How many redirects are too many?

One is ideal. Chains of two or more waste crawl requests and slow page loads, and very long chains may not be followed to the end.

Does it follow JavaScript or meta refresh redirects?

No. It follows HTTP redirects (3xx responses with a Location header), which are the ones search engines rely on.

Why is my URL rejected?

For safety the tool only requests public websites on standard ports. Local, private-network and internal addresses are blocked.

Redirect chain checker

Enter any public URL to follow its redirects one hop at a time and see every status code along the way.

How to use the redirect chain checker

Enter the full URL you want to test, for example an old URL after a migration.
Select Check redirects.
Read the hop list from top to bottom: each row is one request and where it was sent next.
Fix anything flagged, then test again.

Examples

A chain to shorten

http://example.com → 301 → https://example.com → 301 → https://www.example.com/ → 200. Two hops. Point the first URL directly at the final one so users and crawlers make a single request.

A loop

/old → 302 → /new → 302 → /old. Nothing can load. One of the rules needs removing.

Understanding the results

301 / 308: Permanent redirect. Signals should consolidate on the destination.
302 / 307: Temporary redirect. Fine for short-lived moves; use a permanent one if the change is permanent.
Chain: Two or more redirects in a row. Each hop adds latency and risk; aim for one.
Loop: The chain returns to a URL already visited, so no page is ever reached.

Frequently asked questions

How many redirects are too many?: One is ideal. Chains of two or more waste crawl requests and slow page loads, and very long chains may not be followed to the end.
Does it follow JavaScript or meta refresh redirects?: No. It follows HTTP redirects (3xx responses with a Location header), which are the ones search engines rely on.
Why is my URL rejected?: For safety the tool only requests public websites on standard ports. Local, private-network and internal addresses are blocked.