1
Fix 404s and 500s
Restore the page, redirect the old URL to the right place, or fix the server error behind a 500.
Availability
HTTP status checker
Check the HTTP status and full redirect chain for a URL.
Sample result 
Your result
What this checks
The status, and every redirect hop
Every request to a URL returns an HTTP status code: 200 for OK, 301 and 302 for redirects, 404 for not found, 500 for a server error. This tool shows the status and every redirect hop along the way.
It follows the redirect chain step by step, so you can see exactly where a URL ends up and whether it takes a detour to get there.
Why it matters
Bad codes cost visitors and rankings
A 404 or 500 on an important page costs visitors and rankings. A messy redirect chain slows the page and leaks link value at each hop.
After a migration, redirects are where things quietly go wrong: a chain of three hops, or an old URL that 404s instead of redirecting.
How to fix it
Fix the codes and the chain
2
Flatten redirect chains
Point the first URL straight at the final destination instead of hopping through several.
3
Use 301 for permanent moves
A 301 passes ranking signals and is cached. Use 302 only for genuinely temporary moves.
One of around two dozen checks
HTTP status checker is one check
Janitor watches server errors and bad responses automatically across every client site and puts it in a branded report you can send.
Keep reading
Related tools and guides
FAQ
HTTP status checker FAQ
What does the redirect chain show?
Each URL in the chain, the status it returned and where it pointed next, up to the final destination. It is the quickest way to spot a chain that is too long.
Why is this the target for old /features/http-* pages?
Janitor used to have pages explaining individual status codes. They now point here, where you can check a real URL and see the codes in context.
Can Janitor monitor status codes continuously?
Yes. Janitor checks for server errors and bad responses across every client site and alerts you when a page starts returning the wrong code.
Get started
Check it once, or watch it for every client
Janitor runs around two dozen checks on every site you manage and turns them into a branded report.
30-day free trial. No credit card required.