How to Check Redirects and Fix Redirect Chains

To check a redirect, trace the URL one hop at a time and read the status code at each step. A browser only shows you the final address, so it hides chains and temporary redirects. The goal is one hop: the old URL sends straight to the final page, which returns 200.

The quickest way is the Redirect Checker. It shows every hop, the status code, any loop, and which URL ends up canonical to Google. Below is what the codes mean and how to fix the common problems.

What 301, 302, 307 and 308 mean

All four send visitors to a new URL. Google reads them differently, according to its documentation on HTTP status codes and crawlers:

• 301 (moved permanently): a strong signal that the target is the page to keep.
• 308 (permanent redirect): treated the same as 301.
• 302 (found): a weak signal, so the original URL may stay in search results.
• 307 (temporary redirect): treated the same as 302.

In short, use 301 or 308 when a move is permanent, and 302 or 307 when it really is temporary. Google’s redirects guide explains how each choice affects which URL appears in results.

Three ways to check a redirect

1. A redirect checker (easiest)

Paste the URL into the Redirect Checker. You get each hop in order, with its status code, so a chain or loop is obvious at a glance.

2. Your browser’s developer tools

Open DevTools (F12), go to the Network tab, tick Preserve log, then load the URL. Each redirect appears as its own row with a 301 or 302 status.

3. The command line

This prints each response status and where it points:

curl -sIL https://example.com/old-page | grep -iE "^(HTTP|location)"

Redirect chains and loops

A chain is a URL that redirects to another redirect, such as A to B to C. Visitors wait through every extra hop. Googlebot follows up to 10 hops by default, so a chain isn’t fatal, but it’s slower and almost always a simple fix.

A loop is worse: A sends to B and B sends back to A. Browsers stop with a “too many redirects” error and the page never loads, for people or for Google.

The most common redirect mistakes

• Stacked rules. An old URL goes to HTTP, then HTTPS, then the www version. Point it straight at the final version.
• A 302 left in place for a permanent move. If the move is permanent, switch to 301 or 308.
• Sending every old page to the homepage. Visitors land somewhere they didn’t ask for. Redirect to the closest equivalent page.
• JavaScript redirects. Google says to use them only if server-side redirects aren’t possible, because rendering can fail and Google might never see the redirect.
• Redirecting to a page that errors. If the final URL returns a 404 or 5xx, the redirect is useless. See our guide to the 5xx server error.

How to fix a redirect chain

1. Trace the starting URL and write down every hop and the final URL.
2. Change the first URL’s rule so it points directly to the final URL.
3. Update internal links, your sitemap and canonical tags to use the final URL, so nobody needs the redirect.
4. Run the check again and confirm it’s a single hop ending in 200.

To find old links that now point to redirects or errors across a page, use the Broken Link Checker. To see whether the final page is actually in Google, use the Google Index Checker.

FAQs

Is a 301 or a 302 better for SEO?

Neither is better in general. Use 301 (or 308) for permanent moves and 302 (or 307) for temporary ones. Google treats 301 as a strong signal about which URL to keep and 302 as a weak one.

How many redirects are too many?

Aim for one. Googlebot follows up to 10 hops by default, but each extra hop slows the page down for visitors.

Do redirects lose SEO value?

Google doesn’t publish a percentage. A clean, permanent redirect to an equivalent page is the safe approach. Chains, loops and redirects to irrelevant pages are where problems start.

How long should I keep a 301 redirect?

Keep it for as long as people or other sites might still use the old URL. Removing it early can leave visitors and old links at an error page.