How to Check Website Redirects

Checking redirects is a routine task for anyone managing a website. You need to verify that redirects work correctly, trace full redirect chains, identify status codes, and spot issues like redirect loops.

Whether you’re migrating a site, updating URLs, or debugging a broken link, knowing how to check redirects is essential. There are several methods, each with different tradeoffs.

Method 1: Browser developer tools

The quickest way to check a single redirect is using your browser’s Network tab.

Steps

1. Open your browser’s Developer Tools (F12 or Cmd+Option+I)
2. Go to the Network tab
3. Enter the URL in the address bar and press Enter
4. Click on the first request in the Network panel
5. Check the Status column for the HTTP status code
6. Look at the Headers tab for the Location header

This shows you the first hop in a redirect chain. If there are multiple redirects, you’ll see multiple entries in the Network panel.

What to look for

• Status code: 301 (permanent), 302 (temporary), 307 (temporary preserve method), 308 (permanent preserve method)
• Location header: The URL being redirected to
• Number of hops: Each 3xx response is a separate hop

Limitations

Browser dev tools only show the final result after all redirects are followed. To see each hop individually, you need a dedicated tool or curl.

Method 2: Using curl

The curl command gives you full control over redirect checking and shows each hop.

Basic check

curl -I https://example.com/page

The -I flag fetches only the headers. You’ll see:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/new-page

Follow redirects

To see the full chain, add -L:

curl -IL https://example.com/page

This follows each redirect and shows the headers for every hop. You’ll see the complete path from the original URL to the final destination.

Check specific status codes

To see only the initial response without following redirects:

curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://example.com/page

This outputs just the status code (e.g., 301), useful for scripts.

Method 3: Online redirect checkers

For bulk testing or when you want a detailed report, online tools provide the most information.

NodSEO Redirect Checker

The NodSEO Redirect Checker traces full redirect chains with hop-by-hop analysis. Enter a URL and see:

• Every redirect hop with status codes
• Response times for each hop
• Final destination URL
• Total chain length
• SEO warnings for chains or loops

This is especially useful for checking multiple URLs or verifying a redirect migration.

When to use online tools

• Checking redirects after a site migration
• Verifying bulk redirect rules
• Auditing redirect chains across your site
• Sharing results with team members

Method 4: Server-side inspection

If you have server access, you can check redirect configurations directly.

Apache (.htaccess)

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page
RewriteRule ^old-page$ /new-page [R=301,L]

Nginx

location /old-page {
    return 301 /new-page;
}

Cloudflare

Check Page Rules or Redirect Rules in the Cloudflare dashboard.

Common issues to check

Redirect chains

A chain occurs when one redirect points to another redirect:

/page-a → 301 → /page-b → 301 → /page-c

Chains slow down page loading and waste crawl budget. Fix them by redirecting directly to the final URL.

Redirect loops

A loop occurs when redirects point back to each other:

/page-a → 301 → /page-b → 301 → /page-a

This causes browsers to show “too many redirects” errors. The fix is to break the cycle by updating one of the redirect rules.

Mixed protocol redirects

If a page redirects from HTTP to HTTPS but the HTTPS version redirects back to HTTP, you have a loop. Ensure the redirect is one-way.

Missing trailing slashes

Some servers redirect between /page and /page/. While not necessarily wrong, inconsistent trailing slashes waste crawl budget. Pick one format and redirect the other.

Incorrect status codes

Using 302 when you mean 301 can confuse search engines. If the redirect is permanent, always use 301.

Bulk redirect testing

When checking many URLs, a systematic approach is more efficient:

1. Export your redirect list from your server config or CMS
2. Use a bulk redirect checker to test all URLs at once
3. Identify chains, loops, and errors
4. Fix issues in batches
5. Re-test to confirm fixes

The NodSEO Bulk Redirect Checker supports testing multiple URLs simultaneously with progress tracking.

Redirects during site migration

Site migrations require careful redirect planning:

1. Map old URLs to new URLs — Create a spreadsheet with every old URL and its new destination
2. Set up redirects — Implement 301 redirects for all changed URLs
3. Test before launching — Verify every redirect works before going live
4. Monitor after launch — Check for 404 errors, chains, and missing redirects
5. Update internal links — While redirects work, update your internal links to point directly to new URLs

FAQ

How many redirects can I have?

There’s no technical limit, but every redirect adds latency. For small sites, a few dozen redirects are fine. For large sites, audit regularly and remove unnecessary redirects.

Do redirects affect SEO?

301 redirects pass nearly all link equity. Chains and loops can negatively impact crawl efficiency. Keep redirect chains to one hop maximum.

How do I check redirects on mobile?

The same methods work on mobile browsers. Most developer tools are available on mobile Chrome and Safari. For server-side checks, use curl from any terminal.

Can I check redirects without tools?

Yes. Visit the URL in your browser and observe what happens. If the URL changes, a redirect occurred. For detailed analysis, use curl or an online tool.