 more codes explained, with search by code or keyword and a filter by class.
- SEO Checker: Analyze Any Web Page for FreeAudit any URL: title, meta description, H1, canonical, hreflang, noindex, Open Graph, structured data and alt text – with an SEO score and clear fixes.
- HTTP Header Checker with Security GradeSee every HTTP response header of a URL and grade its security headers – HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy – from A to F.
- robots.txt Checker with Sitemap ValidationIs a URL blocked for Googlebot, Bingbot or AI crawlers? This robots.txt checker shows the deciding rule, flags syntax issues and validates the sitemap.
- ASCII table with decimal, hex, octal, binary and Unicode lookupComplete ASCII table (0–127) plus Latin-1 (128–255): decimal, hex, octal, binary, HTML entity, control codes. Look up any Unicode character, UTF-8 included.