Resolving a redirect chain using the .htaccess file

Why is a redirect chain problematic?

A redirect chain consumes crawl budget and causes Google to crawl fewer pages on your website. As a result, Google is less likely to pick up on changes to your website, or may not visit certain pages at all.

This has a negative impact on your search visibility. Reducing and resolving redirect chains is an important part of technical SEO.

How do I check if I have a redirect chain?

There are two ways to check if you have a redirect chain: using an online tool or a Chrome extension. We’ve developed an HTTP status code checker that lets you see right away which redirects occur for a given URL.

Code for a redirect from non-www to www

If you want to redirect the non-www version of your website (https://smartranking.nl) to the www version of your website (https://smartranking.nl), use the redirect code below.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www.
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

Code for redirecting from www to non-www

If you want to redirect the www version of your website (https://smartranking.nl) to the non-www version of your website (https://smartranking.nl), use the code below.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.(.+) [NC]
RewriteRule ^ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Where do I place the redirect code?

Place the redirect code in your website’s .htaccess file. This file is located on the server, and you can edit it using an FTP program or through an online hosting environment. It’s important that the line RewriteEngine On is located above the redirect rules.