Redirect Checker
Follow any URL through its entire redirect chain. See every hop — HTTP status codes, redirect types (301, 302, 307, meta-refresh), timing per hop, and response headers. Like WhereGoes, but cleaner.
What this tool checks
Full Redirect Chain
Follows up to 20 hops, recording the status code, URL, and timing at each step. Stops when it reaches the final destination or detects a loop.
Redirect Types
Distinguishes between 301 (permanent), 302 (temporary), 303, 307, 308, and meta-refresh redirects. Each has different SEO and caching implications.
Loop Detection
Detects infinite redirect loops where URL A redirects to B which redirects back to A. These make pages completely inaccessible.
HTTP → HTTPS Upgrade
Checks if the chain includes an HTTP to HTTPS upgrade — important for SEO and security. Flags if the upgrade uses 302 instead of 301.
Response Headers
Click any hop to see its full response headers — server, cache-control, security headers, and the Location header that triggers the redirect.
Per-Hop Timing
Measures response time at each hop so you can identify slow redirects in the chain that are adding unnecessary latency.
Why redirects matter
301 vs 302 — SEO impact
A 301 tells search engines the move is permanent and passes ~95% of link equity. A 302 says it's temporary — search engines may keep indexing the old URL. Using 302 when you mean 301 can hurt your rankings.
Redirect chains slow you down
Each redirect adds a full HTTP round-trip. A chain of 3 redirects adds 300-900ms of latency before the page even starts loading. Google recommends no more than 2 redirects.
Broken redirect chains
If any hop in the chain returns a 404 or 500, the entire chain breaks. Users see an error even though the final destination might work fine.
URL shortener tracking
Services like bit.ly, t.co, and ow.ly wrap your URL in multiple redirects for tracking. Use this tool to see the full chain and where the link actually goes.