Redirects are sometimes necessary, but redirect chains slow the start of page loading. A clean URL should reach the final page as directly as possible.
Where redirects come from
- Hosting control panel rules
- WordPress settings
- Security plugins
- SEO plugins
- Old page migrations
- http to https changes
- www and non-www changes
Why chains are slow
Each redirect requires another request before the browser can load the final page. A chain from http to https to www to a trailing slash version adds unnecessary delay.
Fix internal links
Your own menu links, buttons, and article links should point to the final destination. If your site links to redirected URLs, every visitor pays the cost.
Keep useful redirects
Do not remove redirects that protect old URLs with traffic or backlinks. The goal is to remove unnecessary chains, not every redirect.
Retest after changes
After editing redirect rules, test http, https, www, non-www, and important internal pages. Make sure there are no redirect loops.