Free Redirect Checker

What Are URL Redirects and Why Do They Matter for SEO?

A URL redirect automatically sends visitors (and search engine crawlers) from one URL to another. Redirects are essential when you move content, change domain names or switch from HTTP to HTTPS — but misconfigured redirects can silently drain your PageRank and slow down your pages.

The difference between a 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary) redirect has real SEO consequences. A 301 passes most of the link equity from the old URL to the new one. A 302 does not — and if you’ve accidentally used 302 for a permanent move, Google may continue indexing the old page. Our tool checks your redirect configuration as part of a full 64-point SEO audit so you catch these issues early.

What We Check in Your Redirect Configuration

Redirect Detected

Identifies whether any HTTP redirect occurs when your URL is fetched. A missing redirect where one is expected (e.g. HTTP → HTTPS) is flagged immediately.

301 vs 302 Type

Distinguishes permanent (301) from temporary (302) redirects. Permanently moved pages must use 301 — only 301 passes full link equity to the destination URL.

Redirect Chain Length

Counts the number of redirect hops before the browser reaches the final URL. Each hop adds latency and dilutes link equity. Best practice is a single direct hop.

Final Destination

Shows the fully resolved final URL after all redirects complete. This lets you verify traffic lands on the correct canonical destination.

HTTP → HTTPS

Checks whether the site correctly redirects all HTTP traffic to the HTTPS version. This is a confirmed Google ranking signal and affects the padlock shown in browsers.

WWW Handling

Verifies that www.site.com and site.com consistently redirect to a single canonical version. Inconsistent www handling creates duplicate content and splits link equity.

Common Redirect Mistakes We Detect

Using 302 instead of 301 for permanent moves — If a page has permanently moved, always use 301. A 302 tells Google the move is temporary — it will keep crawling and indexing the old URL and link equity will not transfer to the new page.
Redirect chains with 3 or more hops — Each redirect hop adds 50–300ms of latency and a small amount of lost link equity. A chain of 5+ hops can make a page effectively inaccessible to Googlebot, which gives up after hitting its redirect limit.
Missing HTTP → HTTPS redirect — Google demotes plain HTTP pages and Chrome marks them as “Not Secure”. Every site must redirect all HTTP traffic to its HTTPS equivalent with a 301.
Inconsistent www vs non-www — If both www.site.com and site.com serve content without redirecting to a single canonical version, Google sees two separate websites. This splits link equity and can cause duplicate content penalties.
Redirect loops — URL A redirects to URL B which redirects back to A (or a longer cycle). This makes the page completely uncrawlable and will return a “Too many redirects” error in browsers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a URL redirect?

A URL redirect is a server response that automatically sends a visitor (or search crawler) from one URL to another. Redirects are essential when content moves, URLs change, or you need to consolidate HTTP and HTTPS or www and non-www versions of your site.

What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect for SEO?

A 301 redirect is permanent — it tells Google and other crawlers that the original URL has moved forever to the new location. Google passes most link equity (PageRank) through a 301. A 302 redirect is temporary — Google treats it as a brief detour and continues indexing the original URL. Using 302 for a permanent move means you lose SEO value on the new URL.

What is a redirect chain and why is it bad for SEO?

A redirect chain is when a URL redirects to another URL, which then redirects again, creating multiple hops before reaching the final page. For example: old-page.com → intermediate.com → new-page.com. Each hop adds page load time and a small loss of link equity. Google recommends a maximum of 3 hops, and Googlebot may stop following a chain after 5 hops — making the final page effectively uncrawlable.

Does a 301 redirect pass 100% of PageRank?

Google has confirmed that 301 redirects do pass PageRank, though the exact percentage transferred has changed over time. In 2016 Google said 301 redirects pass "full PageRank", reversing earlier guidance suggesting a small loss. In practice, the safest approach is to use canonical URLs and minimise redirects where possible rather than relying on redirect chains to consolidate authority.

Should I redirect www to non-www or vice versa?

It doesn't matter which you choose from an SEO standpoint — what matters is that you pick one and redirect the other consistently. Most sites prefer the non-www version (site.com) for brevity. Configure a 301 redirect so that both www.site.com and site.com consistently resolve to your chosen canonical version, and set that version as your preferred domain in Google Search Console.

Check Your Redirects

Free • No signup • 64 checks

Redirect chain example

Avoid: 3-hop chain

http://www.site.com
  → http://site.com
  → https://site.com

Ideal: 1-hop direct

http://www.site.com
  → https://site.com

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