Broken links and redirect chains cost more than they look
Some internal links 404, and some paths redirect twice before reaching the final page. Which of these actually matters?
Which checks surface this
- broken-links — internal links pointing at URLs that return an error
- broken-crawled-pages — pages that themselves fail to load
- links-to-redirects — internal links pointing at a URL that then redirects
- redirect-chain — a URL that redirects to another URL that redirects again
- redirect-loop — redirects that never reach a destination
Check ids: broken-links · broken-crawled-pages · links-to-redirects · redirect-chain · redirect-loop
A concrete example
After a domain move, old URLs redirect to the new ones while http still upgrades to https — so a single internal link is followed across two hops instead of one.
FAQ
- Is a redirect worse than a 404?
- It depends on intent. A 404 on a link you control is a mistake with a clear fix. A redirect chain is quieter: the page still works, but every visit costs extra requests and dilutes the signal.
- Should I just add another redirect?
- That usually lengthens the chain. Point internal links straight at the destination and update the old rule so it goes there in one hop.