Redirect Checker

Follow and analyze redirect chains. Trace 301, 302, 307, 308 redirects and detect redirect loops.

Check Redirects

Enter a URL to trace its redirect chain and detect loops

What Are HTTP Redirects?

HTTP redirects are server responses that instruct browsers to navigate to a different URL than the one originally requested. When a server sends a 3xx status code along with a Location header, the browser automatically follows the redirect to the new destination. This happens transparently to users—they simply end up at the final URL.

Redirects are fundamental to how the web works. They enable site migrations, URL restructuring, HTTPS enforcement, vanity URLs, and countless other use cases. However, improper redirect implementation can harm SEO rankings, slow down page loads, and create frustrating user experiences.

URL Migration

Preserve SEO value when changing URLs or domains

HTTPS Enforcement

Redirect HTTP traffic to secure HTTPS

URL Canonicalization

Consolidate www and non-www versions

Geo-Targeting

Route users to region-specific content

Understanding Redirect Status Codes

Not all redirects are equal. The HTTP status code determines how browsers and search engines interpret and handle the redirect. Using the wrong code can cause SEO problems or unexpected behavior.

Code Name Type SEO Effect Use Case
301 Moved Permanently Permanent Passes ~90-99% of link equity to new URL. Search engines update their index. URL changes, site migrations, domain changes
302 Found Temporary Original URL keeps its rankings. New URL not indexed. A/B testing, temporary maintenance, geo-redirects
303 See Other Temporary Similar to 302. Forces GET request to new URL. After form POST submissions (Post/Redirect/Get pattern)
307 Temporary Redirect Temporary Same as 302, but preserves HTTP method (POST stays POST). API redirects, when method preservation matters
308 Permanent Redirect Permanent Same as 301, but preserves HTTP method. Permanent API endpoint changes
Quick Rule of Thumb

301 = "This page has permanently moved. Update your bookmarks and search indexes."
302 = "This page is temporarily somewhere else. Keep the original URL in your records."

301 vs 302: When to Use Each

Use 301 Permanent Redirect When:
  • URL structure changes permanently - Moving /blog/post to /articles/post
  • Domain migration - oldsite.com to newsite.com
  • HTTPS migration - HTTP to HTTPS (one-time change)
  • Consolidating duplicate pages - Merging similar content
  • Fixing broken URLs - Redirecting 404s to relevant pages
  • Removing trailing slashes - /page/ to /page (or vice versa)
  • www canonicalization - www.site.com to site.com
Use 302 Temporary Redirect When:
  • A/B testing - Testing different landing pages
  • Maintenance pages - Temporary "under construction" redirects
  • Geo-targeting - Redirecting users based on location
  • Device-based redirects - Mobile users to m.site.com
  • Promotional campaigns - Temporary sale page redirects
  • Content in flux - When you'll revert the change
  • Login redirects - Sending users to login then back

Redirect Chains and Loops

A redirect chain occurs when one redirect leads to another, which leads to another. While sometimes unavoidable, long chains hurt performance and SEO.

Redirect Chains

Example of a redirect chain:

http://site.com/page
  ↓ 301 redirect
https://site.com/page
  ↓ 301 redirect
https://www.site.com/page
  ↓ 301 redirect
https://www.site.com/new-page

Problems:

  • Each hop adds 50-100ms latency
  • Search engines may stop following after 5+ redirects
  • PageRank dilutes with each hop (~10% loss per redirect)
  • Wastes crawl budget
Redirect Loops

Example of a redirect loop:

https://site.com/page-a
  ↓ 301 redirect
https://site.com/page-b
  ↓ 301 redirect
https://site.com/page-a  ← Back to start!

Common causes:

  • Conflicting .htaccess rules
  • Plugin conflicts (WordPress)
  • CDN and origin server both redirecting
  • HTTP/HTTPS misconfiguration
  • www/non-www conflicts
Best Practice: Keep Chains Under 3 Hops

Google recommends redirect chains of 3 or fewer hops. Ideally, update all old links to point directly to the final destination URL rather than relying on chains.

SEO Impact of Redirects

Redirects are powerful SEO tools when used correctly, but they can also damage rankings when misused.

