About the Redirect Checker
Paste a URL and see every hop between it and the final destination, with the status code and headers at each step. The two things to watch are chain length and status type.
Chains cost a full round trip per hop. On a mobile connection three chained redirects can add most of a second before a single byte of content arrives, and crawlers give up after a handful. When you migrate a site, point every old URL straight at its final destination rather than letting last year's redirect rules stack on top of this year's.
The status code matters just as much. A 302 tells search engines the move is temporary and to keep the old URL indexed; a 301 or 308 says the move is permanent and passes the signals across. Temporary redirects left in place after a permanent move are one of the most common reasons a migration loses traffic that never comes back.
Common questions
What's the difference between a 301 and a 302 here?
A 301 tells search engines the move is permanent and passes ranking signals to the new URL. A 302 says it's temporary, so the old URL stays indexed. Leaving a 302 in place for a permanent move is a common reason migrations lose traffic.
How many redirect hops are too many?
More than two or three. Each hop adds a full round trip, mobile connections suffer the most, and crawlers give up following long chains before reaching the final page.
Can it detect a redirect loop?
Yes — if a chain returns to a URL it already visited, the tool stops and reports the loop rather than hanging.