TECHNICAL · SEO GLOSSARY
Redirect Loop
A circular chain of redirects where URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects back to URL A (or through a chain back to A) — causing browsers and crawlers to fail with an error rather than reaching content.
Definition
A redirect loop (also called a circular redirect) occurs when a set of URLs redirect to each other in a cycle with no terminal destination: A → B → A, or A → B → C → A. Browsers detect loops after a configurable number of redirects (typically 10–20) and display an "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" or "The page isn't redirecting properly" error. Googlebot similarly detects and abandons redirect chains that don't resolve, reporting the URL as having a redirect error in Google Search Console's Coverage report. Common causes: misconfigured HTTPS-to-HTTPS redirect rules that match all HTTPS traffic including the destination, www/non-www redirect logic that applies bidirectionally, Cloudflare SSL/TLS settings set to "Flexible" when the origin server also uses HTTPS (causing infinite HTTPS loops), and CMS permalink mismatches after a domain or URL structure change.
Why it matters for SEO
Redirect loops make pages completely inaccessible — not just slower to index, but genuinely unreachable by both users and crawlers. A page in a redirect loop cannot be indexed, cannot pass PageRank from its backlinks, and generates user-facing error pages. Even if the loop affects only some pages (e.g., only pages under `/blog/` have a specific misconfiguration), those pages are effectively non-existent from Google's perspective. Loops are typically caused by misconfiguration rather than intentional design, making them urgent to fix. The most common production scenario: a site migrates from HTTP to HTTPS, a reverse proxy rule redirects all HTTP to HTTPS, but a second rule in a different layer also applies, catching the HTTPS request and sending it back.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
The audit detects redirect loops during the crawl phase: the crawler follows redirect chains with a maximum depth limit and identifies URLs where the redirect chain returns to a previously-visited URL. Loops are reported as critical errors with the full redirect chain shown (A → B → C → A) and the likely misconfiguration type based on the URL pattern. The GSC Coverage report is also checked for URL errors matching redirect-loop patterns.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
technical
301 Redirect
A permanent HTTP redirect that passes ~90–99% of link equity from the old URL to the new one — the correct redirect type for permanent URL changes in SEO.
Read definition →technical
Redirect Chain
A series of redirects where URL A → URL B → URL C instead of directly to the final destination — wastes crawl budget and dilutes link equity.
Read definition →technical
HTTPS Migration
Moving a website from HTTP to HTTPS — a required step for Google's security ranking signal, user trust (the padlock), and accurate Core Web Vitals data.
Read definition →technical
Crawlability
Whether search engine crawlers can successfully access, fetch, and parse a page — the prerequisite for indexing and ranking.
Read definition →See how your site scores on Redirect Loop.
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