What this tool does
Enter a URL and the tool follows it step by step, listing every redirect it meets: the status code, the address it went to, and how long each hop took. It stops at the final page, or after 10 hops.
Why redirect chains matter
A redirect is one extra request. A chain of them (A to B to C to D) adds delay for every visitor and wastes crawl budget. Search engines may stop following after a handful of hops. The usual fix is to redirect the old address straight to the final one.
Typical chains on real sites:
http://example.comtohttps://example.comtohttps://www.example.comto a trailing-slash version. Each step is a separate hop, so a cleaner setup does it in one.- An old URL redirected to a page that has itself since been redirected.
- Affiliate or tracking links that pass through several redirectors before landing.
Types of redirect you may see
301 and 308 are permanent. 302 and 307 are temporary. A temporary redirect left in place for years is a common SEO mistake, because search engines may keep treating the old URL as the main one.
A loop (A to B to A) never ends in a browser, which stops with a “too many redirects” error. The tool stops at 10 hops, which makes loops easy to spot.
Limits
- It traces HTTP redirects only. A redirect done with JavaScript or a
<meta http-equiv="refresh">tag isn’t followed. - The request comes from this site’s server, so geo-based or cookie-based redirects may behave differently from how they behave for you.
- Results are cached for 15 minutes, with up to 15 traces a minute allowed.
To fix a chain on Apache, the .htaccess redirect generator can write the replacement rules.
How many redirects will it follow?
Up to 10 hops. If it gets that far, you probably have a loop or a very long chain.
Does it follow JavaScript or meta refresh redirects?
No. Only HTTP redirects with Location headers.
Is a redirect chain bad for SEO?
A short chain is fine. Long ones slow the page and can be abandoned by crawlers. Point old URLs directly to the final destination.
Why is the result different from my browser?
The tool requests from this server. Redirects based on country, cookies or user agent may differ.
What is a redirect loop?
A redirect loop is a chain that returns to an earlier address, for example A to B and back to A. Browsers stop with a ‘too many redirects’ error. This tool stops at 10 hops, which makes loops easy to spot.