Redirect Mapper

Map old URLs to new URLs and export as .htaccess, Nginx config, or CSV. Perfect for site migrations, URL restructuring, and redirect audits.

Redirect Rules 

            

            

              

                
                
              

              

            

            

              

                
                
              

              

            

          

          

        

      


      

        
Frequently Asked Questions

        

          

            

            

              
A 301 redirect is permanent — it tells search engines that the resource has moved permanently and to transfer PageRank (link equity) to the new URL. A 302 redirect is temporary — search engines keep the old URL in the index and do not transfer PageRank. Use 301 for site migrations and permanent URL changes; use 302 for temporary promotions or A/B testing.

            

          

          

            

            

              
Redirect chains (A → B → C) slow down page load and dilute PageRank at each hop. Google recommends keeping chains to a maximum of 3–5 hops, but ideally every URL should redirect directly to its final destination. When mapping redirects, always check that new URLs are not themselves redirects — link old URLs directly to the final destination.

            

          

          

            

            

              
Google has confirmed that 301 redirects pass full PageRank (previously there was a small loss, but Google updated their algorithm around 2016 to treat 301s the same as direct links). However, links pointing to deeply chained redirects may still lose some value due to crawl inefficiency.

            

          

          

            

            

              
Redirect directives in .htaccess should be placed before your RewriteRule block (before mod_rewrite rules) so they are processed first. If using Redirect directives, place them at the top. If using RewriteRule for redirects, include them at the top of your RewriteEngine block. Always test redirects in staging before applying to production.

            

          

          

            

              
            

            

              
301 (Moved Permanently) — the resource has moved to the new URL forever. Browsers and search engines cache this. Google passes nearly full PageRank through 301s. Use for permanent URL changes and site migrations. 302 (Found / Moved Temporarily) — a temporary redirect. Search engines keep the original URL in the index and do not reliably pass PageRank. Use for A/B testing or temporary promotions. 307 (Temporary Redirect) — like 302 but explicitly preserves the HTTP method (a POST request stays a POST, not converted to GET). Use when the redirect must preserve the original request method. For SEO purposes: always use 301 for permanent changes.

            

          

          

            

              
            

            

              
A redirect chain occurs when URL A redirects to URL B which redirects to URL C. Google has stated that each hop in a redirect chain adds crawl latency and may reduce the PageRank passed through. Historically, each 301 hop was estimated to lose about 15% of link equity, though Google has since said it carries full PageRank — the practical concern is now mainly crawl budget and page speed. Browsers must make multiple HTTP requests for each hop, increasing page load time. Best practice: always redirect directly to the final URL. When auditing a migrated site, check that all old redirects still point directly to final destinations and not to intermediate URLs.

            

          

          

            

              
            

            

              
No — server-side redirects (HTTP 301/302) are always preferred over JavaScript redirects (window.location.href = … or meta refresh). JavaScript redirects require the browser to first download, parse, and execute JavaScript before performing the redirect — adding significant latency. Googlebot can process JavaScript redirects but they are slower to follow and less reliable for PageRank consolidation. Meta refresh redirects with a 0-second delay are crawlable but deprecated. For any redirect that matters for SEO — site migrations, URL changes, content consolidation — always implement a true HTTP 301 at the server or CDN level. JavaScript redirects should only be used as a last resort when server configuration is inaccessible.

            

          

          

            

              
            

            

              
A redirect loop occurs when URL A redirects to URL B which redirects back to URL A (or through a longer chain that eventually circles back to the start). Browsers detect this and show an ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS error (Chrome) or "The page isn't redirecting properly" (Firefox). Common causes: incorrect .htaccess rewrite rules that match their own destination, forcing HTTPS on a page that already sends redirect headers, or misconfigured CDN rules. Detection: use curl -IL url in terminal to follow the redirect chain manually, or use browser DevTools Network tab and look for the redirect chain in the first request. Fix by identifying which rule creates the circular reference.

            

          

          

            

              
            

            

              
A redirect map is critical for preserving SEO during a migration. Steps: 1. Crawl the old site — use Screaming Frog or a similar tool to get every URL, including their inbound internal link count and estimated traffic; 2. Map old to new — create a spreadsheet matching every old URL to its exact new destination URL; 3. Prioritize high-value pages — pages with backlinks, traffic, and internal links are most important to map correctly; 4. Implement before launch — all redirects should be in place before DNS changes or launch day; 5. Verify after launch — spot-check that key redirects are working with the correct status code; 6. Monitor for 404s — use Google Search Console to catch any unmapped URLs that return 404 errors post-launch.

