How to Check if a 301 Redirect is Working?

A 301 redirect is an HTTP status code that indicates a permanent redirection from one URL to another. It informs search engines and browsers that a webpage has moved permanently, ensuring that users and crawlers are automatically redirected to the correct destination.

Unlike a 302 redirect (temporary redirect), a 301 redirect passes the full SEO value to the new URL, whereas a 302 does not.

Implementing 301 redirects is essential for website migration, SEO redirection, and URL forwarding to maintain search rankings and user experience.

How to Check if a 301 Redirect is Working or Not

To verify whether a 301 redirect is functioning correctly, follow these steps:

Using Online Redirect Checkers

Several redirect checker tools allow you to confirm whether a URL redirection is working as expected:

• Optimizo URL Status Checker
• Redirect Tracker by Site24x7
• Redirect Lookup by SEO Site Checkup
• Redirect Checker by HTTPStatus.io

To use these tools:

1. Enter the original URL into the input field.
2. Click Check Redirect or Analyze.
3. Look at the HTTP status code and ensure it displays 301 Moved Permanently.

How to Check Redirects With Browser?

There are multiple ways to check if a 301 redirect is correctly implemented. You can inspect server response codes, use online redirect checkers, or analyze HTTP headers in browser tools.

1. How to Check a 301 Redirect in Chrome

Google Chrome provides built-in developer tools to check HTTP status codes and redirection paths:

Using Chrome Developer Tools:

1. Open Google Chrome and visit the website.
2. Press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac) to open Developer Tools.
3. Go to the Network tab.
4. Enter the URL in the address bar and press Enter.
5. Look for the first request in the Name section.
6. Click on it and go to the Headers tab.
7. Under Response Headers, locate the HTTP status code (should be 301 Moved Permanently).

Example of a 301 Redirect Response Header:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://www.example.com/new-url
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8

If the Location header points to the correct URL and the 301 status code appears, the redirect is working properly.

2. Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox provides built-in tools to check the site for redirects and analyze HTTP status codes. This allows users to test redirect URLs and verify website redirection settings.

Using Firefox Developer Tools:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox and navigate to the website.
2. Press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac) to launch Developer Tools.
3. Click the Network tab and reload the page (F5).
4. Look for the redirected request in the Name column.
5. Select the request and go to the Headers section.
6. Under Response Headers, locate the HTTP status code (should display 301 Moved Permanently).

Example of a Firefox Response Header for a 301 Redirect:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently  
Location: https://www.example.com/new-page

If the Location header points to the correct URL, and the website redirect test confirms the 301 redirect is functioning properly.

Using Firefox Extensions to Check Redirects:

For an easier way to test redirect URLs, install extensions such as:

• Redirect Path – Displays HTTP status codes and redirect chains.
• HTTP Header Live – Monitors website redirection in real time.

3. Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge offers similar developer tools to inspect server response codes and verify URL forwarding.

Using Edge Developer Tools:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and visit the website.
2. Press F12 to open Developer Tools.
3. Go to the Network tab and refresh the page (F5).
4. Locate the redirected request in the Name list.
5. Click the request and navigate to Headers.
6. Check the HTTP status code under Response Headers (should indicate 301 Moved Permanently).

To perform a bulk redirect test, you can use Edge-compatible extensions like:

• Redirect Checker for Edge – Monitors 301 and 302 redirects.
• HTTP Headers Viewer – Displays HTTP status codes for each request.

4. Safari

Apple Safari provides built-in tools to check the domain for redirects and analyze website redirection headers.

Using Safari Developer Tools:

1. Open Safari and visit the website.
2. Click Develop in the menu bar (enable Developer Mode if not visible).
3. Select Show Web Inspector (Cmd + Option + I).
4. Click the Network tab and refresh the page.
5. Look for the original request and select it.
6. In the Headers section, check for the 301 status code and Location header.

Example 301 Redirect Response Header in Safari:

HTTP/2 301 Moved Permanently  
Location: https://www.example.com/new-url

For automated redirect validation, Safari users can install:

• Redirect Tracking Checker – Detects multiple redirection hops.
• Website SEO Audit Extension – Tests all server response codes, including 301 vs 302 redirects.

How to Check if a Domain is Redirected in the CMS Portal

Checking a 301 redirect across different browsers and CMS platforms (the Content management system Software) ensures proper URL forwarding, website SEO audit compliance, and efficient redirection management.

1. How to Check 301 Redirect in WordPress

If your site is on WordPress, you can verify and manage 301 redirects using plugins:

Using a Redirection Plugin for WordPress:

1. Install the Redirection Plugin from the WordPress repository.
2. Go to Tools → Redirection in your dashboard.
3. Review the Redirects List to confirm existing 301 redirects.
4. If necessary, manually add a Source URL and Target URL for redirection.

Checking WordPress Redirects via .htaccess (Apache Servers)

If you are using an Apache server, check the .htaccess file for 301 redirects:

1. Access the root directory of your website using FTP or cPanel File Manager.
2. Open the .htaccess file.
3. Look for 301 redirect rules, which typically appear as:

Redirect 301 /old-page https://www.example.com/new-page

4. If the redirect is missing or incorrect, update it and save the file.

2. Shopify

Shopify automatically manages URL redirection when a page or product URL changes. However, manual redirection setup and verification are sometimes required.

