Redirect Loops

What This Means

Following a URL's redirect chain eventually leads back to a URL already in the chain, creating an infinite cycle. For example: URL A → 301 → URL B → 301 → URL A (loop). Neither users nor crawlers can reach the final content — the request cycles until the browser or crawler gives up with an error.

Why It Matters for SEO

A redirect loop is a critical error — the affected URL is completely inaccessible to both users and search engines. Browsers display a "Too many redirects" or "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" error. Any ranking signals the URL previously had are lost until the loop is resolved.

Loops commonly occur after misconfigured HTTPS/HTTP redirects, WWW/non-WWW redirect conflicts, or CMS redirect rules that conflict with server-level redirects.

What the Platform Checks

The platform follows redirect chains and tracks visited URLs. A loop is detected when a URL in the chain has been seen before — indicating the chain will cycle indefinitely.

How to Fix It

• Use browser developer tools (Network tab) or a redirect tracer to visualize the full redirect chain and identify where the loop occurs.
• Common cause: HTTP → HTTPS redirect conflicts with HTTPS → HTTP content (check that the HTTPS redirect is at the server/CDN level and the CMS is not also redirecting back to HTTP).
• WWW ↔ non-WWW: ensure both the server and CMS agree on the canonical variant — conflicts between the two create loops.
• CMS + server rule conflicts: a CMS redirect plugin redirecting A → B while the server redirects B → A creates a loop. Audit both levels.