Free Redirect Chain Checker
Enter any domain and trace the full redirect chain across all four URL variations — http, https, www, and non-www — simultaneously. 100% free, no signup, no limits on checks. Most tools check one URL at a time. This checks all four at once so you can spot redirect chains, missing hops, and mismatched status codes in a single view.
What does this tool check?
Every domain has four possible entry points a browser or crawler might hit:
http://domain.comhttps://domain.comhttp://www.domain.comhttps://www.domain.com
Each one can redirect differently. This tool traces the full redirect chain for all four simultaneously, so you can spot misconfigurations in one view.
Why do redirect chains matter for SEO?
Every redirect hop costs crawl budget and dilutes link equity. A single clean 301 passes roughly 90-99% of link equity. Chain two redirects and you compound the loss. Three or more hops and Google may stop following entirely. Redirect chains also slow down page load for real users since each hop adds a full network round-trip.
What is the correct redirect configuration?
All four variations should resolve to one canonical URL in a single hop. The most common correct setup:
| Starting URL | Expected redirect | Final |
|---|---|---|
http://domain.com | 301 | https://domain.com |
http://www.domain.com | 301 | https://domain.com |
https://www.domain.com | 301 | https://domain.com |
https://domain.com | None (200) | Canonical |
The key rule: every non-canonical variation should reach the canonical URL in exactly one redirect. If any chain has two or more hops, fix it.
How to check if a 301 redirect is working
Enter your domain above and look at the results for each URL variation. A working 301 redirect shows two rows: the original URL with a 301 Permanent badge, then the destination URL with a 200 OK badge. If you see a 302 instead of a 301, the redirect is temporary and search engines may not transfer link equity to the destination.
If an HTTP variation shows Timeout instead of a redirect, port 80 is likely closed on the server. Browsers with cached HSTS policies still appear to redirect, but a fresh crawler — and this tool — sees the timeout. That means Googlebot may not be able to follow the redirect either.
Frequently asked questions
What is a redirect chain?
A redirect chain happens when a URL redirects to another URL that redirects again before reaching the final destination. For example:http://domain.com → http://www.domain.com →https://www.domain.com → https://domain.com. That is a 3-hop chain. Each hop dilutes link equity and adds latency. The fix is to point every non-canonical variation directly to the canonical URL in a single 301 redirect.
What is the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?
A 301 is permanent — search engines transfer ranking signals to the new URL and stop indexing the old one. A 302 is temporary — search engines keep the old URL indexed because they expect it to come back. For domain canonicalization (http→https, www→non-www), always use 301. Reserve 302 for genuinely temporary moves like A/B tests or maintenance pages.
How many redirects is too many?
One redirect per URL variation is ideal. Google follows up to 10 hops but recommends keeping chains under 5. In practice, anything beyond a single hop between any variation and the canonical URL is a misconfiguration worth fixing.
Why does my HTTP URL show a timeout?
A timeout on http:// usually means port 80 is not open on the server. Your browser may still appear to redirect because of HSTS — browsers that have visited the HTTPS version before will automatically upgrade HTTP to HTTPS locally, without ever hitting the server. This tool checks what a fresh crawler sees, not what your cached browser does.
Open source
This tool is open source. Self-host it, read the code, or contribute on GitHub.