What is a redirect chain?
A redirect sends a browser or crawler from one URL to another with an HTTP status in the 3xx range and a Location header. A chain is two or more redirects in a row: A redirects to B, which redirects to C. A loop is a chain that comes back to a URL it already visited, so no page is ever reached.
Each redirect is a separate request and response. Visitors wait for every hop before the page starts to load, and crawlers spend a request on each one. Google’s crawlers follow up to 10 redirect hops by default; beyond that they stop without reaching the page. Google has not published a ranking penalty for a particular number of hops, so this checker does not claim one. The practical advice from Google and SEO tools is the same: link to the final URL and keep chains short.
Google uses a permanent redirect (301 or 308) as a strong signal that the target should be shown in search, and a temporary redirect (302, 303 or 307) as a weak signal. If a page has moved for good, use a permanent redirect.
How this tool works, step by step
Accept up to 10 URLs
Enter one URL per line. The checker adds https:// when you leave it out, removes duplicates and rejects addresses that are not public websites.
Ask robots.txt first
Before every hop, the checker reads robots.txt for that host and honours it for DeepSpider. If robots.txt asks DeepSpider not to request the next URL, or cannot be read because of a server error, the chain stops there and the report says why.
Follow one hop at a time
Each URL is requested with DeepSpider’s own user agent, or with DeepSpider’s smartphone user agent if you choose it. The checker never pretends to be Googlebot. Redirects are not followed automatically: each Location is resolved, checked as a public address and recorded before the next request. After 10 redirects it stops.
Record each response
For every hop the report shows the status, the Location header as sent and as resolved, the time until the response headers arrived, and selected headers: Cache-Control, X-Robots-Tag, a canonical Link header, Server, and whether the response came through Cloudflare.
Read the final page
If the chain ends at an HTML page, the checker reads its first 256 KB for a meta refresh redirect, a robots noindex and the canonical link. A meta refresh is reported but not followed; enter its target as another URL to check it.
How to read the report
No redirect
The URL answers itself. Nothing to change in the redirect setup.
One permanent redirect
A single 301 or 308 to a working page. Fine for old links you do not control; update your own links to the final URL.
Worth shortening or checking
Two or more redirects, a mix of temporary and permanent ones, a meta refresh, or a final page with noindex or a canonical pointing elsewhere.
No working page
A loop, more than 10 redirects, no response, or a chain that ends at a 4xx or 5xx error.
Information notes such as “HTTP to HTTPS”, “www change” or “Relative Location header” describe what happened and are usually fine on their own. A relative Location header is valid HTTP. A redirect to another domain is worth a second look to confirm it is intended. Response times are measured from DeepSpider’s server in Frankfurt and only show how long each hop took for this request.
How to fix redirect problems
Update menus, internal links, canonical tags, hreflang and XML sitemaps so they point straight at the final URL. Redirects are for links you cannot change.
Change each old redirect so it goes straight to the final URL, for example http://example.com/old → https://www.example.com/new in one step instead of three.
Use 301 or 308 when a page has moved for good. Keep 302 and 307 for genuinely temporary situations.
Decide which URL should show the page, make it return HTTP 200, and point every other URL in the loop at it.
A redirect should end at a working, indexable page. If content is gone with no replacement, a 404 or 410 is clearer than a redirect to an unrelated page.
Google reads an instant meta refresh as permanent and a delayed one as temporary, and may miss JavaScript redirects if rendering fails. A server-side 301 or 308 is the clearest signal.
Frequently asked questions
How many redirects are too many?
Google’s crawlers follow up to 10 redirect hops by default. Google’s John Mueller has advised keeping chains for frequently crawled URLs under five hops, and one hop is best for visitors. Google has not published a ranking penalty for a particular count, so treat every extra hop as a delay to remove rather than a score.
Do redirects lose link value?
Google has said that permanent redirects do not lose PageRank. Chains still add delay for visitors and requests for crawlers, and a temporary redirect sends a weaker signal about which URL to show.
Should I use 301 or 308?
Both are permanent, and Google treats them the same way. 308 also tells clients to keep the request method, which matters for forms and APIs rather than ordinary pages.
Why did the check stop at robots.txt?
DeepSpider honours robots.txt for its own requests. If a host’s robots.txt disallows the next URL, or answers with a server error, the checker does not request it. Other crawlers may have different rules; test them with the free robots.txt Tester.
Does the checker follow JavaScript redirects?
No. It follows HTTP redirects and reports a meta refresh on the final page. JavaScript redirects need a browser and are not detected.
Why can my browser show a different result?
Servers can answer differently by location, cookies, language, device or user agent, and some firewalls challenge automated requests. The report shows what DeepSpider’s server received. Try the smartphone option if your site redirects mobile visitors.
Is HTTP to HTTPS a problem?
No, it is expected. Link to the HTTPS URL directly so visitors and crawlers skip that hop, and make sure it goes straight to the final host rather than through another redirect.
Where to check the underlying guidance
Read Google’s Redirects and Google Search and HTTP status codes, Ahrefs’ guide to 301 redirects, Screaming Frog on redirect chains, Sitebulb on redirect loops and Search Engine Journal’s report of John Mueller’s advice on hops.