Multiple sequential redirects between URLs that dilute link equity and slow page loading with each additional hop.
A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects to another URL, which then redirects to yet another URL, creating a sequence of multiple redirects before reaching the final destination. Each redirect in the chain consumes link equity and increases page load time, making redirect chains a significant technical SEO issue that can harm both user experience and search engine performance.
Search engines follow redirect chains but lose patience and link value with each hop. Google typically follows up to five redirects in a chain before giving up, though best practice dictates keeping chains as short as possible. Each redirect passes roughly 85-90% of the original link equity to the next URL, meaning a chain of three redirects could result in losing 25-30% of the original ranking power.
Why It Matters for AI SEO
AI-powered crawlers and indexing systems are increasingly sophisticated but remain efficiency-focused. When search engines encounter redirect chains, they consume more crawl budget processing multiple requests instead of discovering new content. This is particularly problematic for large sites where AI systems need to efficiently allocate crawling resources. Modern AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews rely on clean, accessible content structures to understand and reference web pages. Redirect chains create unnecessary friction in this process, potentially preventing AI systems from properly indexing or citing your content. As search becomes more conversational and AI-driven, ensuring direct, unimpeded access to your content becomes even more critical for maintaining visibility.
How It Works
Redirect chains commonly form during website migrations, URL restructuring, or when multiple redirects accumulate over time. For example: original-page.html → new-page.html → final-page.html → current-page.html creates a four-hop chain that should be consolidated into a single redirect from the original to the current page. Tools like Screaming Frog and Ahrefs excel at identifying redirect chains during site audits. In Google Search Console, you can spot chains by examining coverage reports for redirect errors. Sitebulb provides excellent visualization of redirect chains, making it easy to understand the scope of the problem. The solution typically involves updating all intermediate redirects to point directly to the final destination URL, eliminating the unnecessary hops.
Common Mistakes
Many SEO practitioners focus only on broken redirects while ignoring chains, missing significant optimization opportunities. Another common error is assuming that chains longer than two hops are automatically problematic—sometimes a two-hop chain (like HTTP to HTTPS, then to a new URL structure) is necessary and acceptable. The key mistake is failing to audit and consolidate chains after major site changes, allowing them to accumulate and compound over time.