Redirect chains: the long way from an old URL to the page that matters

Map the hops, not just the first rule

A migration often leaves HTTP to HTTPS, then non-www to www, then an old path to a new path. Three rules in a row feel tidy in a config file and slow in practice.

Loops are the acute version: a trailing-slash rule and a CMS canonical that disagree. The browser eventually stops; the crawler records an error.

Point the oldest URL at the final URL

Update the first redirect so it targets the current document directly. Keep the intermediate rules only if something still requests those exact URLs, and even then make them one hop to the end.

Use a permanent redirect for permanent moves. A long chain of temporary redirects leaves search uncertain about which URL to keep.

• Collapse protocol, host, and path into one hop where you can.
• Fix internal links so they do not rely on the redirect.
• Retire rules that point at URLs which themselves redirect.

Update the links that still use the old path

Redirects rescue external and historical clicks. Internal links should already use the final URL. A navigation item that 301s on every pageview is a template bug.

Recrawl after the change and confirm important legacy URLs resolve in a single hop to a 200.

Do redirect chains hurt rankings?

They slow crawling and leak a little equity at each hop. The larger problem is that one broken rule in the middle drops the journey entirely.

Should internal links point at the redirected URL?

No. Link to the final 200 URL. Keep redirects for visitors and external sites that still have the old address.