Quick answer

Redirects are a normal way to move URLs, enforce HTTPS, and consolidate variants. A redirected-page finding means the requested URL returned a redirect and the audit reached a different final URL. Keep intentional redirects, but update internal links and sitemaps to use the final destination and avoid unnecessary chains.

What the issue means

A redirect response tells the client to request another URL. Permanent and temporary redirect statuses carry different intent, while application and server configuration determine the final behaviour. A redirect can be useful during a migration; it becomes a problem when it is accidental, repeated, circular, slow, or inconsistent with canonical metadata.

Why it matters for SEO

Redirects help preserve access when content moves, but every extra hop adds work and another failure point. Internal links to old URLs make crawling less direct and can obscure the preferred URL. A redirect alone is not a ranking defect, and removing a valid migration redirect too early can break users and external links.

How NOTABIS detects it

The redirected-page rule records a requested page when the measured final URL differs from the requested URL. The report includes the final destination available to the audit. It does not decide whether the redirect status is appropriate or whether external references still require it.

How to check it yourself

Inspect the complete chain:

curl -sSIL https://example.com/old-page

Confirm the status codes, Location headers, final content, HTTPS scheme, canonical URL, internal links, and sitemap entries. Test authenticated and unauthenticated behaviour separately where relevant.

How to fix it

For a permanent move, point internal links, navigation, canonical tags, and sitemaps directly at the final URL while retaining the redirect for old inbound links as long as needed. Remove accidental HTTP-to-HTTP-to-HTTPS chains by consolidating rules. Fix loops and conditional redirects at the layer that owns them.

Verify that query parameters, locale variants, and trailing-slash policy still resolve intentionally.

When it is intentional or does not need fixing

HTTPS enforcement, domain migrations, renamed content, and authentication boundaries commonly require redirects. A redirect on an old public URL may be the correct long-term response. Do not replace a valid redirect with duplicate content merely to remove the finding.

Related issues

Read redirect chains, missing canonical URLs, and broken internal links.

Run a NOTABIS audit

NOTABIS shows which requested URLs redirected and where they finished, making it easier to clean up internal references while preserving intentional migrations.