From audit to fix: redirects with SEO Horizan (real workflow)

Redirects can quietly erode rankings when chains, loops, or wrong status codes stack up. This real workflow shows how to audit, fix, and verify redirects end-to-end with SEO Horizan—so link equity and crawl efficiency aren’t wasted.

What “redirect health” means (2025)

• Stable final URL: One hop, ends in 200 OK, cacheable where appropriate.
• Right status: Permanent moves use 301; temporary testing or geogating uses 302/307.
• No surprises: Headers, protocol (HTTP/2), and security (HSTS) align with best practices.

Audit → Fix → Verify: the workflow

1) Crawl the suspect URLs

• Map every hop with URL Redirect Checker (captures each step until the final 200/4xx/5xx).
• Open HTTP Headers Lookup on the start and final URLs to confirm status, Location, caching, and Content-Type.
• Check cache freshness of the destination with Google Cache Checker.

2) Diagnose the biggest losses

• Chains: A → B → C → D (each hop risks timeouts and equity loss).
• Loops: A → B → A (crawler dead-ends).
• Wrong status: Temporary (302) used for permanent moves.
• Protocol or security gaps: Missing HTTP/2, Brotli, or HSTS on the final URL.

3) Fix plan (fast)

1. Collapse chains: Point A directly to D with a single 301. Remove legacy B and C rules.
2. Correct status codes: Long-term moves → 301; short tests/campaigns → 302 or 307. Re-test with URL Redirect Checker.
3. Headers & protocol: Verify HTTP/2, enable Brotli, and confirm HSTS via HSTS Checker.
4. Performance sanity: Ensure the destination is fast: TTFB Checker and Website Page Size Checker.
5. Preview & meta: If a campaign URL changes, validate OG/Title/Description at the destination with OpenGraph Checker and Meta Tags Checker.

Real example: collapsing a 3-hop chain

Before:
/old-campaign 302 → /new-campaign 301 → /final-landing 200

After:

• Rewrite rule: /old-campaign → /final-landing with a single 301.
• Remove the intermediate mapping for /new-campaign.
• Re-crawl with URL Redirect Checker to confirm: /old-campaign 301 → /final-landing 200.
• Verify headers (Headers Lookup), protocol (HTTP/2), compression (Brotli), and HSTS (HSTS).

301 vs 302 vs 307 (quick guide)

• 301 (permanent): The default for migrations, consolidations, and canonical moves.
• 302/307 (temporary): Short-term tests, geolocation, or maintenance. Swap back to 200 or 301 once done.

Canonical vs redirect (don’t mix the signals)

• Prefer a single 301 to the canonical URL for duplicate paths (e.g., /?ref= variants).
• Use rel="canonical" only when a redirect isn’t possible (session variants you still need to serve).

QA & monitoring

• Ping the destination host (Ping) and confirm hosting details (Website Hosting Checker, IP Lookup, Reverse IP Lookup).
• Re-test cache freshness with Google Cache Checker.
• Keep critical paths listed in your Sitemap and in your internal links from the Blog hub.

Starter toolkit (bookmark these)

• URL Redirect Checker • HTTP Headers Lookup
• TTFB Checker • Website Page Size Checker
• HTTP/2 Checker • Brotli Checker • HSTS Checker
• OpenGraph Checker • Meta Tags Checker

FAQs

Wrap-up

Redirect hygiene protects crawl, UX, and link equity. Audit with a hop-by-hop view, collapse chains, set the right status, and verify protocol, compression, and meta. When you’re ready to scale the process, compare Plans or Sign-up to get started.