How to Check Where a URL Redirects With a Free Redirect Checker

When you type a URL into a browser, redirects happen in a blink, and the address bar only shows where you ended up. That hides the useful part: how many hops it took, which status codes were used and whether anything went wrong on the way. A redirect checker makes that path visible.

This guide shows how to use the free SeoSpidie redirect checker and, more importantly, how to read what it tells you.

When you should check a redirect

• After moving a site to HTTPS or a new domain.
• After renaming pages or changing your URL structure.
• When Search Console reports "Page with redirect" for URLs you expected to be indexed.
• Before buying a link or a domain, to see where it really points.
• When a shortened or affiliate link behaves strangely.

How to run a check

1. Copy the full URL, including http:// or https://. You can paste a whole list, one URL per line.
2. Run the check.
3. For each URL, read whether it redirects, the status code and the destination.
4. To trace a full path, check the destination too. Repeat until you reach an address that does not redirect.

The check runs from our server and looks at each URL directly, without following the redirect, so you see exactly what that one address does. It is also not affected by your browser cache — a common reason people think a redirect is "working for me" when it is not working for everyone else.

Reading the status codes

• 200 — the page loaded. This should be the final row.
• 301 / 308 — permanent redirect. Correct for pages that have moved for good.
• 302 / 307 — temporary redirect. Fine for short-term situations such as a sale page, but wrong for permanent moves because search engines may keep the old URL indexed.
• 404 / 410 — the destination does not exist. The redirect points to a dead end and needs a new target.
• 5xx — the server failed. Check again later; if it persists, talk to your host or developer.

What a healthy result looks like

For an old URL, the ideal result is one 301 straight to the new address — and when you check that new address, it should not redirect again. For a URL that has not moved, you want no redirect at all. If you need three or four checks to reach a page that loads, that is a chain. Our guide on finding and fixing 301 redirect chains explains how to collapse chains into one hop.

Common problems the checker reveals

HTTP and HTTPS fighting. If the HTTP version points to HTTPS and the HTTPS version points back to HTTP, two rules are competing — usually the server and a plugin. Keep one.

The www hop. HTTP goes to HTTPS, then the HTTPS non-www address goes to www, in two separate steps. A single combined rule saves a hop on every visit.

Redirects to the homepage. If many old product or blog URLs all land on the homepage, Google may treat them as soft 404s. Redirect each to its closest equivalent instead.

Trailing slash flip-flop. /page redirects to /page/ on some URLs and the reverse on others. Pick one style and link to it consistently.

Checking many URLs after a migration

For a migration, export your top URLs from Search Console or analytics and check them in batches, starting with the pages that had the most traffic and backlinks. Then run the destination pages through the bulk indexability checker to confirm they are indexable, and update your sitemap so it lists only the new final URLs.

Related guides

• How to Find Broken Links on Your Website for Free
• How to Find and Fix Broken Images on Your Website
• How to Check If Image URLs Are Working in Bulk

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Frequently asked questions