tech

How to fix: <=1 redirect to reach homepage

Why this matters

Each redirect hop loses a small fraction of link equity and adds to page load time. Chains of 3+ hops can cause crawlers to abandon the URL entirely. Update intermediate redirects to point directly to the final destination.

Background

Each redirect hop loses link equity and adds load time. Chains of 3+ hops can cause crawlers to abandon the URL. Audit + flatten.

References

Google Search Central · Redirects and search results

How to fix

Code snippet for each stack we cover. Pick the one matching your server / framework.

nginx

Audit your `return 301` / `rewrite ... permanent` rules. Point intermediate redirects directly at the final destination.

apache

Same — audit RewriteRule chains in .htaccess.

cloudflare

Bulk Redirects → audit + flatten chains.

wordpress

Use the Redirection plugin's 'redirect log' view to spot chains. Replace intermediate hops.

flask

Audit any @app.route returning a redirect — if it points to a route that also redirects, flatten.

express

Same.

rails

Same.

Verify it's working

curl -sIL https://your-site/ 2>&1 | grep -i 'HTTP/' — count the HTTP status lines. Should be 1 or 2 max (302/301 then 200).

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