Internal Redirect Chains: The Silent SEO Killer (And How to Fix Them)

Most visitors prefer a simple and direct web browsing experience. When they click a website link, the page must load directly. But what if you click on a link that leads to another one, then another until you reach the destination? This series of links is are internal redirect chain, and they are frustrating and time-consuming. In this article, we discuss more about redirect chain SEO impact, why they are known as the silent SEO killer and more importantly, listing out the strategies to check the redirect chain and fix them.

What Is a Redirect Chain?

It is a situation in which the search engine attempts to access a website requested by the user, but instead gets redirected through two or more sites and eventually lands on the intended page. Each redirection attempt is referred to as a “hop”, and Google typically stops going after encountering five of them. The image below visually depicts this concept.

Notice that loading URL A leads to a redirection to URL B, which subsequently redirects the user to URL C, the intended page. This constant redirecting slows down the loading process and hurts SEO. Common internal redirect chains frequently involve 301, 302, and 307 redirects.

How are redirect chains created?

Now that you have a brief idea about redirect chains, you should know how they are created in the first place. Some of the common redirect chain mistakes are listed below:

• Failure to notice: One of the common redirect chain mistakes is created through oversight. The thing about redirect chains is that they are hard to notice if you have implemented them. If you’re planning a URL redirect, a redirect might already be active without your knowledge.

• URL structural changes: Another reason why internal redirect chains happen is when developers neglect to properly update the redirects after conducting a website migration. When you reorganise your website, move content, or change category structures, redirects might be implemented. However, if these redirects are not managed and updated as intended, further structural adjustments occur and lead to complex redirect chains.

• CMS Plugin Behaviour: In certain scenarios, various CMS plugins are also responsible for automatically causing redirects when pages are moved or deleted. If left unchecked, these automated redirects can easily create chains.

Are redirect chains bad for SEO

Of course they are. Redirect chains SEO are known to create various issues that negatively impact your online rankings and user experience. One of the issues is the number of “hops” or redirect cycles that Google follows. As told earlier, Google stops following such a limited number, after which the site is treated like an Error 404 page and is missing. 

Other issues include such as higher page load time, increased server load, indexing issues, crawl budget wastage, the list goes on. When you find a redirect link, the best approach is to reduce or remove it by redirecting straight to the ultimate destination URL.

Redirect Chains vs. Redirect Loops

As you learn more about redirect chain SEO, there will be cases where you might confuse them with redirect loops. Let’s clear confusion and make things clear. A redirect chain occurs when a website has multiple redirects guiding visitors from one URL to another, ultimately reaching the final page. Whereas a redirect loop occurs when multiple redirects point back to each other, trapping visitors in a continuous cycle.

They are caused by several factors such as incorrect redirect configurations, conflicting redirect rules, caching issues, etc. They can occur either within a site’s internal URLs or between different websites. When it comes to redirect chains vs. redirect loops, either removing the redirects or breaking the loop is the easiest way to fix them.

How to fix redirect chains

Learning how to fix redirect chains and loops depends on making sure that the old URL is redirected to the new one. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary redirects within the chain to preserve link equity and enhance the user experience. You can fix the redirect chain in the following ways:

• Identify the redirect chain: The first step in dealing with redirects is to identify redirect chains seo on your website. You can leverage various redirector tools such as Google Chrome Developer Tools, Ahrefs SEO toolbar, Small SEO tools, etc.

• Update the redirects: Upon identifying the redirect chain SEO, update them and make sure that the old URLs are redirected to the newer ones. This can be done by modifying the .htaccess file, or you can utilise a WordPress plugin to remove the redirects.

• Ensure the redirects are tested: Once the redirects are updated, they must be tested to ensure they function correctly. Several types of online redirect chain checker tools are available on the web, which can be used accordingly, or you can manually test the URLs to fix redirect chain.

Best Practices To Minimize Redirect Chain

Are redirect chains bad for SEO? You should have the answer by now, which is why it is crucial to implement the best set of strategies to minimize them in the long run. Since we have covered how to fix redirect chains and loops in the previous section, let’s move on to understanding the best practices used to mitigate these issues.

Keep Redirects To a Minimum

The first and most important strategy in how to fix redirect chains is keeping the redirects to a minimum. Even if you have to do it, keep it at two or three hops, at most. The key is to cut down on extra redirects and change internal links to go straight to the final URL.

Implement Canonical Tags

When it comes to canonical tags and redirection, even though the former doesn’t prevent redirect chain SEO, they help search engines understand the preferred version of a page when multiple URLs exist. This potentially eliminates any sort of duplicate content or crawling issues. It is important for all pages to have a self-referencing canonical tag pointing to the default URL.

Add Appropriate Redirects

Redirect chains SEO is utilised by most search engines for understanding and processing links and content. Thinking about redirects, do you recall 301 and 302? The former is used to indicate a permanent redirect, while the latter denotes a temporary redirect. 301 redirects are considered by Google as a strong indicator for setting the final URL as canonical, while 302 is viewed as a weak indicator. Knowing when to use a redirect vs canonical tag helps in better controlling indexation and avoiding duplicate content issues.

Prevent HTTP & HTTPS Redirects Mixup

When transitioning websites from HTTP to HTTPS, all internal links and resources should be updated to their HTTPS versions. If there are any resources hardcoded with http protocol, the browser loads them insecurely. This complicates redirect chains seo and triggers security warnings. Using HTTPS for all redirects helps keep the connection secure and avoids confusing both visitors and search engines. If you’re wondering why use HTTPS, it’s because it ensures data integrity, improves trust with users, and is a confirmed ranking signal in Google’s algorithm.

Winding Up

What is a Redirect Chain? It occurs when multiple redirects lead from one URL to another, then another, and so on. These chains are a quiet but potent issue that significantly impairs both user experience and search engine optimization. Having a lot of them on your site slows down page load times, wastes crawl budget and leads to potential indexing issues. Since they are difficult to notice, it is important to know how they are created and check redirect chain using sophisticated tools. 

By implementing the best practices listed in this article, you can understand how to fix redirect chains. Or, availing top-notch SEO services from a renowned digital marketing agency, such as GTECH Information Technology, gets the job done. We provide cutting-edge solutions in areas like SEO, content marketing, and web development to help your website reach its full potential and achieve higher search engine rankings.