What's the difference between a 301 and 302 redirect?

A 301 means the page has permanently moved — search engines transfer ranking power to the new URL. A 302 means the move is temporary, so search engines keep the original URL in their index. Use 301 for permanent changes and 302 only when you plan to bring the old URL back.

How many redirects is too many?

One redirect is ideal. Two is fine. Three or more in a chain starts adding noticeable latency and can dilute your SEO value. Google will follow up to 10 hops, but most browsers give up after 20. Keep your chains as short as possible — ideally a single hop.

Do redirects hurt SEO?

A single, properly configured 301 redirect doesn't hurt SEO — Google has confirmed it passes full PageRank. What does hurt is long redirect chains, redirect loops, or using 302s when you should use 301s. Audit your redirects regularly to keep things clean.

What is a redirect chain and how do I fix it?

A redirect chain happens when URL A redirects to B, which redirects to C, and so on. Each hop adds latency and can lose link equity. Fix it by updating the first redirect to point directly to the final destination URL, cutting out the middlemen.

Should I use a 301 redirect or a canonical tag?

Use a 301 redirect when the old page should no longer be accessible — visitors get sent to the new URL automatically. Use a canonical tag when both pages need to stay live but you want search engines to treat one as the preferred version. Redirects are stronger signals than canonicals.

How do I check if my redirects are working correctly?

Paste your URL into our redirect checker above. It traces every hop in the chain, shows status codes and latency for each step, analyzes security headers, and gives you a health score from 0 to 100. You can also test how different bots see your redirects using the user-agent selector.

Does Google follow JavaScript redirects?

Google can follow JavaScript redirects, but it's not guaranteed and it takes longer because Googlebot has to render the page first. Server-side redirects (301, 302) are always preferred because they're faster and more reliable. Avoid JavaScript redirects for SEO-critical pages.

How do I set up a redirect on Apache or NGINX?

On Apache, add a line like 'Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page' to your .htaccess file. On NGINX, use 'return 301 /new-page;' inside a location block in your server config. Check our redirect code generator below for ready-to-use snippets.

What is the health score and how is it calculated?

The health score is a 0–100 rating based on five factors: HTTPS usage, redirect chain length, total response time, security headers (HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options), and HTTP status codes. A score above 80 means your URL is in good shape.

Is this tool really free?

Yes, 100% free with no sign-up required. You can check individual URLs, run canonical tests, analyze security headers, and simulate different user agents — all without creating an account or hitting any limits.

Redirection3XX

HTTP 301 Moved Permanently

This page has permanently moved to a new URL. Search engines will update their index to the new location and transfer all ranking signals to the new URL.

When does this occur?

You changed your domain from old-site.com to new-site.com and want Google to transfer all rankings.

SEO Impact

A 301 redirect passes full PageRank to the destination URL. Google has confirmed that a properly configured 301 transfers ranking signals. Use it when a page permanently moves — during domain migrations, URL restructuring, or HTTPS upgrades.

How to Fix

In Apache add `Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page` to .htaccess. In Nginx use `return 301 https://example.com/new-page;` in a location block. On Cloudflare use a Redirect Rule with a 301 status. Always verify the chain with a redirect checker.

Checking a 301 redirect? Use the free redirect checker to trace the full chain and verify your 301 is working correctly. Or check multiple URLs at once with the bulk redirect checker.

Other 3xx Redirection Codes Codes

300 Multiple Choices 302 Found 303 See Other 304 Not Modified 305 Use Proxy 307 Temporary Redirect 308 Permanent Redirect

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300 Multiple Choices 302 Found

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