Redirect checker that follows every hop to the final URL
You moved pages, switched to HTTPS or changed your URL structure, and now you are not sure where old links end up. This to-do has your todo.is agent follow each URL hop by hop, record every status code, and flag chains, loops, temporary redirects that should be permanent, and redirects that land on the wrong page.
The prompt
- Check redirects for [URLS TO CHECK]. For each URL, follow every hop and record the status code (301, 302, 307, 308, meta refresh or JavaScript redirect), each intermediate URL and the final URL with its status. Flag: chains of 2 or more hops, redirect loops, 302/307 used for permanent moves, redirects that end on a 404 or on the home page instead of a matching page, and mixed http/https or www/non-www hops. Compare the final URLs with [EXPECTED DESTINATIONS]. Save it as an Excel file with one row per URL and a "fix" column, and write a short summary of what to fix first. Send it to [WHERE TO SEND IT].
What to change
- [URLS TO CHECK]: Paste a list of old URLs, attach a CSV or your redirect map, or write "all URLs in my sitemap at example.com/sitemap.xml".
- [EXPECTED DESTINATIONS]: Attach your redirect plan (old URL → new URL), or write "none, just tell me where they end up".
- [WHERE TO SEND IT]: Email, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or Discord.
Example result
- Redirect check · northpeakoutdoor.com (example)
- URLs checked: 240 · Source: redirect map from the site migration
- Summary
- • 196 OK: one 301 hop to the planned page
- • 31 chains of 2 or more hops
- • 4 redirect loops (the page never loads)
- • 12 temporary redirects (302) on pages that moved for good
- • 9 redirects to the home page instead of a matching page
- Fix first
- • Loop: /sale → /sale/ → /sale. A trailing-slash rule fights a manual redirect. Remove one of the two rules.
- • Chain: http://northpeakoutdoor.com/tents → https://northpeakoutdoor.com/tents → https://www.northpeakoutdoor.com/tents → /shop/tents (3 hops). Point the first URL straight to /shop/tents.
- • Wrong destination: /blog/winter-layering-guide → home page. A matching page exists at /journal/layering-for-winter.
- Sample rows from the sheet
- • /tents-2-person · 301 → /shop/tents?size=2 · final 200 · OK
- • /jackets · 302 → /shop/jackets · final 200 · Change to 301
- • /about-us · 301 → /company · 301 → /about · final 200 · Chain: link /about-us straight to /about
- • /gift-cards · 301 → /giftcards · final 404 · Destination missing: redirect to /shop/gift-cards
- What good looks like
- • One hop from old URL to final URL
- • 301 or 308 for permanent moves
- • The final page answers the same need as the old one
- • Internal links updated to the final URL, so visitors skip the redirect entirely
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and paste in your URLs, or point it at your sitemap or redirect map.
- Run it in todo.is or send it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram, and attach the CSV if you have one.
- Your agent follows each URL in its browser and logs every hop and status code.
- Open the Excel file, fix loops and wrong destinations first, then ask "check these again" once your developer is done.
Tips for a better result
- Run the check right after a migration and again a week later. Caching and CDN rules sometimes change behavior after launch.
- Test the http, https, www and non-www versions of your home page. They should all reach one final URL in one hop.
- A redirect to the home page is treated like a missing page by search engines. Always redirect to the closest matching page.
- After fixing chains, ask your agent to list internal links that still point to redirected URLs, and update them.
redirect checker: FAQ
- What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect? A 301 tells browsers and search engines a page has moved for good. A 302 says the move is temporary, so the old URL may stay indexed. Use 301 or 308 for permanent moves.
- How many redirects in a chain is too many? Aim for one hop. Google follows a few hops, but every extra one slows the page and makes problems more likely, so link straight to the final URL.
- Can the agent check redirects for thousands of URLs? Yes, it works through a long list or a sitemap, it just takes longer. For very large sites, start with your most-linked and most-visited pages.
- Does it change my redirects for me? No. It checks and reports. You or your developer update the server, CMS or CDN rules, then your agent can re-check.
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