Free 301 Redirect Checker

What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 status code tells browsers and search engines that a page has moved permanently to a new address. Google treats a permanent server-side redirect as a strong signal that the target URL should become the canonical version, which is why a 301 is the standard choice when you change a URL, merge pages or move a domain. Google Search Central’s guide to redirects explains this in detail: Redirects and Google Search.

301 vs 302 (and 307, 308)

A 302 or 307 is a temporary redirect. It tells Google the move is short-lived, so the original URL is more likely to stay in the index. 308 is the permanent equivalent of 307. Use 301 or 308 when a move is permanent and 302 or 307 only for genuinely temporary situations such as a short promotion or maintenance. A common mistake is leaving a 302 in place for months after a site migration. Google may eventually treat a long-standing temporary redirect as permanent, but a clear 301 removes the guesswork.

Why redirect chains matter

A redirect chain happens when URL A points to B, which points to C, and so on. Each extra hop adds latency for users and an extra fetch for crawlers. Google Search Central notes that Googlebot follows up to 10 hops in a chain, and recommends keeping redirects to a minimum: ideally a single hop straight to the final page. Chains often build up quietly over time, for example http to https, then non-www to www, then an old slug to a new one.

A redirect loop is worse: the URL eventually points back to itself, so neither users nor search engines ever reach a page.

Redirects and link equity

If you buy guest posts or build backlinks, the URL each link points to matters. Google has said that 3xx redirects do not lose PageRank, but every link that lands on a chain, a loop, a temporary redirect or a 404 is a link that is not working as hard as it could. Before you send a target URL to a publisher, run it through this checker and use the final URL that returns 200 directly. It is also worth checking older backlinks after a site migration so they still resolve cleanly.

How to use this redirect checker

Paste a URL (or up to 10 in bulk mode) and click Check redirects. For each hop you will see the URL, the status code, where it redirects to and how long it took. Green badges are permanent redirects, amber are temporary, red are errors. If a URL has more than one redirect or loops back on itself, the tool shows a warning so you know what to fix.