If you are unsure as to why this might be a problem, try entering www.webdrive.co.nz into this tool. Notice how they have a number of "home" pages. The multiple copies of their homepage is competing with itself for links. If Webdrive used 301 redirects on all versions except www.webdrive.co.nz, their homepage would have more link power and would probably rank better. Webdrive are a great web host however.
Understanding HTTP Codes And Status
HTTP codes are 3-digit codes that are automatically generated by a URL. Such codes usually denote key information associated with the URL. For instance, if your results from our HTTP status checker contains codes starting with the digit “3”, then it is a redirect code. Meaning, the code is telling you that the URL uses redirection. The other two digits (followed by 3) tell you what kind of redirect is being used by the page. For example, the code 301 means that the page has been moved permanently to the redirected URL. In this case, the code is 301 and the status is “Moved Permanently”.
The Importance Of Redirects
A website redirect, as the name suggests, is aimed at redirecting the user to a different page than the one that they requested for. Redirects are usually used when an existing website is moved to a new domain. For instance, when a business undergoes a rebranding or expands into new markets, they may need to change their website domain name to something that reflects their new brand image. While this can be simply done by purchasing a new domain and creating a new website, it may confuse the existing customers of that business. Moreover, creating a new website also means that all the SEO benefits that the old site enjoyed will be wiped off.
A 301 redirect prevents this from happening by telling the search engines that the same old website has been moved to a new address. This way, the search engine treats the new website same as the old one, passing on all the SEO benefits that the old site enjoyed to the new website.
As you may know, not all redirects are beneficial from an SEO point of view. Our HTTP status checker will enable you to identify any and all URL related problems that may be hurting your website’s SEO or user experience.
Understanding Redirect Chains
When a URL is redirected multiple times, it creates a redirect chain. In other words, if a URL 1 has been redirected to URL 2, and then URL 2 is redirected to URL 3, a redirect chain is created. Redirect chains are usually bad for SEO as they make it difficult for the search engine crawlers to crawl the website.
For quick reference when reading your HTTP status reports, check out this HTTP status code table:
| HTTP STATUS CODE | HTTP STATUS |
|---|---|
| 1xx informational response codes | |
| 100 | Continue |
| 101 | Switching Protocols |
| 102 | Processing |
| 103 | Early Hints |
| 2xx success codes | |
| 200 | OK |
| 201 | Created |
| 202 | Accepted |
| 203 | Non-Authoritative Information |
| 204 | No Content |
| 205 | Reset Content |
| 206 | Partial Content |
| 207 | Multi-Status |
| 208 | Already Reported |
| 226 | IM Used |
| 3xx redirection codes | |
| 300 | Multiple Choices |
| 301 | Moved Permanently |
| 302 | Found |
| 303 | See Other |
| 304 | Not Modified |
| 305 | Use Proxy |
| 307 | Temporary Redirect |
| 308 | Permanent Redirect |
| 4xx client error codes | |
| 400 | Bad Request |
| 401 | Unauthorized |
| 402 | Payment Required |
| 403 | Forbidden |
| 404 | Not Found |
| 405 | Method Not Allowed |
| 406 | Not Acceptable |
| 407 | Proxy Authentication Required |
| 408 | Request Timeout |
| 409 | Conflict |
| 410 | Gone |
| 411 | Length Required |
| 412 | Precondition Failed |
| 413 | Request Entity Too Large |
| 414 | Request-URI Too Long |
| 415 | Unsupported Media Type |
| 416 | Requested Range Not Satisfiable |
| 417 | Expectation Failed |
| 418 | I'm a teapot |
| 421 | Misdirected Request |
| 422 | Unprocessable Entity |
| 423 | Locked |
| 424 | Failed Dependency |
| 425 | Too Early |
| 426 | Upgrade Required |
| 428 | Precondition Required |
| 429 | Too Many Requests |
| 431 | Request Header Fields Too Large |
| 451 | Unavailable for Legal Reasons |
| 5xx server error codes | |
| 500 | Internal Server Error |
| 501 | Not Implemented |
| 502 | Bad Gateway |
| 503 | Service Unavailable |
| 504 | Gateway Timeout |
| 505 | HTTP Version Not Supported |
| 506 | Variant Also Negotiates |
| 507 | Insufficient Storage |
| 508 | Loop Detected |
| 510 | Not Extended |
| 511 | Network Authentication Required |
No. Our tool is simple to use. Simply add the URL you want to check and the tool will present you with a report. To understand the report, you can use the HTTP code key given on this page.