About the Redirect Checker
Redirect Checker is a free, browser-based utility that helps webmasters, SEO specialists, and developers trace every hop in a URL’s redirect chain, displaying HTTP status codes, Location headers, and response time.
Use Redirect Checker whenever you make site changes, such as migrations, domain updates, or plugin installations, to identify and fix redirect loops that can harm your site's performance and SEO, causing duplicate content issues and wasting traffic, for example, when updating your ₹-based e-commerce site to use UPI payments.
The tool works entirely in your browser, using JavaScript's Fetch API, and follows redirects exactly as Googlebot does, respecting 301/302 status codes and canonical headers, ensuring accurate results without storing any data, so you can check your GST-compliant website's redirects securely.
How to use the Redirect Checker
- Enter the full URL, including http:// or https://, into the input box to start the redirect tracing process.
- Click 'Check Redirects' to initiate the tracing of every hop in the redirect chain.
- Review the status code table, headers, and round-trip time for each step to identify potential issues.
- Adjust your server configuration or CMS redirects to optimize the chain, and re-run the check until the chain is simplified.
Tips & benchmarks
- Limit redirect chains to a maximum of two hops to minimize latency and improve user experience, aiming for a response time of under 200ms.
- Use 301 redirects for permanent moves and avoid 302 or 307 unless the change is temporary, as 302s can lose ranking signals, affecting your website's visibility.
- Run Redirect Checker on at least 100 old URLs after a domain migration to ensure all chains are flat and canonical, reducing the risk of duplicate content issues.
- Keep a direct 301 from the merchant's main site to the UPI QR link for payment pages to avoid extra hops that slow transaction completion, ensuring a seamless payment experience.
- Schedule quarterly audits with the tool to catch accidental redirects introduced by plugin updates and maintain optimal site performance, saving you time and ₹
Frequently asked questions
What is a redirect chain?
A redirect chain is a series of redirects that occur when a user requests a URL. Each redirect in the chain can cause additional latency and potentially harm your site's performance and SEO. Our Redirect Checker helps you identify and optimize these chains.
How does a redirect checker work?
A redirect checker, like ours, works by sending an HTTP request to the specified URL and following the redirects exactly as Googlebot does. It then displays the status codes, Location headers, and response time for each step in the chain, helping you identify potential issues.
Is a 302 bad for SEO?
A 302 redirect can be bad for SEO if used incorrectly. Since 302s are meant for temporary redirects, they can cause search engines to lose ranking signals. It's recommended to use 301 redirects for permanent moves to maintain your website's visibility.
Why does the checker show a different result from my browser?
The Redirect Checker shows results based on how Googlebot follows redirects, which might differ from how your browser handles them. This discrepancy can be due to various factors, including browser caching or redirect handling. Our tool provides a more accurate representation of how search engines see your redirects.
Can I use this tool for website migration?
Yes, our Redirect Checker is particularly useful during website migrations. It helps you identify and fix redirect loops, ensuring that all URLs are properly redirected to their new locations, reducing the risk of duplicate content issues and maintaining your site's SEO.
Does the tool store my URLs or any data?
No, our Redirect Checker works entirely in your browser and does not store any data, including URLs. All processing happens locally, ensuring your website's security and privacy. You can use the tool with confidence, knowing that your data remains secure.
All tools on 24SevenUpdates are free to use for personal and commercial work. Calculations and file conversions are performed in your browser; the redirect and cache checkers make a single request to the URL you enter and store nothing. Found a bug or want a new tool? Tell us.