Free tool · Technical SEO
HTTP Status, Redirect & Header Checker
Trace every redirect hop, see the final status code and inspect response headers for up to 10 URLs. Check as a normal browser, Googlebot, Bingbot or GPTBot.
By Ajay Padhy · Updated · Free, no sign-up
Disclaimer
Results show what our server received at the time of the check. Responses can differ by location, device, cookies and bot protection, and switching the user-agent doesn't come from the crawler's real IP addresses. Don't use this tool to test sites you don't own or have permission to check.
Privacy: URLs you check are fetched once to produce the result and aren't stored.
How to use the redirect checker
- Paste up to 10 URLs, one per line.
- Choose who to check as: a normal browser, Googlebot, Bingbot or GPTBot.
- See each hop in the chain with its status code, time and where it points, then the final response headers.
HTTP status codes that matter for SEO
| Code | Meaning | SEO impact |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | OK | The page can be indexed |
| 301 / 308 | Permanent redirect | Passes signals to the new URL. Use these for moves. |
| 302 / 307 | Temporary redirect | Search engines may keep the old URL indexed. Use only for genuinely temporary moves. |
| 304 | Not modified | Normal for caching |
| 404 | Not found | Fine for pages that really are gone; fix internal links pointing to them |
| 410 | Gone | Like 404, but tells search engines the removal is deliberate |
| 429 | Too many requests | Crawlers back off; persistent 429s slow crawling |
| 5xx | Server error | Crawlers retry and slow down; prolonged errors can drop pages |
Redirect chains and loops
A chain is several redirects in a row (A → B → C). Google follows up to 10 hops, but each hop adds delay and another chance for something to break. After a migration, update old redirects so every legacy URL points straight to its final destination, and update internal links so they don't redirect at all.
A loop (A → B → A) never resolves, so the page can't be crawled at all.
Headers worth checking
- X-Robots-Tag: can apply noindex at server level, often by accident on PDFs or staging.
- Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS): forces HTTPS in browsers.
- Cache-Control: affects how quickly changes show up.
- Content-Type: should match the content (text/html for pages, application/xml for sitemaps).
- Link: can carry canonical or hreflang annotations.
Checking a site migration
Paste a sample of old URLs and confirm each one returns a single 301 to the right new page. Then run the new URLs and confirm 200s with no further redirects. My SEO migration checklist covers the full process, and SEO migration services is where I do it hands-on.
FAQ
HTTP Status, Redirect & Header Checker: common questions
Short answers to what people ask most about this tool and topic.
Both are permanent. A 308 also guarantees the request method doesn't change (a POST stays a POST), which matters for forms and APIs. For normal page moves, search engines treat 301 and 308 the same way.
Aim for one hop. Google follows up to 10, but chains slow crawling and users, and every extra hop adds risk. Update old redirects to point directly at final URLs.
Some sites redirect by user-agent, location or device. That can be legitimate (for example a mobile site) or a sign of cloaking. Compare results with different user-agents in the checker.
Google says it treats redirects as signals and can pass signals through 302s too, but a long-lived 302 may keep the old URL indexed. Use 301 or 308 for permanent moves to send a clear signal.
Built by
SEO and AI search (GEO) consultant with 14+ years in digital growth. I build these tools for the checks I run on client sites every week. Need more than a quick check? See my SEO migration services or get in touch.
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