Redirect Chains and Redirect Loops
This lesson covers
- What redirect chains and loops are
- Why they waste crawling and slow users down
- How to find them in a crawl
- How to flatten a chain into one redirect
Short answer
A redirect chain is when one URL redirects to another that also redirects, creating several hops before the final page. A redirect loop sends URLs back to each other forever, so the page never loads. Find both in your crawl's redirect report, then point every old URL directly to the final destination.
A Bicol tour site went through three changes in five years: HTTP to HTTPS, then non-www to www, then new URL slugs. An old link to http://example.ph/mayon-tour now goes through three redirects before reaching the page. Every visit and every crawl takes the long way around.
Chains
http://example.ph/mayon-tour
→ 301 → https://example.ph/mayon-tour
→ 301 → https://www.example.ph/mayon-tour
→ 301 → https://www.example.ph/tours/mayon-volcano/ (200)Each hop adds a round trip to the server, slowing load time on mobile networks. Google follows several hops, but long chains risk it giving up, and they make migrations harder to manage.
Loops
/promo/ → 301 → /promo-2026/ → 301 → /promo/A loop never reaches a 200 page. Users see “too many redirects.” Google cannot index anything. Loops often come from conflicting rules, such as a CMS plugin and server rules fighting over trailing slashes.
How to find them
- In your crawl, enable “Always follow redirects” so the tool records full paths.
- Open the Redirect Chains report (Reports, Redirects in Screaming Frog).
- Include old URLs from your previous sitemap, Search Console, and backlink tools in list mode, since chains often start at URLs no longer linked internally.
- Sort by number of hops. Flag anything over 1, and any loop.
How to fix them
- Flatten: update each old URL’s redirect to point straight to the final 200 URL.
- Fix loops: find the two conflicting rules and remove one.
- Update internal links to the final URL so nothing on your site starts a chain (next lesson).
- Keep a redirect map spreadsheet: old URL, final URL, code, owner.
Practice: chain, loop, or fine?
Sort each item into the right group.
-
/old/ → /new/ (200)
Answer: Fine (single hop).
-
/a/ → /b/ → /c/ (200)
Answer: Chain.
-
/sale/ → /sale-2/ → /sale/
Answer: Loop.
-
http → https → www → new slug (200)
Answer: Chain.
-
/blog → /blog/ → /blog
Answer: Loop.
Common mistakes
- Only checking internally linked URLs. Old backlinked URLs often start the longest chains.
- Adding new redirects on top of old ones. Update the old rules instead.
- Fixing redirects but not internal links. The site keeps creating hops.
Your action
Next, you will find internal links that point to redirected URLs.
Key terms
- Redirect hop
- One step in a redirect, from one URL to the next.
- Redirect chain
- Two or more redirect hops in a row before reaching a 200 page.
- Redirect loop
- Redirects that point back to an earlier URL, so the browser never reaches a final page.
- Final destination URL
- The last URL in a redirect path, which should return 200.
Questions beginners ask
How many redirect hops does Google follow?
Googlebot follows up to about 10 hops, but each hop adds delay and risk. Aim for one hop from any old URL to its final page.
How do redirect chains happen?
Usually through layers of changes over time: HTTP to HTTPS, non-www to www, old slugs to new slugs, and migrations stacked on top of each other.
What does a redirect loop look like to users?
Browsers show an error such as 'too many redirects,' and the page never loads.
Do chains lose link value?
Google says 301s pass signals, but long chains risk Google stopping before the end and slow both users and crawlers. Flattening is always safer.
Related lessons
Want someone to handle SEO for your business while you learn? The team at Remar Digital can help.