What tools help analyze and monitor redirects?

Tools for Analyzing and Monitoring Redirects

Effective redirect management requires visibility into what redirects exist, where they point, how they perform, and whether they're causing problems. A diverse ecosystem of tools exists to help analyze redirect chains, monitor their performance, detect issues, and validate that redirects are working correctly. From command-line utilities to full-featured SEO platforms to specialized redirect monitoring services, the right tool depends on your specific needs, technical expertise, and budget.

Understanding which tools are available and when to use each enables you to build a comprehensive redirect monitoring strategy. No single tool handles all scenarios perfectly; the most sophisticated redirect management typically involves multiple tools working together to provide complete visibility and early problem detection.

Command-Line and Developer Tools

curl

What It Does: Performs HTTP requests and shows response headers and redirect chains

Basic Usage:

# Follow redirects and show final URL
curl -L -I https://example.com/old-page

# Show full redirect chain with headers
curl -v https://example.com/old-page

# Check response time
curl -w @curl-format.txt -o /dev/null -s https://example.com/old-page

Pros:

• Free and universally available
• Powerful for detailed investigation
• Works from any machine with terminal access
• Shows exact HTTP headers

Cons:

• Requires command-line knowledge
• Not visual (hard to interpret long chains)
• Must run manually for each URL
• No historical tracking

wget

What It Does: Downloads files/pages and can show redirect information

Usage:

# Show redirects without downloading
wget --spider --max-redirect=5 https://example.com/page

# Maximum 5 redirects (prevents infinite loops)

Pros:

• Simple to use
• Prevents infinite loop crashes
• Shows cascade of redirects

Cons:

• Less detailed than curl
• Not designed for redirect analysis
• Limited information display

httpbin.org

What It Does: Web service that returns detailed information about HTTP requests

Usage:

Visit: https://httpbin.org/status/301
Shows information about HTTP responses
Can test specific response codes

Pros:

• No installation required
• Interactive web interface
• Good for understanding HTTP behavior

Cons:

• Requires internet access
• Not suitable for monitoring many URLs

Browser-Based Tools

Browser Developer Tools (F12)

What It Does: Built-in browser tool showing network requests including redirects

How to Use:

1. Open Developer Tools (F12)
2. Go to Network tab
3. Visit URL
4. Watch all requests in chronological order
5. Click on each request to see full headers

Pros:

• Free and always available
• Visual timeline of requests
• Shows response size and timing
• Works across all browsers

Cons:

• Manual process for each URL
• Not suitable for monitoring many sites
• Must view one redirect at a time

Browser Extensions for Redirect Analysis

Redirect Path (Chrome):

• Shows complete redirect chain for current page
• Visual display of each hop
• Shows response codes and timings
• Click any URL in chain to inspect

Redirects Viewer (Firefox):

• Similar functionality to Redirect Path
• Detailed redirect information
• Timing analysis

Pros:

• One-click analysis
• Visual representation
• Immediate feedback

Cons:

• Limited to viewing current page
• Manual process
• Browser-specific

Desktop Crawling Tools

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

What It Does: Desktop application that crawls websites and analyzes all technical SEO aspects

Redirect Analysis:

• Shows all redirect chains during crawl
• Identifies redirect loops
• Shows chained redirects (URL1→URL2→URL3)
• Reports broken redirects (404s)
• Displays response codes and response times

Usage:

1. Download and install
2. Enter domain
3. Start crawl
4. Export CSV of all redirects
5. Filter and analyze results

Pro Version Features:

• Larger crawl limits (millions vs. thousands of URLs)
• API access for integration
• Scheduling/automation

Pros:

• Most comprehensive desktop tool
• Shows complete picture of site
• Powerful filtering and sorting
• Exports detailed reports

Cons:

• Premium license required for full features
• Requires installation
• Resource-intensive (uses CPU/RAM)
• One-time analysis (not continuous monitoring)

DeepCrawl/Lumar

What It Does: Enterprise crawling and technical SEO platform

Redirect Analysis:

• Crawls entire site including redirects
• Shows redirect chains and issues
• Identifies broken redirects
• Monitors changes over time
• Alerts on redirect problems

Pros:

• Continuous crawling (sees ongoing changes)
• Alerting for new problems
• Historical trend tracking
• Enterprise-grade reporting

Cons:

• Expensive (enterprise pricing)
• Learning curve for complex interface
• Overkill for small sites

Online Redirect Checkers

Redirect Checker Tools (Web-Based)

What They Do: Simple web tools where you paste URL and see redirect chain

Popular Options:

• httpstatus.io
• smallseotools.com (HTTP redirect checker)
• seorankingtools.com (redirect checker)
• websiteplanet.com (url redirect checker)

Typical Features:

• Input URL
• See complete redirect chain
• Show HTTP status codes
• Display response times
• Show final destination

Pros:

• No installation required
• Free (usually)
• Quick analysis
• No technical knowledge needed

Cons:

• Single URL at a time
• No monitoring/history
• Limited customization
• Privacy concerns (uploads URLs to external service)

SEO Platform Tools

Google Search Console

What It Shows:

• "Crawl Errors" reports including redirects
• Pages with 404 errors (broken redirects)
• URL inspection tool to check specific redirects
• Mobile vs. desktop crawl errors

Limitations:

• Doesn't show complete redirect chain
• Only shows crawl errors Google encounters
• Limited redirect-specific features
• But essential for SEO monitoring

