Redirect Chain Checker — Trace Hops & Detect Loops Free
Trace any URL's full redirect path hop by hop. Detect chains, loops, and unnecessary hops that hurt crawl budget and link equity. Free, no login required.
What is a Redirect Chain Checker?
The Redirect Chain Checker traces the full redirect path for any URL you enter, listing every hop in sequence — from the original address through each intermediate step to the final destination. Each hop shows its HTTP status code and the URL before and after, and a visual diagram makes long paths easy to follow. It also flags loops, where a URL appears more than once in the path.
What is a redirect chain?
A redirect chain is when a URL passes through two or more redirects before reaching its final destination — for example, URL A returns a 301 to URL B, which returns a 301 to URL C. A single redirect (A straight to C) is normal and expected after a URL changes. A chain means extra, avoidable steps have built up, usually from successive migrations, an HTTP-to-HTTPS rule stacked on top of a www rule, or old redirect entries that were never consolidated when new ones were added. The checker shows the exact sequence so you can see where the extra hops were introduced.
Why redirect chains hurt SEO
Redirect chains hurt SEO in two ways. Each hop adds roughly 100–300ms of latency, which compounds on mobile connections where every extra roundtrip is amplified — slowing the page and weakening Core Web Vitals. Each hop also dilutes the link equity passed to the final destination, so a three-hop chain transfers less authority than a direct redirect. On large sites, long chains waste crawl budget, and Googlebot may stop following a path before it reaches the end, leaving the destination uncrawled and unindexed. Google's own guidance is to keep redirects to a single hop.
How to fix a redirect chain
To fix a redirect chain, update the redirect rule at the source so it points directly to the final destination, skipping every intermediate hop. In Apache .htaccess or Nginx config, find each rule in the chain and replace them with one rule from the original URL straight to the live destination. Where the redirect is internal to your own site, also update the source link to the final URL so the redirect never fires at all. After editing, re-run this checker to confirm the chain has collapsed to a single 301 before you consider the fix complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a redirect chain and how do I fix it?
A redirect chain is when a URL passes through two or more intermediate redirects before reaching its final destination. Fix it by updating the redirect rule at the source to point directly to the final destination, skipping all intermediate steps. The Redirect Chain Checker shows the exact chain so you know which rules to update.
How many redirect hops is too many?
More than two hops is considered problematic for SEO. Each additional hop adds latency and dilutes PageRank passed to the final destination. Aim for a single 301 hop from source to final destination wherever possible, and treat any chain longer than two hops as a bug to fix.
What causes a redirect loop?
A redirect loop occurs when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects back to URL A. Common causes include misconfigured .htaccess rules, CMS permalink settings conflicting with server-level redirects, and HTTPS redirect rules that catch the already-redirected URL. The tool detects loops and shows the exact cycle.
Do redirect chains hurt SEO?
Yes. Each hop reduces PageRank passed to the final destination and adds 100–300ms of latency per step. A three-hop chain can meaningfully slow page load and reduce link equity transfer. Chains also increase the chance that Googlebot abandons crawling before reaching the final URL.
How do I tell if a redirect is a 301 or 302?
The Redirect Chain Checker shows the HTTP status code at every hop in the chain. A 301 indicates permanent; a 302 indicates temporary. If a redirect that should be permanent is returning 302, update your server configuration or .htaccess — most CMS platforms let you set the redirect type explicitly in their redirect manager.
Do redirect chains lose PageRank?
Yes. Each hop in a redirect chain dilutes the link equity passed through. A 301 from A to B to C loses more authority than a direct A-to-C redirect. The additional latency from each hop also hurts crawl efficiency. Fix chains by updating the origin redirect rule to point directly to the final destination URL, bypassing every intermediate step.
What is the fastest way to fix a redirect chain?
Update the source redirect rule to point directly to the final destination URL, skipping all intermediate hops. In Apache .htaccess or Nginx configuration, locate every redirect rule in the chain and consolidate them into a single rule from the original source to the final destination. After updating, use this tool to confirm the chain has collapsed to a single hop before considering the fix complete.
Related Tools
Bulk Redirect Checker
Crawl & AuditValidate large batches of redirects instantly during site migrations and preserv…
Bulk Status Checker
Crawl & AuditCheck HTTP status codes for hundreds of URLs at once to audit site health, find…
Broken Link Checker
Crawl & AuditIdentify 404s and broken links across multiple URLs to protect user experience a…
Sitemap Health Auditor
Crawl & AuditAudit every URL in a sitemap for status codes, indexability, and structural issu…