Checking Redirects in Shopify Admin Panel:

1. Log in to your Shopify Admin Panel.
2. Navigate to Online Store → Navigation → URL Redirects.
3. Review the list of active 301 redirects.
4. Test redirect URLs by opening them in a browser to confirm redirection.

Using Redirect Checker for Shopify:

To verify Shopify website redirects, use online tools like:

• Optimizo.io Bulk Redirect Checker – Perform a website redirect test for Shopify stores.
• Redirect Testing Tools – Inspect HTTP response headers to confirm proper 301 implementation.

3. Joomla

Joomla supports redirection management via its built-in Redirect Manager.

Using Joomla’s Redirect Manager:

1. Log in to your Joomla Admin Panel.
2. Go to Components → Redirects.
3. Review the list of configured 301 redirects.
4. Test redirect URLs by copying and pasting them into a browser.

Verifying Joomla Redirects Using .htaccess

Joomla sites using Apache servers often handle redirects via .htaccess. Check the file for lines like:

Redirect 301 /old-page https://www.example.com/new-page

Modify or add redirects if necessary, then test site redirects using redirect tracking tools.

4. Drupal

Drupal provides built-in redirection tools to manage and verify URL forwarding.

Using Drupal’s Redirect Module:

1. Log in to your Drupal Admin Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Configuration → Search and Metadata → Redirects.
3. Check the list of configured 301 redirects.
4. Perform a website redirect test by opening the old URL and ensuring it redirects correctly.

Checking Redirects in Drupal’s .htaccess File:

If redirects are managed through .htaccess, locate the file in the root directory and look for:

Redirect 301 /old-url https://www.example.com/new-url

After making changes, run a redirect validation test using Optimizo.io’s Bulk Redirect Checker.

5. Magento

Magento allows users to manage URL redirects from its backend or using server configurations.

Using Magento’s Admin Panel to Check Redirects:

1. Log into the Magento Admin Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Marketing → SEO & Search → URL Rewrites.
3. Review and test redirect URLs listed in the system.

Using Magento’s Nginx Redirect Configuration:

For Magento sites running on Nginx servers, check the nginx.conf file for redirection rules like:

server {  
  listen 80;  
  server_name www.example.com;  
  return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;  
}

After modifications, verify redirects using redirect testing tools.

How to Check 301 Redirect for a Website Using Site Audit Tools

For a complete website SEO audit, check 301 redirects across all pages to avoid broken links or redirect chains.

Using Screaming Frog SEO Spider:

1. Download and install Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
2. Open the tool and enter your website URL.
3. Start the crawl and wait for results.
4. Click on the Response Codes tab and filter 301 Moved Permanently.
5. Review the Location column to confirm redirects point to the correct URLs.

This method helps identify redirect chains or loops and ensures all 301 redirects are properly configured.

How to Check if a Redirect is 301 or 302

Since 301 (permanent) redirects and 302 (temporary) redirects serve different purposes, it is essential to verify the HTTP status code.

Using Curl Command (CLI Method)

If you have command-line access, use the curl command to check the redirect type:

curl -I https://www.example.com/old-url

This will return headers like:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently  
Location: https://www.example.com/new-url

If the status code is 301, it confirms a permanent redirect. If it shows 302 Found, the redirect is temporary.

Using Chrome Extensions

Several browser extensions help distinguish between 301 vs 302 redirects, including:

• Redirect Path by Ayima
• Link Redirect Trace

These tools display redirect tracking directly in your browser.

Check Redirects for HTTPS Migration

When switching a website from HTTP to HTTPS, ensuring 301 redirects are set up properly is crucial for SEO and security.

Testing HTTPS Redirects with Google Search Console:

1. Log into Google Search Console.
2. Navigate to Settings → Change of Address.
3. Check whether your old HTTP pages redirect to HTTPS using 301 redirects.

Checking HTTPS Redirects with Redirect Mapper Tools

Tools like Redirect Checker or Screaming Frog can identify HTTP to HTTPS redirection issues. Ensure that:

• All HTTP URLs correctly redirect to HTTPS.
• There are no redirect loops or chains.

For better security and SEO, configure a 301 redirect at the server level using:

For Apache (.htaccess file):

RewriteEngine On  
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off  
RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

For Nginx:

server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

These configurations ensure that all HTTP requests are permanently redirected to HTTPS using 301 status codes.

Using Bulk Redirect Checker

For a quick and comprehensive way to check 301 redirects and other HTTP status codes, use the Bulk Redirect Checker available on Optimizo.io. This tool allows users to analyze multiple URLs at once, ensuring that redirects, errors and page statuses are properly configured across different platforms, including WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, custom-developed websites, or any other CMS platform.

Features of the Optimizo.io Redirect Checker:

• Redirect Test: Instantly verify if a URL has a 301 redirect or another status code.
• Test Redirect URL: Check if a specific URL redirection is working correctly.
• Redirect Chain Checker: Identify redirect loops or chains that could negatively impact SEO and page speed.
• HTTP Status Code Analysis: Detect whether a redirect is 301 (permanent) or 302 (temporary).
• Bulk URL Checking: Test multiple URLs at once, streamlining website audits.

Using the Optimizo.io Redirect Checker, website owners, SEO professionals, and developers can efficiently track and validate 301 redirects, ensuring that search engines recognize the correct server response codes and avoid redirection errors.