URL redirect checker

How redirects work

An HTTP redirect is a server response that tells the client to request a different URL. Redirects are used for many purposes: moving content permanently, sending users from HTTP to HTTPS, directing traffic after a domain change, or routing based on language or location. Each redirect adds an extra round trip between the client and the server, so long or looping chains can slow pages down and confuse both users and search engines.

Common status codes

• 301 Moved Permanently signals that the target URL has permanently replaced the original. Search engines typically transfer ranking signals to the new URL.
• 302 Found indicates a temporary redirect. The original URL is expected to remain valid, so ranking signals stay with the original URL.
• 307 Temporary Redirect is similar to 302 but preserves the request method, which matters for form submissions and API calls.
• 308 Permanent Redirect is the permanent counterpart to 307 and preserves the request method.

What this tool traces

The checker follows up to 10 redirect hops for the given URL and displays the status code and location at each step. This makes it possible to see where a redirect chain starts, how many intermediate hops exist, and whether the final destination is reached cleanly. A chain that ends in a 200 status code resolves successfully. Chains that loop, exceed the limit, or end in an error status need investigation.

Practical uses

Use this tool after site migrations to confirm that old URLs redirect to the correct new locations. It also helps detect redirect loops, unnecessary chains, and mixed HTTP/HTTPS hops that waste crawl budget. Keeping redirect chains short, ideally one hop, improves user experience and helps search engines process links efficiently.

Limitations

The tool follows redirects for a single URL up to a maximum of 10 hops. It reports the redirect status and target but does not evaluate SEO impact, confirm that search engines have processed the redirects, or test behavior for different user agents. Some servers respond differently depending on cookies, headers, or geolocation. Use the trace as a diagnostic view of the redirect path, not as a guarantee of how every client will be treated.