301 redirect map validator: check every old URL lands on the right page
Paste your 301 redirect map, old and new URLs, and see for every pair whether the old address lands on the right page in one permanent redirect.
- Free, no account
- Up to 1,000 pairs per run
- Any site, old and new domain alike
Example result10 redirects checkedexample-shop.hr
Run it on your siteOf 10 lines: 4 need fixing, 4 work but could be better (chain, temporary or noindex) and 2 are exactly right.
| Old URL | Verdict | Should go to | Actually lands on | Hops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| example-shop.hr/collection/2020/ | Gone, no redirectThe old URL answers 404 or 410; its links and rankings are lost. | example-shop.hr/collections/ | example-shop.hr/collection/2020/ 404 | 0 |
What the 301 redirect map validator checks
Every pair gets one verdict, from exactly right to lost, so you fix the redirects that cost traffic first.
Correct
One permanent redirect (301 or 308) to the expected page, which answers 200 and can be indexed.
Wrong target
The old URL redirects, but ends somewhere else, often the home page or a category, which Google may treat as a soft 404.
Not redirected or gone
The old URL still answers by itself, or answers 404 or 410, so its links and rankings are lost.
Chains
Lands on the right page through two or more redirects, which slows visitors and makes crawlers give up sooner.
Temporary redirects
A 302 or 307 tells search engines the move may be undone, so the old URL keeps its place in the index.
Broken or noindex target
The redirect reaches the expected URL, but that page answers with an error or tells search engines not to index it.
Paths or full URLs
Paste two columns from a spreadsheet, a CSV or pairs separated by spaces; paths are resolved against your site.
A link and a CSV
Every run keeps its own link for 30 days, filterable by verdict, and a CSV with one line per pair for your developer.
Show 4 more checks
Temporary redirects
A 302 or 307 tells search engines the move may be undone, so the old URL keeps its place in the index.
Broken or noindex target
The redirect reaches the expected URL, but that page answers with an error or tells search engines not to index it.
Paths or full URLs
Paste two columns from a spreadsheet, a CSV or pairs separated by spaces; paths are resolved against your site.
A link and a CSV
Every run keeps its own link for 30 days, filterable by verdict, and a CSV with one line per pair for your developer.
How the 301 redirect map validator works
Paste the pairs
The old URL and the new URL on one line, up to 1,000 lines. The redirect map you gave your developer works as it is.
Follow every redirect
Each old URL is requested the way a browser would and followed hop by hop, at most four at a time per site, through the same guard as our reports.
Compare and sort
Where each URL really lands is compared with where it should go, and every pair gets one verdict you can filter by.
We follow redirects exactly as your server sends them to us today. Rules that depend on the visitor's country, device or cookies may answer differently for real visitors.
Redirect mapping and migration questions
What is a 301 redirect map?
A list that pairs every old URL with the new URL it should redirect to, usually two columns in a spreadsheet. Build it from your old sitemap, your analytics landing pages, Search Console and the pages other sites link to. Your developer turns it into server rules, and this tool checks afterwards that every pair really works; paste the two columns as they are.
How long does it take for rankings to recover after a migration?
For a well-redirected move, traffic usually settles within a few weeks to three months; Google says most pages of a medium-sized site move within a few weeks. Recovery is slower, and sometimes incomplete, when old URLs answer 404, redirect to the home page or take several hops, which is exactly what the validator finds. Keep the redirects for at least a year.
How do I migrate or redesign a website without losing SEO?
Keep URLs unchanged wherever you can. For every URL that must change, add a one-hop 301 to its closest equivalent, then update internal links, canonicals and the XML sitemap to the new addresses. Validate the redirect map on staging, again on launch day and a week later. Our site migration checklist guide walks through every step, from inventory to Search Console.
When should I run the validator?
Three times: before launch against the staging server, right after switching over, and again a week later, when caches and CDNs have caught up. Each run keeps its own link for 30 days, filterable by verdict, so you can compare runs and hand your developer a CSV with one line per pair that still needs work.
Why is a redirect to the home page a problem?
Google treats a redirect to an unrelated page as a soft 404 and drops the old URL's signals, so the rankings are lost anyway. Visitors who clicked a product link also land somewhere useless. Redirect each old URL to its closest equivalent, and let pages with no equivalent answer 410. The validator marks these pairs as wrong target.
Why do chains and temporary redirects matter?
Each extra hop costs visitors a round trip and crawlers patience, and a 302 or 307 tells search engines the move may be undone, so the old URL keeps its place in the index. Point every old URL straight at its final page with a 301 or 308. The validator lists chains and temporary redirects separately so you can fix them first.
How do I write the redirects in the first place?
Use the redirect rule generator. It turns the same two-column list into exact-match rules for Apache .htaccess, nginx, Cloudflare, Netlify, Vercel or Caddy, with chains collapsed and loops removed before a single rule is written. It runs in your browser, and then this validator confirms the rules work once they are deployed.
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