When I get a new client with an existing website, I often find their site hasn’t been set up to use HTTPS.
I explain why HTTPS matters and how it protects the privacy and security of website visitors.
One of my next steps is to contact my client’s web host to find out what’s included in my client’s hosting plan, so I can install and test the SSL certificate, remove mixed content, and make other configuration changes on the site.
My final step is to confirm redirects from HTTP to HTTPS are working correctly.
Which means testing their site at
http://www.mysite.com/
redirects seamlessly to
https://mysite.com/
I need to make sure redirects for the variations of www, non-www, HTTP and HTTPS versions are configured correctly.
In the past, I used the free Redirect Mapper tool, but I’ve learned it’s no longer online.
After some research, I discovered another tool to check HTTP to HTTPS has been set up correctly.
Automatic 301 Redirect Checker
Created by SerpWorx, the free online Automatic 301 Redirect Checker will test all versions of your URL resolve correctly.
It confirms redirects from www and non-www versions of a URL for both HTTP and HTTPS.
Enter the URL you want to test and you’ll get the results for your site.
If your site redirects are set up correctly, a score of 100 will display for your site.
In addition, results of the redirects display the HTTP status codes as well as the number of redirects for the site.
A 301 status code indicates a website has been moved permanently; a 200 status code indicates the request has succeeded.
You want to make sure you only have 1 redirect hop.
Here’s the result for one of my clients:
What I Like About Automatic Redirect Checker
With Automatic Redirect Checker, you receive you results in less than a minute.
Which is fast, but what stood out for me is the additional information and resources the tool provides, including:
- How their tool works
- How their scoring system works
- Why too many redirects aren’t good for search engine optimization and user experience
- How you can fix too many redirects, with a code snippet to include in .htaccess files
I think the Automatic Redirect Checker is a great tool to add to your web design/development toolbox!
How about you? What tool(s) do you use to test redirects?
