1.2 Indexability & statusMediumVerified
Redirect chain (>1 hop)
A chain of redirects, A to B to C, makes crawlers work harder and can dilute or delay how signals pass through. I collapse chains so every old URL points straight at the final one.
What it is
A→B→C redirect sequences.
Why it matters
Each hop adds latency and risk; Google may stop following long chains.
How to fix it
Collapse to a single hop A→C.
How to find it on your site
- Crawl the site and look for redirect chains longer than one hop.
- Trace each chain with curl -IL and count the hops.
- Rewrite the redirects so each source points directly at the final destination.
- Re-test to confirm a single hop remains.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Long chains slow crawling and risk signal loss at each hop. A single, direct redirect preserves the most value.
Impact
Medium; crawl efficiency and signal preservation. Direct.
Evidence
Minimise redirect chains; Google may not follow long ones. Google Search Central, Redirects and Google Search