Redirect Chain Detection

A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects to another URL, which then redirects to yet another URL, creating a sequence of hops before reaching the final destination. For example: page-a → page-b → page-c → final-page.

Each redirect in a chain adds latency (typically 100-500ms per hop), wastes crawl budget, and dilutes link equity (PageRank) passed through the chain. Search engine crawlers may stop following after a certain number of redirects, leaving the final page undiscovered.

Redirect chains slow down page loads for users, waste search engine crawl budget, and reduce the link equity that flows to the final destination page. Chains of 3+ hops are particularly harmful and may cause crawlers to abandon the chain entirely.