Jahanzaib

Free tool

Redirect checker

A redirect chain is invisible in a browser: you type one address and land on another. I built this checker to show every step in between, with the status code and the Location header of each hop, so you can see exactly where a link goes and how many detours it takes.

Redirects are one of eight sections in the full AEO audit of your site.

The check runs on app.jahanzaib.ai, my free tools app, and opens there.

This check is free and needs no account: you get the full hop chain for the address you enter. A free account, which you open with a code sent to your email and no password, keeps your past checks and gives you more runs.

Coverage

What it checks

  • Every hop, in order

    Each request with its status code and the Location header that sent it on, from the address you entered to the page that finally answers.

  • Permanent or temporary

    Tells a permanent move (301 or 308) from a temporary one (302 or 307). Search engines treat a permanent redirect as the new home of the page, so the type matters when a page has moved for good.

  • Loops and long chains

    Stops when a chain comes back to an address it already visited, or runs too long, and says which. Each extra hop is another request before the page loads, for visitors and crawlers alike.

  • HTTP to HTTPS

    Shows whether the plain HTTP address moves to HTTPS, and whether it does so in one step or bounces through other addresses on the way.

  • The final answer

    Reports the status of the last address in the chain, so a redirect that ends on a missing page (404) or a server error does not hide behind a redirect that looks fine.

Method

How it works

  1. 1

    Enter an address

    Any public URL: an old link, a short link, a campaign link or your plain HTTP home page. The check opens on my free tools app.

  2. 2

    The app follows one hop at a time

    It never lets the connection follow redirects on its own. It reads each response, checks that the next address is public, then requests it, so every hop is recorded.

  3. 3

    You see the whole chain

    Each hop is listed with its status and Location. If a request fails, the chain shows where it failed and why, with nothing filled in.

Example

What the result looks like

An illustration of the layout with sample wording on an example domain. It is not a result for any real site.

  • Hop chain

    Needs a fix

    One row per request: the address, the status code and where it pointed next.

    http://shop.example sends a permanent redirect to https://shop.example, which sends another to https://www.shop.example. Point the first hop straight at the final address.

  • Redirect type

    For information

    Whether each hop is permanent or temporary.

    The second hop is temporary. If the page has moved for good, make it permanent.

  • Final answer

    Passed

    The status of the page the chain ends on.

    The chain ends on a page that answers normally.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?

A 301 says the page has moved for good, and search engines move their record to the new address. A 302 says the move is temporary, so the old address stays the one on record. A 308 and a 307 mean the same two things and also keep the request method unchanged.

Does it follow JavaScript or meta refresh redirects?

It follows HTTP redirects, the ones a server sends with a Location header. A redirect done by a script or a meta refresh tag happens inside the page, so it shows up as the final page rather than as a hop.

Can I check an address on my private network?

No. The checker only fetches public web addresses on the standard ports and refuses private and internal addresses at every hop. That keeps the tool from being used to reach systems that are not meant to be public.

Why do long redirect chains matter?

Every hop is another round trip before the page loads, and crawlers may stop following a chain that runs long. One hop from an old address to the final one is the clean version.

Do I need an account?

No. The full hop chain is free without an account. A free account, which you open with a code sent to your email and no password, keeps your past checks and gives you more runs.

More free tools

Related tools

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Rather hand it over?

I can find the fixes and ship them for you

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