Redirect CheckerTrace WWW, HTTP and HTTPS Redirects

A redirect checker follows a URL from the first request to the final page and lists every step on the way. The Kwebby WWW Redirect Checker does this for the address you enter, then runs the same trace on the http, https, www and non-www versions of that address. It shows the status code and response time of each hop, labels what each redirect changes, and tells you whether all four versions end on one final URL. This guide explains how to read the result and which redirect codes Google treats as strong or weak signals. More audit tools live in our Free SEO Tools.

Key Takeaways

• The tool traces the address you type and lists each step with its status code, URL, target and response time.
• It also traces four versions of the same path: http and https, with and without www, and reports whether all four end on one final URL.
• Each redirect gets a label: HTTP to HTTPS, HTTPS to HTTP (downgrade), non-www to www, www to non-www, different domain or path change.
• Google treats a 301 or 308 as a strong signal that the target is canonical, and a 302 or 307 as a weak one.
• Google's crawlers follow up to 10 redirect hops, and the Kwebby tool stops after 10 redirects and reports a possible loop.
• The tool is free and needs no account.

What Is the Kwebby WWW Redirect Checker?

The Kwebby WWW Redirect Checker is a free web tool that traces redirect chains. You enter an address, the tool requests it, and it follows every redirect until it reaches a page that does not redirect or until it has followed 10 redirects. It then repeats the trace for the four host and scheme versions of the same address.

The name mentions www because the most common redirect problems involve the www, http and https versions of the same page. The tool checks any URL, so you can also test an old page that moved or a shortened link.

Key Features and How It Works

The Address You Type

Type an address such as example.com or http://example.com/page, then click Trace or press Enter. If you leave out the scheme, the trace starts at https. Every request is a GET with a browser user agent, and the tool follows redirects one at a time, so it can show each hop.

Four Summary Tiles

• Redirects counts the redirects in the chain for the address you typed.
• Final Status shows the status code of the last response, in green below 300, orange from 300 to 399 and red from 400.
• HTTP to HTTPS reads Yes when every http:// version ends on an https:// address.
• One Final URL reads Yes when the http, https, www and non-www versions all end on the same URL.

The Redirect Chain Card

Each step is a row with a colored status badge, the step number with the status name, the response time in milliseconds, the URL requested and, for a redirect, the full target URL. Under the target, a label says what the redirect changes, such as "HTTP to HTTPS" or "www to non-www". A redirect from https:// to http:// is labeled "HTTPS to HTTP (downgrade)" in red, and a warning appears above the chain.

WWW and HTTPS Versions

Below the main chain, the tool lists http://example.com, https://example.com, http://www.example.com and https://www.example.com with the same path. Each row shows the redirect count, the final URL and the final status, and opens to show its full chain. A version that does not resolve or does not answer shows the reason, such as "Host does not resolve" or "Timed out after 8 seconds".

Notes Under the Tiles

When all four versions end on one URL, a green note names that URL and your preferred host. When they do not, an amber note lists the final URLs found and suggests one 301 redirect rule or a rel="canonical" tag. A red note appears for any HTTPS downgrade or for a chain that did not finish within 10 redirects.

Example Chains From 4 October 2026

• http://github.com returned one 301 to https://github.com/, then a 200.
• http://www.github.com returned a 301 to https://www.github.com/, a second 301 to https://github.com/, then a 200. That is two redirects.
• https://github.com/ returned a 200 at once.

Why Checking Redirects Matters

Redirects tell browsers and crawlers where a page lives now. According to Google, a permanent redirect shows the new target in search results, and a temporary redirect shows the source page. Google also treats a 301 or 308 as a strong signal that the target should be canonical, and a 302, 303 or 307 as a weak one.

Version problems come from the same place. A page can answer on http and https, with and without www. Google's duplicate URL guidance says redirects and rel="canonical" are both strong signals for choosing the canonical, and that Google prefers an HTTPS page when it has an equivalent HTTP one. A trace shows which signal your server really sends.

How to Use the Redirect Checker

1. Click the input box and type a domain or a full URL.
2. Click Trace, or press Enter. The button reads "Tracing..." while the tool follows redirects for five addresses.
3. Read the four tiles: Redirects, Final Status, HTTP to HTTPS and One Final URL.
4. Read any notes under the tiles, especially a red downgrade warning.
5. Go through the Redirect Chain card from step 1 to the last step.
6. Open each row under WWW and HTTPS Versions to see where each version ends.

If a red message such as "Unable to resolve hostname" appears, check the address for typos.

Best Practices

Make All Four Versions End on One URL

Choose one version as canonical, for example https://example.com. That version should answer 200 with no redirect, and the other three should redirect to it. The One Final URL tile reads Yes when this works.

Aim for One Redirect

The http://www.github.com test above needed two redirects. Fewer steps mean fewer requests for users and crawlers. Google's crawlers follow up to 10 redirect hops, as its HTTP status code documentation states, so a long chain also risks a failed crawl.

Use a 301 or 308 for Permanent Moves

Use a permanent code when a page has moved for good, because Google treats it as a strong signal. Keep 302 and 307 for moves you plan to undo.

Never Redirect HTTPS to HTTP

A redirect from https:// to http:// sends visitors to an unencrypted page, and browsers mark it as not secure. The tool labels this as a downgrade. Point the redirect at the https:// address instead.

Choose One Consolidation Method

Google advises choosing either redirects or rel="canonical" to consolidate versions, because using both at once is more error prone. After you fix a redirect, view the canonical tag with Get Source Code of Webpage and check the headers of the final page with Get HTTP Headers.

Fix the Server Rule

Apache users can build redirect rules with the .htaccess Generator. Nginx users can start from the Nginx Config Generator. After HTTPS works, check the certificate with the SSL Checker.

Common Use Cases

• HTTPS migration. Confirm that every http address reaches its https twin in one step.
• WWW canonical check. Trace the www and non-www versions and confirm only one answers with a 200.
• Site moves. Test old URLs after a redesign or a domain change.
• Plugin and server audits. Spot a 302 where you expected a 301.
• Loop and chain debugging. Find the step where a chain repeats or grows.
• Dead link cleanup. Trace links reported by the Broken Links Finder.

Related Kwebby Tools

• Get HTTP Headers shows the headers of the final page.
• SSL Checker checks the HTTPS certificate of a site.
• .htaccess Generator builds Apache redirect rules.
• Nginx Config Generator builds an Nginx server block.
• Broken Links Finder finds links that return errors.
• Technical SEO Checklist lists the other server checks to run.

Final Thoughts

Redirects decide which version of a page users and crawlers reach, and a trace shows the facts in seconds. Enter your own domain now, check that all four versions end on one URL, and fix any chain longer than one step. Then work through the Technical SEO Checklist for the next server checks.