Redirect error
Google followed a redirect from this address and never reached a page: the chain was too long, went round in a circle, or led to an address it could not use. Unlike a working redirect, this one gets Google to no page at all, so it is worth fixing.
What Google is telling you
Google’s help page lists four redirect errors, and suggests a debugging tool such as Lighthouse to see which one it was:
| The error | What usually causes it |
|---|---|
| A redirect chain that was too long | Migrations layered on each other: http to https, then to www, then an old URL scheme to a new one, each with its own redirect. Google’s status code page says its crawlers follow up to 10 hops by default. |
| A redirect loop | Two rules that undo each other: one adds a trailing slash or www, another removes it; or a plugin and the server both forcing https behind a proxy. |
| A redirect URL that eventually exceeded the maximum URL length | A rule that appends something to the address on every hop, such as a parameter or a path segment, until it grows too long. |
| A bad or empty URL in the chain | A Location header left empty, malformed, or pointing at a placeholder. |
Find which one it is
- curl -sIL https://example.com/the-page prints every hop with its status and Location. More than a few lines is a chain; the same addresses coming back is a loop.
- A browser’s developer tools, on the Network tab with “Preserve log”, show the same hops; a loop ends in the browser’s own “too many redirects” error.
- Try the http and https, www and bare versions of the address: loops often appear on only one of them.
How to fix it
- One hop to the final address. Point every old address straight at the page it should end on, instead of at another redirect.
- One place for each rule. Decide where https, www and the trailing slash are enforced, the server, the CDN or the application, and remove the same rule everywhere else.
- Permanent and on the server. Google’s redirects guide recommends a permanent server-side redirect, and JavaScript redirects only when nothing else is possible.
- Your links too. Internal links that use the final address need no redirect at all.
Then inspect the address in Search Console and use Validate fix in the report for the pages you changed.
What the Trakis audit finds
The audit counts the hops on every address it follows and reports any that needs more than one before it reaches the page, with the number of hops (CRAWL-003). A chain that keeps growing is one rule change away from a loop. A redirect that works is a different status, and usually a fine one: Page with redirect.
Common questions
Is a single redirect a problem? No. This status is about redirects that fail; one hop to the right page is the normal way to move a page.
The page opens fine in my browser. Why does Google report an error? Your browser may have a cached redirect or start from another version of the address. Test the exact URL in the report, with a fresh request.
How many hops are too many? Google’s crawlers follow up to 10 by default. Aim for one: every hop is another request before the page.
Check the whole site
The Trakis audit follows every internal link and reports each redirect chain once, with the addresses it covers. Create a free account and add your site, or see every Search Console status, explained.
Last changed 28 October 2026.