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 302 Found

The resource is temporarily at a different URL. Unlike a 301, search engines will keep the original URL in their index because the move is not permanent.

When does this occur?

You temporarily redirect users to a maintenance page while you deploy updates to your site.

SEO Impact

A 302 tells search engines the move is temporary, so they keep the original URL in their index. SEO value does NOT transfer. Using 302 when you mean 301 is one of the most common SEO mistakes — it can cause ranking issues for weeks.

How to Fix

Only use 302 when the redirect genuinely is temporary (A/B tests, maintenance pages, geo-redirects). If the move is permanent, switch to 301 immediately. Use a redirect checker to audit your site for accidental 302s.

Checking a 302 redirect? Use the free redirect checker to trace the full chain and verify your 302 is working correctly. Or check multiple URLs at once with the bulk redirect checker.

Other 3xx Redirection Codes Codes

300 Multiple Choices 301 Moved Permanently 303 See Other 304 Not Modified 305 Use Proxy 307 Temporary Redirect 308 Permanent Redirect

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301 Moved Permanently 303 See Other

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