---
title: "Redirect Chain"
description: "A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects to another URL that also redirects, creating a series of multiple hops that waste crawl budget and dilute link equity."
category: "Technical SEO"
date: "2026-03-05"
url: "https://getbeast.io/glossary/redirect-chain/"
type: "glossary"
---

# Redirect Chain

**Category:** Technical SEO | **Updated:** 2026-03-05

A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects to another URL that also redirects, creating a series of multiple hops that waste crawl budget and dilute link equity.

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## What Is a Redirect Chain?
A redirect chain occurs when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C (and potentially further). For example: `/old-page` → `/new-page` → `/newest-page`. Each hop in the chain adds latency, wastes crawl budget, and may lose a small amount of link equity. Google follows up to 10 redirect hops, but best practice is a direct redirect.

## Why Redirect Chains Are Harmful
Redirect chains slow down page loading (each hop adds 100-300ms), waste crawl budget (each hop counts as a crawl), and may leak link equity. They typically accumulate over multiple site migrations or URL structure changes. Long chains can also cause crawlers to give up before reaching the final destination.

## How to Fix Redirect Chains
Update all redirects to point directly to the final destination URL. After a site migration, audit old redirect rules and update chains to single hops. Use [CrawlBeast](/crawler/) to crawl your site and identify all redirect chains, then update your server configuration to eliminate them.

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## Related Terms

- [301 Redirect](/glossary/301-redirect/)
- [302 Redirect](/glossary/302-redirect/)
- [Site Migration](/glossary/site-migration/)
- [Crawl Budget](/glossary/crawl-budget/)
- [Broken Link](/glossary/broken-link/)

## Further Reading

- [Finding and Fixing Redirect Chains](/blog/redirect-chains/)

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*Part of the [GetBeast SEO Glossary](/glossary/). Visit [GetBeast.io](https://getbeast.io) for professional SEO and log analysis tools.*