# Redirect & SSL Checker

> Agent-friendly Markdown of https://www.buildseo.org/free-tools/redirect-ssl-checker — full index for AI agents: https://www.buildseo.org/llms.txt

Trace a URL's redirect chain and confirm its SSL setup.

## How it works

Enter a URL and the checker follows its redirect chain hop by hop, reporting each URL, HTTP status, and latency — chains longer than one hop leak link equity and add load time on every visit.

It then probes the alternate variants that decide canonicalization: does http:// upgrade to https:// with a 301, and do the www and non-www hosts resolve to one canonical home instead of serving duplicates?

When the final URL is https, a real TLS handshake reads the certificate: issuer, subject, expiry date, days remaining, and whether the chain validates. Everything downloads as CSV or JSON, free and instant.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many redirects are too many?
One is normal (http to https, or a moved page). Two or more in a chain is worth collapsing: each hop adds a round trip, and search engines dampen the signal that flows through long chains.

### What does the certificate check look at?
Issuer, subject, validity window, and days until expiry — with a warning inside three weeks and a failure once expired or when the chain doesn't validate for the hostname. Expired certificates throw a full-page browser warning that stops nearly all visitors.

### Why does www vs non-www matter?
If both hosts serve the same content without a redirect, search engines see two duplicate sites splitting the same authority. One 301 from the non-canonical host consolidates it.

## Redirects clean. Links preserved.

BuildSEO AI builds verified backlinks — and clean redirects make sure their equity arrives.

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