Free tools / Scout
Where does this link really go?
Paste any address. We follow every redirect, show the status code and time of each hop, and check that every version of your homepage ends up in the same place.
- Following the redirects
- Testing http, https, www and non-www
When to check your redirects
- After moving to a new website, to make sure every old page lands on its new home.
- After switching to https, to check http visitors are sent across in one hop.
- When a page drops out of Google, to see whether it now redirects or returns an error.
- Before printing a link on leaflets or vans, to make sure it goes where you think.
What good looks like
Every old address should reach its final page in a single 301 redirect, and the final page should answer 200 OK. The four versions of your homepage (http and https, with and without www) should all end at exactly the same address. Anything else is fixable, usually with a few lines in your server settings or a redirect plugin.
Moving to a new website?
A website move without a redirect plan is the most common way businesses lose their Google rankings overnight. We map every old page to a new one before launch, then check them all with this kind of test afterwards.
Questions
What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
A 301 says the page has moved for good, so Google passes the old page's ranking to the new one. A 302 says the move is temporary, so Google keeps the old address in its results. For a permanent move, use 301.
What is a redirect chain?
When one redirect leads to another before reaching the page, for example http to https, then to www, then to a new address. Each hop adds delay, and long chains can lose ranking. One hop is ideal.
Why check the four versions of my homepage?
Your site can be reached with or without www and with http or https. All four should end up at the same address in one hop. If they do not, Google may see duplicate sites.
What do the status codes mean?
200 means the page loaded. 301 and 308 are permanent redirects, 302 and 307 temporary ones. 404 means not found, 410 gone for good, and 500 to 599 are server errors.
Want Scout on this every day?
On Lupaan your whole team works in the background and tells you when something needs you.