How to Use LinkGoWhere - Complete Guide

How to Use LinkGoWhere

LinkGoWhere is a powerful yet simple tool for tracing URL redirects. This guide will help you get the most out of our service.

đź“š Table of Contents

  1. Basic Usage
  2. Understanding User-Agents
  3. Reading Results
  4. Advanced Features
  5. Common Scenarios
  6. Best Practices
  7. Troubleshooting

Basic Usage

Step 1: Enter URLs

Navigate to the homepage and enter the URLs you want to check in the text area.

Tips:

Example:

https://example.com
https://bit.ly/example
https://t.co/example

Step 2: Select User-Agent

Choose the User-Agent you want to test with from the dropdown menu.

Available Categories:

Why does this matter? Some websites serve different content or redirects based on who’s visiting.

Click the “Check Links” button and wait for results.

What happens:

  1. Each URL is checked in real-time
  2. All redirects are followed automatically
  3. Results display the complete redirect chain
  4. Duration and status codes are shown for each step

Step 4: Review and Export Results

Once complete, you can:

Understanding User-Agents

What is a User-Agent?

A User-Agent is a string that identifies the browser or device making the request. Websites use this information to serve appropriate content.

When to Use Different User-Agents

🤖 Googlebot

Use when:

Example scenario: You want to ensure Googlebot can access your new site after a domain migration.

📱 Mobile User-Agents

Use when:

Example scenario: Your site redirects mobile users to a different subdomain (m.example.com).

đź’» Desktop Browsers

Use when:

Example scenario: Testing if your affiliate links work correctly for desktop users.

ScenarioRecommended User-Agent
SEO AuditGooglebot/2.1 (Desktop)
Mobile TestingiPhone/Safari iOS
General CheckingChrome (Latest)
Bot DetectionVarious robots

Reading Results

Understanding the Result Display

Each result shows the complete redirect journey:

Step 1:
  From: https://example.com
  To: https://www.example.com
  Status: 301 (Moved Permanently)
  Duration: 0.123s

Final Destination:
  URL: https://www.example.com
  Status: 200 (OK)
  Duration: 0.045s

Status Code Meanings

2xx Success

3xx Redirects

4xx Client Errors

5xx Server Errors

Color Coding

Duration Interpretation

Advanced Features

Batch Checking

Check multiple URLs simultaneously to save time.

Best for:

Limitations:

Export Options

đź“‹ Copy to Clipboard

Perfect for quick sharing in emails or documents.

Format: Plain text with formatting

đź“Ą JSON Export

Ideal for developers and automated analysis.

Contains:

Use cases:

đź“Š CSV Export

Great for spreadsheet analysis and reporting.

Columns:

Use cases:

Common Scenarios

Goal: Verify affiliate links redirect to correct destinations

Steps:

  1. Enter affiliate URLs
  2. Select Desktop Chrome User-Agent
  3. Click Check Links
  4. Verify final destination matches expected partner site
  5. Check that tracking parameters are preserved

What to look for:

Scenario 2: Website Migration Check

Goal: Ensure old URLs redirect to new site correctly

Steps:

  1. List old URLs (one per line)
  2. Select Googlebot User-Agent
  3. Check all links
  4. Verify 301 status (permanent redirect)
  5. Confirm new URLs are correct

What to look for:

Scenario 3: Shortened URL Safety

Goal: Verify where a shortened URL leads before clicking

Steps:

  1. Enter shortened URL (bit.ly, tinyurl, etc.)
  2. Select your preferred User-Agent
  3. Check the link
  4. Review final destination for safety

Safety checks:

Scenario 4: Mobile Redirect Testing

Goal: Test mobile-specific redirects

Steps:

  1. Enter your URLs
  2. Select iPhone/Safari iOS or Android
  3. Check results
  4. Compare with desktop results

What to look for:

Scenario 5: SEO Redirect Audit

Goal: Audit site redirects for SEO best practices

Steps:

  1. Check critical pages with Googlebot
  2. Verify 301 status codes
  3. Check redirect chains (should be minimal)
  4. Measure response times

SEO best practices:

