Redirect Chain Checker
A redirect chain checker uncovers every intermediate hop between a requested address and its final destination. When a URL redirects to another page that redirects again (e.g. A → B → C), this tool visually diagrams each hop, reporting the exact HTTP status codes (301, 302, 307, 308) and latency, helping you flatten chains into direct links.
Traces each intermediate HTTP redirect hop safely with SSRF protection and loop detection.
Hop Sequence
What is a redirect chain checker and when should you use it?
A redirect chain occurs when there is more than one redirect between the initial URL requested by a visitor or search bot and the destination page. For example, if an unencrypted non-www address redirects to non-www HTTPS, which then redirects to www HTTPS, visitors undergo two separate round-trip server requests. Search engines like Googlebot will follow up to 5 redirect hops before aborting crawling, and each intermediate hop dilutes PageRank and increases time-to-first-byte (TTFB). Use this tool to inspect live URL redirect paths, or check for circular traps using our Redirect Loop Detector. To format server-level rewrite directives that point straight to the destination, use our Redirect Code Generator or Nginx Redirect Generator.
How do you use it?
- Enter the starting URL into the inspection bar.
- Click the Trace Redirects button to initiate a step-by-step header inspection.
- Examine the visual chain diagram displaying every hop, HTTP status code, and latency.
- Identify intermediate redirect steps that can be bypassed or flattened.
- Update your internal links and server rewrite configuration to point directly to the final 200 OK URL.
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Result interpretation & practical applications
When evaluating the output of the redirect chain checker, review the parsed metrics against your specific site architecture. Outputs are formatted for direct implementation into your HTML source, web server configuration, or Google Search Console audit files.
Always inspect generated values for contextual nuance. Automated tools highlight structural patterns, but manual verification confirms that technical directives align with your overarching SEO strategy.
Technical rules and limitations
- Google guidelines recommend a single redirect hop from source to final target; chains of 3 or more hops frequently trigger crawl warnings.
- Permanent redirects (301 Moved Permanently and 308 Permanent Redirect) pass canonical authority; temporary codes (302, 307) do not consolidate equity.
- Each additional hop adds DNS lookup, TCP handshake, and TLS negotiation overhead, significantly slowing mobile rendering.
- Our backend executes non-following HTTP queries (`redirection = 0`) to capture exact server headers at each hop before safely advancing.
Common mistakes and troubleshooting
- Accumulating historical redirect rules across multiple site migrations without updating root references.
- Mixing protocol redirects (HTTP to HTTPS) with canonical hostname redirects (non-WWW to WWW) in consecutive steps instead of a single rewrite rule.
- Leaving internal website navigation links pointing to legacy URLs that initiate redirect chains.
- Combining permanent 301 redirects with temporary 302 redirects within the same sequential path.
No tool can promise how a search engine will crawl, index, or rank your pages. This tool generates and validates code against documented technical specifications; you determine where to deploy it, and you should always test changes on staging environments first. Google publishes extensive guidelines in Search Central on evaluating third-party SEO tools and advice. Learn more about our technical testing standards on our about us page, or explore full site audits on our pricing page.
Related free tools & workflows
Browse all Technical SEO Audit Tools →Technical SEO Audit Workflows
Indexability & Crawling
Redirects & HTTP Headers
Authoritative Technical Documentation & Standards
This tool executes logic aligned with official technical documentation and search engine webmaster standards:
- Google Search Central Redirects Documentation
Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Search
Primary engineering source and technical documentation.
- IETF RFC 9110 Redirection Specification
IETF RFC 9110: Redirection 3xx Status Codes
Primary engineering source and technical documentation.
Redirect Chain Checker questions
How many redirect hops does Google follow before giving up? ↓
Googlebot officially follows up to 5 redirect hops in a single crawl attempt. If a chain exceeds 5 hops, Google flags a redirect error in Google Search Console and ceases following the URL.
What is "redirect flattening"? ↓
Redirect flattening means updating your server rules and database so that URL A points directly to URL C, skipping intermediate URL B entirely.
Does a redirect chain cause ranking drops? ↓
While Google confirms that 301 redirects pass PageRank, long redirect chains degrade mobile load speeds and squander crawl budget, which indirectly harms organic search performance.
Is this tool free? ↓
Yes. It is completely free to use and requires no registration or subscription.
Does this tool visit my website or store my files? ↓
No. It executes entirely in your local browser runtime. Your inputs and results are never stored or logged on our servers.
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