Redirect Audit

What This Skill Does

Analyzes website redirects to find problems that hurt SEO and user experience.

Why Redirects Matter

• Every redirect = delay: 301 redirects add 100-500ms latency
• Chains lose link equity: Google follows max ~5 hops, then stops
• Wrong type = lost ranking: 302 (temporary) doesn't pass full link juice
• Loops = crawl waste: Googlebot hits loop, gives up, page not indexed

Check Categories

1. Redirect Chains

A redirect pointing to another redirect, pointing to another...

BAD:  /old → /old-2 → /old-3 → /final  (3 hops, slow, loses equity)
GOOD: /old → /final                     (1 hop, fast, full equity)

Rule: Maximum 1 redirect hop. More than 1 = fix immediately.

2. Redirect Loops

Page A redirects to B, B redirects back to A. Infinite loop.

BAD:  /page-a → /page-b → /page-a  (loop!)

Detection: Follow redirects up to 10 hops. If same URL appears twice = loop.

3. Redirect Type Audit

Type	When to Use	SEO Impact
301	Permanent move	Passes ~95% link equity
302	Temporary (A/B test, maintenance)	Passes less equity, can cause issues if permanent
307	Temporary (preserves HTTP method)	Same as 302
308	Permanent (preserves HTTP method)	Same as 301
Meta refresh	NEVER for SEO	Bad UX, slow, not recommended
JavaScript redirect	Avoid if possible	Googlebot may not follow

Rule: Permanent moves must use 301 or 308. Using 302 for permanent = error.

4. Protocol Issues

BAD:  https://site.com → http://site.com  (downgrade, security warning)
BAD:  http → https → http                 (mixed, confusing)
GOOD: http://site.com → https://site.com  (upgrade, correct)

5. Domain Consistency

BAD:  www.site.com → site.com → www.site.com  (inconsistent)
GOOD: Pick ONE (www or non-www) and redirect all others to it

6. Trailing Slash Consistency

BAD:  /page → /page/ → /page  (loop risk)
GOOD: Pick ONE pattern (/page or /page/) and redirect all others

7. Post-Migration Orphans

After site migration/redesign:

• Old URLs that redirect to 404 or homepage (should go to equivalent new page)
• Important pages with no redirect (losing all link equity)

8. Soft 404s via Redirect

Redirecting deleted pages to homepage = soft 404 penalty risk.

BAD:  /deleted-product → /  (Google sees this as soft 404)
GOOD: /deleted-product → 410 Gone (or related category page)

How to Run Audit

Method 1: Crawl-based (recommended)

Use squirrel audit or similar crawler to:

1. Crawl entire site
2. Follow all internal links
3. Record redirect chains

Method 2: Log-based (for large sites)

Analyze server access logs for:

• All 301/302 responses
• Most-hit redirect URLs
• External referrers hitting redirects

Method 3: URL list

If you have a list of old URLs (from migration):

1. Check each URL
2. Record final destination
3. Flag chains, loops, 404s

Output Format

Redirect Health Score: XX/100

Critical Issues (Fix Immediately)

Issue Type	Count	Example
Redirect loops	X	/a → /b → /a
5+ hop chains	X	/old → ... → /new
HTTPS downgrade	X	https → http

High Priority (Fix This Week)

Issue Type	Count	Example
3-4 hop chains	X	/old → /mid → /new
302 used for permanent	X	/old-page 302→ /new-page
Soft 404 redirects	X	/deleted → /

Medium Priority (Fix This Month)

Issue Type	Count	Example
2 hop chains	X	/old → /mid → /new
Inconsistent trailing slash	X	/page and /page/ both exist

Redirect Map

Top 20 most-accessed redirects and their chains:

Source URL	Hops	Final Destination	Type	Monthly Hits

Recommendations

1. [Specific fix instructions based on findings]

[PROTOCOL]: Update this header on changes, then check CLAUDE.md