Best Practices

✅ Do’s

  1. Use appropriate User-Agents for your testing needs
  2. Check in batches to save time
  3. Export results for record keeping
  4. Verify regularly during site changes
  5. Test with multiple User-Agents for comprehensive coverage
  6. Document your findings for future reference

❌ Don’ts

  1. Don’t exceed 10 URLs per batch
  2. Don’t check private URLs requiring authentication
  3. Don’t abuse the service with excessive requests
  4. Don’t ignore redirect chains (optimize them)
  5. Don’t use 302 when 301 is appropriate
  6. Don’t trust shortened URLs without checking

Pro Tips

đź’ˇ Tip 1: Bookmark frequently used User-Agents Create a note with your most-used combinations.

đź’ˇ Tip 2: Save export files Keep JSON exports for comparison over time.

đź’ˇ Tip 3: Check before and after Test redirects both before and after site changes.

đź’ˇ Tip 4: Use CSV for reporting Export to CSV for easy client reports in Excel/Google Sheets.

đź’ˇ Tip 5: Monitor key pages regularly Set calendar reminders to check critical redirects monthly.

Troubleshooting

Issue: “Invalid URL format”

Cause: URL doesn’t start with http:// or https://

Solution:

❌ example.com
âś… https://example.com

Issue: “Limit: 10 URLs”

Cause: More than 10 URLs entered

Solution: Split into multiple batches of 10

Issue: “Request timeout”

Cause: Target server too slow or unresponsive

Solutions:

Issue: Status 0 (No Response)

Cause: Server completely unreachable

Possible reasons:

Issue: Too many redirects

Cause: Redirect loop detected

What it means: Site configuration error causing infinite redirects

Action: Notify the website owner

Issue: Different results for different User-Agents

Cause: Website serves different content based on User-Agent

This is normal if:

Understanding Redirect Types

301 vs 302: Which to Use?

Feature301 Permanent302 Temporary
SEO Value✅ Transfers❌ Doesn’t transfer
Use CaseSite migrationA/B testing
CacheLong-termShort-term
WhenContent moved foreverContent temporarily moved

Meta Refresh

What it is: HTML-based redirect (not HTTP-level)

Detection: LinkGoWhere detects and flags meta refreshes

SEO impact: Generally less preferred than HTTP redirects

When used: Often in older websites or special cases

Advanced Insights

Interpreting Redirect Chains

Ideal: Direct redirect (1 hop)

example.com → newsite.com

Acceptable: 2 hops

example.com → www.example.com → newsite.com

Problematic: 3+ hops

example.com → www.example.com → subdomain.example.com → newsite.com

Why fewer hops matter:

Tracking Parameters

Common tracking parameters you’ll see:

These are normal and expected in marketing links.

Integration Ideas

For Developers

Use cases:

  1. CI/CD validation of redirects after deployment
  2. Automated testing of affiliate links
  3. Monitoring redirect health
  4. API endpoint testing

Export formats make integration easy:

For SEO Professionals

Workflow integration:

  1. Pre-migration redirect testing
  2. Post-migration validation
  3. Competitor redirect analysis
  4. Client reporting

For Marketers

Campaign management:

  1. Validate tracking links before launch
  2. Monitor affiliate program redirects
  3. Check landing page accessibility
  4. Verify A/B test redirects

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I check password-protected URLs?

No, LinkGoWhere can only check publicly accessible URLs.

Are my URLs stored?

No, we don’t store any URLs you check. Everything is processed in real-time only.

Can I check more than 10 URLs?

Not in a single batch, but you can run multiple batches sequentially.

How long are results cached?

Results are not cached. Each check is performed in real-time.

Can I automate checks?

Currently, LinkGoWhere is designed for manual use through the web interface.

Do you offer an API?

Not currently, but it’s on our roadmap. Contact us if you’re interested.

Getting Help

Still need help?

Report Issues

Found a bug or have a suggestion? Email us with:

Next Steps

Ready to start checking links?

  1. 🏠 Go to Homepage to start checking
  2. 🔧 View Tools for more helpful resources
  3. đź“š Read About LinkGoWhere

Happy link checking! 🚀