URL redirect checker

Follow every hop a link takes

When you click a link, it may bounce through several addresses before you land on the final page: from http to https, from the root domain to www, through a tracking service or a URL shortener. Each hop is a redirect with its own status code. This checker follows the chain for up to 10 redirects and shows each URL along with its status code.

That matters for SEO and speed. A 301 (permanent) redirect tells search engines to transfer the old page's signals to the new one, while a 302 (temporary) says the move is short-term. Long chains slow visitors down, waste crawl budget and can lose tracking parameters, and redirect loops break pages entirely.

It's also a safety tool: expand shortened or tracking links to see the real destination before you visit.

How to use the url redirect checker

1. Enter the URL you want to test, including http:// or https://.
2. Submit the check.
3. Review each step in the chain and its status code.
4. Make sure the final URL is the one you intended and returns 200.

Common uses

• Checking that a site migration or URL change uses 301 redirects.
• Making sure http:// and non-www versions redirect to your preferred address in one hop.
• Finding and fixing redirect chains and loops.
• Expanding short links (bit.ly and similar) to see where they really go.
• Testing affiliate and campaign links before launch.

Tips and things to know

• Aim for a single hop. Update old redirects to point straight at the final URL instead of stacking them.
• Use 301 or 308 for permanent moves and 302 or 307 for temporary ones.
• Update internal links to point directly at the final URL so visitors skip redirects altogether.
• Check that UTM tags survive the redirect; build them with the UTM link generator. Check the final destination yourself before sharing the link.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?

A 301 is permanent and tells search engines to index the new URL. A 302 is temporary and suggests the original URL will return.

Do redirects hurt SEO?

A single, correct 301 passes ranking signals well. Long chains, loops and redirects to irrelevant pages can cause problems.

What is a redirect loop?

It's when URLs redirect to each other in a circle, so the browser never reaches a page and shows an error like "too many redirects".

What are 307 and 308 redirects?

They're the temporary (307) and permanent (308) equivalents of 302 and 301 that also preserve the request method, such as POST.

How many redirects are too many?

Keep it to one where possible. Browsers and crawlers give up after a certain number, and every hop adds delay.

Related tools

• HTTP headers lookup: Get all the HTTP headers that an URL returns for a typical GET request.
• URL parser: Parse details from any URLs.
• UTM link generator: Easily add UTM valid parameters and generate a UTM trackable link.
• SSL Lookup: Get all possible details about an SSL certificate.