SEO Benefits
  • Preserve link equity - 301s pass ranking signals to new URLs
  • Consolidate duplicate content - Combine ranking signals from multiple URLs
  • Fix broken links - Recover value from 404 pages with backlinks
  • Enable site migrations - Move domains without losing rankings
  • Clean URL structure - Improve user experience and crawlability
SEO Risks
  • Wrong redirect type - Using 302 when 301 is needed loses equity
  • Long redirect chains - Dilutes PageRank and slows crawling
  • Redirect loops - Pages become completely inaccessible
  • Redirecting to irrelevant pages - Confuses users and search engines
  • Too many redirects - Wastes crawl budget on redirects vs content

How to Implement Redirects

There are several ways to implement redirects depending on your server and platform.

Apache (.htaccess)

Single page redirect:

Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page

Regex-based redirect:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^old-directory/(.*)$ /new-directory/$1 [R=301,L]

HTTP to HTTPS:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
Nginx

Single page redirect:

location = /old-page {
    return 301 https://example.com/new-page;
}

Regex-based redirect:

location ~ ^/old-directory/(.*)$ {
    return 301 /new-directory/$1;
}

HTTP to HTTPS:

server {
    listen 80;
    return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}
PHP
<?php
// 301 Permanent Redirect
header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently");
header("Location: https://example.com/new-page");
exit();

// 302 Temporary Redirect
header("Location: https://example.com/temp-page");
exit();
?>
JavaScript (Client-Side)
// Immediate redirect
window.location.href = "https://example.com/new-page";

// Or using replace (no back button)
window.location.replace("https://example.com/new-page");
Warning: JavaScript redirects are not SEO-friendly. Search engines may not follow them. Use server-side redirects when possible.

Common Redirect Scenarios

Scenario Redirect Type From To
HTTP to HTTPS 301 http://example.com/* https://example.com/*
Non-www to www 301 https://example.com/* https://www.example.com/*
Remove trailing slash 301 /page/ /page
Domain change 301 oldsite.com/* newsite.com/*
Page renamed 301 /old-page-name /new-page-name
Maintenance mode 302 /shop/* /maintenance
Geo redirect 302 example.com example.de (for German IPs)
Mobile redirect 302 example.com m.example.com

Redirect Best Practices

Do
  • Use 301 for permanent changes, 302 for temporary
  • Redirect to the most relevant replacement page
  • Keep redirect chains under 3 hops
  • Update internal links to point to final URLs
  • Test redirects after implementation
  • Monitor 404s and create redirects for popular pages
  • Document your redirects in a spreadsheet
  • Update XML sitemap with new URLs
Don't
  • Redirect all old pages to the homepage (soft 404)
  • Use JavaScript redirects for SEO purposes
  • Create redirect loops
  • Use meta refresh redirects
  • Forget to update canonical tags after redirecting
  • Remove redirects too quickly (keep for at least 1 year)
  • Chain redirects through multiple domains
  • Use 302 when 301 is appropriate

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Cause: Browser detected a redirect loop and stopped following.

Solutions:

  • Clear browser cookies for the site
  • Check for conflicting redirect rules in .htaccess
  • Disable plugins one by one (WordPress)
  • Verify CDN settings aren't conflicting with origin
  • Check for HTTP/HTTPS redirect conflicts

Possible causes:

  • Browser caching the old redirect (clear cache or test in incognito)
  • .htaccess file not being read (check AllowOverride setting)
  • Rule order issues (redirects should be before rewrites)
  • Missing RewriteEngine On directive
  • Syntax error in redirect rule

Possible causes:

  • Redirect is actually a 302 (verify with this tool)
  • Destination page is very different from original (relevance matters)
  • Long redirect chain diluting value
  • Google hasn't recrawled yet (can take weeks)
  • Destination page has noindex tag

Frequently Asked Questions

A redirect is an HTTP response that tells the browser to go to a different URL. When you visit a URL that redirects, the server sends a 3xx status code along with the new URL (Location header). The browser then automatically requests the new URL.

A 301 redirect is permanent - it tells search engines to transfer all SEO value to the new URL. A 302 redirect is temporary - search engines keep the original URL indexed. Use 301 for permanent URL changes and 302 for temporary situations like maintenance or A/B testing.

A redirect loop occurs when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects back to URL A (or through a chain that eventually returns to A). This creates an infinite loop that browsers will eventually stop following. Loops are often caused by misconfigured server rules or conflicting plugins.

Each redirect adds latency (slower page loads), and search engines may not follow long redirect chains completely. Google recommends keeping redirect chains to 3 hops or fewer. Long chains can also dilute PageRank and cause crawl budget waste.

Recent Redirect Checks

Recently analyzed URLs

Original URLFinal URLRedirectsStatusChecked
allcitymenu.comallcitymenu.com0OKApr 29, 2026 11:37

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