Pros:

• Free
• Authoritative (shows what Google sees)
• All sites should have this

Cons:

• Limited redirect analysis
• Delayed reporting (hours/days)
• Not real-time

Semrush

What It Offers:

• Site Audit tool crawls site like Screaming Frog
• Shows redirect issues in report
• Identifies broken links and redirects
• Chains notifications for new issues

Redirect Features:

• Crawl analysis showing all redirects
• Reports on redirect chains
• Identifies broken redirects
• Can schedule recurring audits

Pros:

• Integrated with other SEO tools
• Dashboard showing multiple metrics
• Regular updates/audits
• Professional reporting

Cons:

• Premium tool (not free)
• General SEO tool (not specialized for redirects)
• Requires subscription

Ahrefs

What It Offers:

• Site Audit showing technical issues
• Redirect analysis in crawl reports
• Identify broken links in backlinks
• Track domain redirects

Pros:

• Comprehensive SEO platform
• Can see your own and competitors' issues
• Regular crawling

Cons:

• Premium subscription required
• Expensive for solo focus on redirects
• Not specialized for redirect monitoring

Specialized Redirect Monitoring Tools

Catchpoint / Synthetic Monitoring

What It Does: Monitors specific URLs and alerts on issues

Redirect Monitoring:

• Monitor specific URLs for redirect issues
• Track redirect response times
• Alert on changes to redirect destination
• Geographic monitoring from multiple locations

Pros:

• Real-time monitoring
• Alerts for problems
• Geographic distribution testing
• Detailed reporting

Cons:

• Requires setup for each URL
• Can be expensive at scale
• More for critical pages

Custom Monitoring Scripts

Example Using Python:

import requests

def check_redirects(urls):
    for url in urls:
        try:
            response = requests.head(url, allow_redirects=False)
            if response.status_code in [301, 302, 303, 307, 308]:
                print(f"{url} → {response.headers['Location']} ({response.status_code})")
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error checking {url}: {e}")

check_redirects(['https://example.com/old-page'])

Advantages:

• Fully customizable
• Can integrate with monitoring systems
• Can automate checking many URLs
• Can track historical changes

Disadvantages:

• Requires programming knowledge
• Requires ongoing maintenance
• Manual setup

Monitoring Strategies: Building a Complete System

For Small Sites (< 1000 pages)

Recommended Tools:

1. Google Search Console (free): Monitor crawl errors
2. Screaming Frog Free (free): Quarterly full-site audits
3. Browser Extensions (free): Quick manual checks

Process:

• Monitor GSC weekly for errors
• Run Screaming Frog audit quarterly
• Manually check critical redirects monthly

For Medium Sites (1000-100k pages)

Recommended Tools:

1. Google Search Console (free): Primary monitoring
2. Screaming Frog Pro or DeepCrawl (paid): Regular crawling
3. Semrush Site Audit (paid): Monitoring and alerts
4. Custom Scripts (free): Specific redirect checks

Process:

• Monitor GSC continuously
• Run automated crawls weekly/monthly
• Set alerts for critical issues
• Monthly detailed review of reports

For Large Sites (100k+ pages)

Recommended Tools:

1. DeepCrawl/Lumar (enterprise): Primary crawling and monitoring
2. Google Search Console (free): Verification and deep dives
3. Custom Monitoring (internal): Continuous checks
4. Catchpoint/Synthetic Monitoring (paid): Critical page monitoring

Process:

• Continuous automated crawling
• Real-time alerts for critical issues
• Escalation procedures
• Weekly automated reports
• Monthly detailed review

Comparison Table

Tool	Cost	Ease of Use	Redirect Features	Real-Time?	Best For
curl	Free	Hard	Basic	N/A	Manual debugging
Browser DevTools	Free	Easy	Good	N/A	Quick checks
Screaming Frog	Free/Pro	Medium	Excellent	No	Desktop crawling
GSC	Free	Easy	Limited	No	General SEO
Semrush	Premium	Easy	Good	No (scheduled)	Monitoring
Redirect Checkers	Free	Very Easy	Good	N/A	One-off checks
Custom Scripts	Free	Hard	Custom	Yes	Specific monitoring

Choosing the Right Tool

For One-Off Analysis: Browser DevTools or online redirect checker

For Full Site Audit: Screaming Frog (free or pro)

For Ongoing Monitoring: GSC + Semrush/Ahrefs + custom scripts

For Critical Monitoring: Synthetic monitoring service like Catchpoint

For Enterprise: DeepCrawl/Lumar + custom integrations

Best Practices for Monitoring

1. Multiple Layers: Use both automated tools and manual spot-checks
2. Regular Schedules: Run crawls and checks on predictable schedules
3. Alerting: Set up alerts for critical issues
4. Trending: Track metrics over time to spot patterns
5. Documentation: Document all redirects in central location
6. Testing: Test redirects after any changes before going live

Conclusion

Comprehensive redirect monitoring requires combining multiple tools to gain complete visibility. Google Search Console provides essential feedback about how Google sees your site. Desktop crawlers like Screaming Frog provide detailed technical analysis. SEO platforms provide regular monitoring and alerts. For sites with critical redirect requirements, custom scripts and synthetic monitoring add real-time capabilities. By layering these tools appropriately for your site's size and importance, you can detect and resolve redirect issues quickly, maintain SEO visibility, and ensure users and search engines seamlessly navigate your site.