Redirect Checker
Trace headers, IP hand-offs, and latency to highlight the hop where IDs or UTMs disappear.
Open tool >Redirect QA
Capture every hop, latency spike, and header so you can prove where tracking parameters disappear and who needs to fix the issue.
When affiliates ask for a redirect audit they rarely want raw server logs—they want a storyline they can email to a network rep, paste into Slack, or reference during a stand-up. This playbook shows how to turn a single destination URL into a reproducible redirect map with screenshots, parameter captures, and latency notes.
You will gather evidence for both technical and non-technical audiences: HTTP details for developers, marketing-friendly summaries for stakeholders, and ready-made checklists so account managers can follow the same process next week. The end result is a documented redirect chain that survives hand-offs and helps everyone move faster.
Redirects look harmless until they start stripping fbclid or forcing expensive HTTPS downgrades. When that happens, campaigns lose attribution, automated bidding slows down, and compliance teams demand post-mortems. By checking the full chain upfront you avoid firefighting later and give every vendor the clarity they expect.
Documented redirect chains also protect your team when multiple parties touch the funnel. Instead of trading blame, you can highlight the exact hop that broke parameters, attach the Redirect Checker report, and ask for a precise fix. Evidence accelerates approvals and keeps media buyers focused on scaling rather than arguing.
Follow these five steps in order. Each one feeds the next, so you always know which tab to open, which screenshot to capture, and which stakeholder to inform.
Open the UTM Builder, load your current presets, and generate a fresh destination URL so you know exactly which parameters should survive the journey. Store both the clean link and the long tracking link in your notes.
Paste the tracking link into the Redirect Checker, run a full trace, and export the hop list with status codes, response times, and headers. Mark questionable hops directly in the report so developers know where to dig.
Drop the resolved landing URL into the Click ID Extractor to confirm fbclid, gclid, ttclid, and custom parameters remain intact. Repeat from a second device or GEO if smartlinks personalize destinations.
Use the Postback Tester to fire a sample conversion that mirrors your redirect chain. If macros fail to resolve or IDs arrive empty, you already have the hop list to prove where the breakdown occurred.
Open the Pixel Checker on the final landing page to confirm browser-based tracking fires alongside server callbacks. Capture screenshots that show both pixel responses and redirect latency so stakeholders see the full context.
Most redirect issues fall into familiar patterns. Keep this checklist nearby so you can match symptoms to fixes within seconds.
Treat the final report like a mini post-mortem: attach the Redirect Checker export, list the failing hops, link to supporting screenshots, and outline the fix you expect from each owner. When everyone sees the same evidence the redirect conversation stops being emotional and starts being actionable.
These are the five tabs you will keep open while auditing a redirect chain.
Trace headers, IP hand-offs, and latency to highlight the hop where IDs or UTMs disappear.
Open tool >Confirm fbclid, gclid, and tracker-specific macros still exist after the redirect chain resolves.
Open tool >Generate the exact baseline link you expect to resolve so you can compare every hop against the intended parameters.
Open tool >Send a mocked conversion that references the same click so every downstream system receives identical identifiers.
Open tool >Validate that browser-side pixels fire with the preserved parameters you just confirmed server-side.
Open tool >Use these fix-it guides when you uncover a regression and need a pre-written plan for developers or partners.
Users bounce before the landing page loads because the redirect path now includes every experiment ever shipped.
Read guide >Two hops keep sending traffic to one another, so the browser never reaches a stable destination.
Read guide >Redirect chains drop UTMs before analytics fires, so every downstream report goes blank.
Read guide >Dive deeper into definitions, API specifics, and governance tips referenced in this article.
Diagnose and fix Meta Click ID loss caused by smartlinks, cloakers, and caching rules that rewrite URLs mid-flight.
Open article >Stop redirect chains from stripping utm_source, utm_medium, and custom parameters before they reach analytics or CRM systems.
Open article >See how other teams apply the same tools inside trackers, CRMs, or ad platforms.
Trace cloaked affiliate links and document every hop before spend hits the offer.
View use case >Verify tracker, pixel, and landing page hops before campaigns launch.
View use case >