Redirect checker: follow every hop of a URL

What does the redirect checker do?

When you open a link, the server may answer “this page is somewhere else” and send you on, sometimes several times. Browsers do this silently, so you only see the final page. The redirect checker shows the whole path: for every hop, the URL, the HTTP status code (301, 302, 303, 307, 308, 200, 404…), the Location header it points to and the time it took in milliseconds. It also follows a <meta http-equiv="refresh"> on the final page.

At the end you get the final URL and its status, plus warnings when something needs attention: a redirect loop, more than 10 hops, a chain of three or more hops (for SEO it is better to link straight to the final URL), a downgrade from https to http, a temporary redirect (302 or 307) where you probably meant a permanent one, or a final status that is not 200.

To do this, our server requests the URL for you, so you do not visit it yourself. For safety it refuses private and internal network addresses (localhost, 10.x, 192.168.x, cloud metadata addresses and similar), only uses ports 80 and 443, follows at most 10 hops with a 6-second timeout per hop, and does not store the URLs. One limitation to know: redirects done with JavaScript are not followed, because the tool does not run the page’s scripts.

With ToolStudio Pro you can check up to 20 URLs in one run, which is useful after a site migration.

How to check a redirect

1. 1Paste the URL you want to check.
2. 2Run the check; our server follows each redirect.
3. 3Read each hop: status code, Location and time.
4. 4Review the warnings and the final URL and status.
5. 5Fix chains or temporary redirects on your server, then check again.

When to use it

• Verifying 301 redirects after a site migration or URL change (up to 20 URLs per run with Pro).
• Checking that http and non-www versions of a site redirect to the right https address.
• Finding redirect chains that slow pages down and waste crawl budget.
• Diagnosing redirect loops (“too many redirects” errors).
• Checking where an affiliate, ad or short link really ends up.
• Confirming that an old page returns 301 and not 302.

301 vs 302 vs 307 vs 308

• 301 Moved Permanently: the page has moved for good. Search engines transfer the old URL to the new one. The usual choice for migrations. Browsers may change a POST into a GET.
• 302 Found: temporary redirect. Search engines generally keep the original URL indexed. Use it only when the move really is temporary.
• 303 See Other: sends the client to another page with a GET, typically after a form submission. Not meant for moving pages.
• 307 Temporary Redirect: like 302, but the method and body must stay the same (a POST stays a POST).
• 308 Permanent Redirect: like 301, but keeps the method and body. Treated as permanent by search engines.
• For SEO: use 301 or 308 for permanent moves, avoid chains, and link directly to the final URL.

Why redirect chains matter

Each hop adds a round trip before the page starts loading, and search engine crawlers may stop following long chains. A typical chain is http://example.com → https://example.com → https://www.example.com → https://www.example.com/home. Point the first URL, and your internal links, straight at the last one.

Frequently Asked Questions