            

          

          

            

              
            

            

              
Google has officially stated that 301 redirects pass full PageRank — a change from the historical estimate of ~85–99% that was widely cited in SEO. Gary Illyes from Google confirmed in 2016 that the loss is negligible and PageRank is fully transferred. However, several indirect factors can reduce the effective authority transfer: redirect chains (multiple hops lose incremental crawl budget), slow redirect performance (Googlebot may abandon slow redirects), and cached redirect responses in CDNs. For practical purposes, a single, fast 301 redirect should be considered to pass full PageRank. Focus optimization effort on eliminating unnecessary redirect chains rather than worrying about PageRank loss per hop.

            

          

        

      


      
      

        
About This Redirect Checker

        
This free redirect checker follows the full chain of HTTP redirects for any URL and shows each hop — status code (301, 302, 307, 308), destination URL, and response time. The final destination URL is highlighted.

        
Redirect chains add latency and dilute link equity. A page with three or more redirect hops will load slower and may lose SEO value compared to a single direct redirect. This tool makes it easy to spot and eliminate unnecessary hops.

        
When to use this tool

        
    
          
  • Verifying that old URLs redirect correctly to new ones after a migration
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  • Finding and eliminating multi-hop redirect chains
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  • Checking whether a redirect is permanent (301) or temporary (302)
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  • Auditing redirects set up by a CDN or reverse proxy
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Standards & References

          
        

      


      
      

        
How It Works

        

          

            

            
Add URL Mappings

            
Add old URL → new URL pairs manually, or paste a CSV to import dozens of redirects at once. Set the redirect type (301/302) per row or globally.

          

          

            

            
Generate Config

            
The tool generates correctly formatted redirect rules for Apache .htaccess, Nginx server blocks, or a clean CSV for import into other tools.

          

          

            

            
Deploy & Test

            
Copy or download the config file and apply it to your server. Test each redirect to confirm the correct status code and destination URL.

          

        

      


      
      

        
Common Use Cases

        

          

            
Website Migration

            
Map hundreds of old URLs to their new equivalents during a domain migration, CMS change, or URL structure redesign to preserve rankings and traffic.

          

          

            
Domain Consolidation

            
When merging multiple websites or domains, create a complete redirect map to ensure all inbound links and bookmarks resolve correctly on the consolidated site.

          

          

            
URL Structure Cleanup

            
Simplify messy URL structures (e.g., removing category prefixes, changing /page/ to /article/) while redirecting old URLs to prevent broken links and ranking loss.

          

          

            
Deleted Pages

            
Redirect deleted or discontinued pages to the most relevant alternative page or category page, rather than serving 404 errors that waste crawl budget.

          

          

            
CMS Platform Change

            
Moving from WordPress to another CMS often changes URL structures. Use this tool to map all old WordPress permalink structures to new URLs.

          

          

            
HTTP to HTTPS

            
Generate bulk 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS versions of all your key URLs as part of an SSL migration, alongside server-level redirect rules.

          

        

      


      
      

        
Related SEO Tools

        

          

            
Canonical Tag Generator

          

          

            
Robots.txt Generator

          

          

            
XML Sitemap Generator

          

          

            
Link Extractor

          

        

      



    

  




                        

          

            

              

                
Related Articles

                
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                      Redirect Chains and Loops: How Years of Migrations Quietly Stack Redirects — and How to Flatten Them
                    
                                        

                      
                        
Redirect Chains and Loops: How Years of Migrations Quietly Stack Redirects — and How to Flatten Them

                      
                                            
A redirect chain often isn't deliberately created — it accumulates through years of independent, individually-reasonable migrations, each adding one more hop without anyone updating the original redirect. Here's why accumulated hops risk search engines failing to fully traverse a chain, the "flattening" fix, and the common CDN-to-origin protocol mismatch that causes HTTPS redirect loops.

                                                                  
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                      JavaScript Redirects and Their SEO Pitfalls: How They Differ from Server-Side 301s
                    
                                        

                      
                        
JavaScript Redirects and Their SEO Pitfalls: How They Differ from Server-Side 301s

                      
                                            
JavaScript redirects require Googlebot to execute JavaScript before discovering the destination — which adds a multi-hour or multi-day delay compared to server-side 301s. Here's how each redirect mechanism works for SEO, the Next.js server vs client distinction, and how to audit and collapse redirect chains.

                                                                  
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                      Site Migration SEO: The Redirect Mistakes That Cost Rankings and How to Avoid Them
                    
                                        

                      
                        
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Site migrations lose SEO value in predictable ways: homepage redirects, redirect chains, and missing redirects for high-value pages. Here's the complete pre-migration checklist, how to preserve link equity through domain changes, and post-migration monitoring.

                                                                  
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                      Redirect Mapper — Plan & Audit URL Redirects for Site Migrations
                    
                                        

                      
                        
Redirect Mapper — Plan & Audit URL Redirects for Site Migrations

                      
                                            
Learn how 301, 302, and other redirect types affect SEO, why redirect chains lose link equity, how to plan a migration redirect map, and how to audit your redirects with a free redirect mapper tool.

                                                                  
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