What Redirect Checker checks
- Redirect chain — every step: address, response code, time and server IP.
- Redirect type — permanent (301, 308) or temporary (302, 303, 307), as well as a meta refresh redirect.
- Loops — when addresses redirect to one another and the page never opens.
- Length — how many redirects go in a row and how much time they take.
- End of the chain — whether it finishes with a 200 page rather than an error, and whether over https.
- Different agents — how the site responds to a browser, a smartphone, Googlebot and Bingbot.
Types of redirects
Why long chains and loops hurt
Every redirect adds a delay, and Googlebot spends crawl budget on it. A typical example: http://example.com leads to https://example.com, that to https://www.example.com, and that to a page with a trailing slash. Three steps instead of one. Google follows up to ten redirects, but with a long chain the page is crawled worse and opens more slowly. A loop is even worse: the browser shows an error, and the bot never reaches the page at all.
Common redirect problems
- A temporary redirect instead of a permanent one for the switch to https or www: Google keeps treating the old version as the main one for longer.
- All old pages redirect to the homepage after a redesign: Google treats this as a «soft» 404.
- A redirect from https to http: the site loses encryption, and browsers show a warning.
- A redirect via meta refresh or JavaScript: slower and less reliable than a server-side one.
- Old redirects pointing to deleted pages: the chain ends with a 404 error.
If a redirect leads to https, also check the SSL certificate. Whether pages are blocked from bots is shown by Robots.txt Checker, and whether they are in search by the page indexing check.
Limits of the check
We follow up to ten redirects and understand only server-side ones (the Location header) and meta refresh. JavaScript redirects cannot be seen without running the page, so we do not track them. Some sites return different responses to a bot and a human or block third-party requests: then the result may differ from what a visitor sees.
The response headers at every step of the chain are shown by HTTP Headers Checker.
What else StayIndexed can do
This page is a free tool from the StayIndexed service. In your account you can save a list of URLs, refresh the check in one click and see the redirect chain change history (also free), while the main job of the service is to track how your pages are doing in Google.
How much it costs
The check is free, both on this page and in your account. Tokens are used to pay for the other services: indexing, speed and backlinks cost 3 tokens per check. 30 tokens are credited at sign-up, no card required.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check a page’s redirect?
Enter the page address in the form above: we will follow the entire chain and show the code, timing and address of each step, plus any problems found.
What is the difference between 301 and 302?
301 means the page has moved permanently, and search engines carry its signals over to the new address. 302 is temporary: the old address stays the main one. A move, a switch to https and www all need a 301.
How many redirects are acceptable in a chain?
Ideally one direct redirect to the final address. Google follows up to ten, but each step adds a delay and uses crawl budget, so chains of three or more steps should be shortened.
What is a redirect loop?
It is a situation where addresses redirect to one another in a circle. The page does not open, and the browser shows a too many redirects error. The cause is usually conflicting .htaccess, CMS or CDN rules.
Do redirects affect SEO?
Yes. A correct 301 carries the old page’s signals over to the new one, while temporary, long or looping redirects hurt crawling and indexing and slow the site down.
How much does a redirect check cost?
Nothing: the check is free both on this page and in your StayIndexed account. In your account you can save a list of URLs, refresh the check in one click and see the chain change history.