Redirect Chain

Definition

A sequence of two or more redirects between the requested URL and the final destination.

A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects to another URL that itself redirects, forcing crawlers and browsers through multiple hops before reaching the final page. Chains slow page loads, waste crawl budget and can dilute or drop signals if they grow too long, and redirect loops fail entirely. Best practice is to update each redirect to point directly at the final destination so every hop resolves in a single step.