Avoiding Too Many Redirects
A redirect sends a browser from one address to another. They are essential for moving pages and fixing old links, but each one adds a round trip that delays the visitor, and chains of redirects multiply that delay.
Keeping redirects tidy is a small piece of housekeeping with a real effect on speed and crawl efficiency.
Why Chains Hurt
Each redirect asks the browser to make another round trip before it reaches the real page. One is harmless, but chains of them stack up delays and waste the effort search engines spend crawling your site, which is why we hunt them down and shorten them.
Why It Matters for SEO
Tidy redirects help search engines as well as visitors. Long chains waste the crawl effort search engines spend on your site and can dilute the signals that help pages rank.
- Search engines crawl your site more efficiently.
- Ranking signals pass through cleanly.
- Visitors reach the right page faster.
- Broken or looping redirects are caught early.
How We Audit Redirects
Redirects tend to build up quietly over years of site changes, so a periodic tidy-up is worthwhile. We map what is in place, then simplify it without breaking the links people and search engines rely on.
- Crawl the site to list every redirect in place.
- Find chains where one redirect leads to another.
- Point links directly at the final destination.
- Remove redirects that no longer serve a purpose.
Why Redirects Slow Things Down
- Each redirect is an extra request before the real page loads.
- Redirect chains stack several delays on top of each other.
- Search engines waste crawl effort following long chains.
How We Keep Them Clean
- Point links directly at the final destination where possible.
- Collapse chains so one redirect goes straight to the end.
- Use the correct permanent or temporary type for each case.
- Audit redirects periodically and remove obsolete ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are redirects bad for SEO?
Used correctly they are essential and harmless. The problem is unnecessary chains and loops, which we clean up.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.