Trace any URL's full redirect chain online in seconds. Spot redirect loops, long chains, and wrong 301/302 usage hurting your site's speed and SEO.

You redesign your site, change a dozen URLs, and set up redirects so old links land in the right place. Weeks later, traffic dips and nobody knows why. The culprit is often hiding in plain sight: a redirect that points to another redirect that points to a dead page, or a "temporary" redirect that was never meant to be temporary. A redirect checker follows the full chain for any URL and shows you exactly where it ends up.

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h2>What happens when a URL redirects

A redirect is an instruction from the server: "this page has moved, go here instead." Browsers and search engines follow it automatically, usually without you noticing. Problems start when chains get long, loops form, or the final destination is an error page. Each extra hop slows the visitor down and dilutes the ranking signals search engines pass along. Our Redirect Checker traces the complete path and reports every hop with its status code.

Reading the result like a pro

• 301 — permanent move: the correct choice for renamed pages and site migrations. Search engines transfer ranking signals to the new URL.
• 302 / 307 — temporary move: use only when the change is genuinely temporary, like maintenance. Search engines keep the old URL indexed.
• Chains: A → B → C → D. Each hop costs speed and link equity. Redirect straight from A to D.
• Loops: A → B → A. The page never loads. Fix immediately.

Checking a URL step by step

1. Paste the URL you want to test — an old link, a shortened link, or a migrated page.
2. Run the check and review the full redirect chain.
3. Confirm the final destination returns a 200 OK status.
4. Note the redirect types used at each hop.
5. Fix chains, loops, and wrong redirect types in your server or CMS settings.

When to run a check

After any site migration or domain change, after restructuring URLs, when traffic drops without explanation, when old marketing links stop converting, and periodically as routine maintenance. For individual status codes outside a redirect context, an HTTP status code checker gives you the same clarity for any URL.

Mistakes that quietly hurt rankings

Using 302 for permanent moves: the single most common redirect error. Search engines keep ranking the old URL, which may eventually disappear. Letting chains grow: every redesign adds a hop unless someone consolidates them. Audit yearly. Redirecting everything to the homepage: sending deleted product pages to the homepage frustrates visitors; redirect to the closest matching page or show a proper 404. After cleaning up, an SEO analyzer run confirms the technical picture is healthy again.

Frequently asked questions

How many redirects in a chain are too many?

One is ideal. Two is tolerable. Three or more should be consolidated — browsers may even stop following after too many hops.

Do redirects hurt SEO?

A single correct 301 passes nearly all ranking signals. Chains, loops, and wrong redirect types are what cause damage.

Can I check shortened links?

Yes — that is one of the best uses. The checker reveals the full destination chain behind any short URL before you click it.

What is the difference between 301 and 302?

A 301 means "moved permanently" and transfers ranking signals; a 302 means "moved temporarily" and does not. Mixing them up is a classic SEO mistake.

Conclusion

Redirects are invisible when they work and costly when they do not. A quick check of your important URLs — after migrations, redesigns, and on a regular schedule — keeps visitors and search engines arriving exactly where they should.