Skip to main content
Book Consultation →
Website tracking100% FreeInstant

Redirect Checker: Trace Every Redirect of a URL

This free redirect checker follows a URL hop by hop and shows every redirect on the way. You see each status code, the next address, the server that answered and the time it took, plus warnings for loops and long chains.

By Debmedia Technologies LLP · Kolkata, India · Updated

What Is a Redirect Checker?

A redirect checker is a tool that follows a web address step by step and shows every redirect it meets before it reaches the final page. A redirect is a response from a server that says “this page now lives somewhere else”, together with the new address. Browsers follow it so quickly that you never notice, which is why a redirect checker is the only practical way to see the whole chain.

Redirects are used when you change a domain, move to HTTPS, rename a page, merge two sites or remove the www prefix. Done well, they keep visitors and search rankings. Done badly, they slow pages down or break them.

How to Use This Redirect Checker

  1. Enter a URL such as example.com or http://example.com/old-page. If you leave out the scheme, we start with plain http:// so you can see whether the site upgrades to HTTPS.
  2. Choose how to make the request: as a desktop browser, as a mobile phone, as Googlebot or as Bingbot.
  3. Press Check redirects.
  4. Read the chain from the first address to the last, then the list of checks below it.

Redirect Status Codes Explained

CodeNameUse it for
301Moved PermanentlyA page or site that has moved for good. Passes ranking signals to the new address.
308Permanent RedirectThe same as 301, but it keeps the request method, such as POST.
302FoundA short-term move. Search engines may keep the old address.
307Temporary RedirectA temporary move that keeps the request method.
303See OtherSends the visitor to a result page after a form is submitted.

The behaviour of each code is defined in RFC 9110, the HTTP semantics specification.

Problems This Redirect Checker Finds

Redirect chains

A chain happens when address A redirects to B, and B redirects to C. Every extra hop costs time. Point A straight to C wherever you can. Googlebot follows at most 10 hops, so long chains can also lose search value.

Redirect loops

If A leads to B and B leads back to A, the browser shows “too many redirects”. The tool stops as soon as it sees an address twice and tells you where the loop starts.

Temporary redirects used for permanent moves

Using 302 where 301 is meant is one of the most common SEO mistakes. The page works, but search engines may keep indexing the old address.

HTTPS downgrades and missing HTTPS

The checker warns when a redirect sends visitors from HTTPS back to HTTP, or when the final page is not secure at all.

Best Practices for Redirects

  • Use 301 or 308 for permanent moves and keep them in place for at least a year.
  • Redirect every old address to the closest matching new page, not just to the home page.
  • Choose one preferred version of your site, with or without www, and redirect the other to it.
  • Redirect HTTP to HTTPS in a single hop.
  • Update internal links and sitemaps to point to final addresses, so visitors skip the redirect entirely.

If a site does not answer at all, inspect its records with the DNS lookup tool and find its address with the domain to IP lookup. To see the network path to the server, try the traceroute tool. Each request here comes from our server, so results can differ from what a visitor in another country sees.

Frequently Asked Questions

A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved permanently. Search engines pass most of the old page's ranking signals to the new address, so it is the right choice for permanent moves.
301 and 308 mean permanent, while 302 and 307 mean temporary. 307 and 308 also keep the original request method, so a POST stays a POST, which 301 and 302 do not guarantee.
Keep it to one or two. Every hop adds delay, and Googlebot follows at most 10 hops before it gives up. Long chains also make errors harder to find.
Some sites send search engines to different addresses than visitors. Checking as Googlebot or as a mobile phone shows what each of them really receives.

Disclaimer: results come from live requests and can change as records and servers change. We cannot guarantee that every answer matches what every visitor sees.