What is a Redirect Chain?
TL;DR
A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects to another URL, which redirects to another, creating multiple hops that slow down crawlers and waste crawl budget.
Last updated: 2026-03-09
Definition#
A redirect chain happens when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C, and potentially further. Each redirect is called a "hop." A single redirect (one hop) is normal and expected. Two or more hops create a chain that causes problems.
Redirect chains typically form over time as pages are moved, domains are changed, and URLs are restructured. Each change adds another redirect without cleaning up the old ones. Eventually, a crawler trying to reach a page might pass through three, four, or more redirects.
Each hop adds latency (100-500 milliseconds per hop), risks dropping cookies or tracking parameters, and wastes crawl budget. Most crawlers will follow a limited number of redirects (Google follows up to 10, but some AI crawlers may stop at 5).
Why It Matters for AI Readiness#
Redirect chains waste crawl budget and may cause AI crawlers to give up before reaching your content. The Crawl Health factor penalizes excessive redirect chains.
See How to Fix Crawl Health Issues for step-by-step instructions on resolving redirect chains.
Related Concepts#
Redirect chains consume crawl budget, can be detected through sitemap audits, and should be resolved with direct redirects pointing to the canonical URL.
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