Free Redirect Checker
Trace the full HTTP redirect chain from a start URL to the final landing page. Spot HTTP→HTTPS flips, www vs apex hops, and chains that waste crawl budget — free, no signup.
How it works
- 01
Enter the URL users or crawlers hit first
Old campaign links, HTTP variants, and marketing short links are common places chains hide.
- 02
Follow each Location hop
We record status codes and intermediate URLs until a non-redirect response (or a safety hop limit).
- 03
Compare with your canonical
The final URL should usually match the preferred address you declare with rel=canonical.
What this redirect chain tool reports
- Each hop URL in order
- HTTP status codes (301, 302, 307, 308, etc.)
- Final destination after the chain
- Chain length so you can see when hops stack up
Why short redirect chains matter
Search engines and AI crawlers prefer a short path to the canonical page. After a migration, run this free redirect checker on key old URLs, then confirm canonical tags and a full technical SEO audit on the destination host.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a redirect checker show?
- It follows the HTTP redirect chain from your start URL and lists each hop with its status code until the final landing URL — useful for spotting HTTP→HTTPS, www flips, and long chains.
- Are redirect chains bad for SEO?
- One intentional hop (e.g. apex to www over HTTPS) is normal. Long chains waste time for users and crawlers and can make migrations harder to reason about. Prefer a single permanent redirect to the canonical URL.
- 301 vs 302 — does this tool judge which I should use?
- We report the status codes we observe. Choosing 301 vs 302 is a product/SEO decision based on whether the move is permanent. Pair the chain with your canonical tag for a complete picture.
- Is the redirect checker free?
- Yes. TheSeoSoul redirect checker needs no account. For preferred URL signals, also run the Canonical Tag Checker.
Keep going
What to check next
After the hop chain, confirm the landing URL is the one you want indexed.
- CanonicalSelf-ref vs cross-host preferred URL
- Robots.txtCrawl rules, Sitemaps, AI bot blocks
- NoindexMeta robots & X-Robots-Tag
- Meta tagsTitle, description & SERP preview
Need the whole picture? Run a full audit · browse every tool.