Does Sitewell trace shortened links the way WhereGoes does?

Yes. Any URL works, shorteners and tracking links included. The redirect checker lists every hop with its status code and target, and names the final destination.

What does Sitewell add over a plain redirect trace?

Three things: the response time of each hop, bulk tracing through the redirect mapper, and scheduled re-checks that alert you when a path changes. A plain trace tells you where a link goes right now; those add what it costs and what it does over time.

How many hops will Sitewell follow?

Up to ten, which is well past the point where a chain has become a problem. A path still redirecting at that depth is almost always a loop, and the redirect loop checker says so directly rather than leaving you to spot the repetition.

Can I check a list of redirects instead of one at a time?

That is what the redirect mapper is for. Paste the URLs, and it reports the final destination and status for each one, which is the practical way to verify a migration rather than spot-checking a handful by hand.

Alternative to wheregoes.com

WhereGoes alternative

WhereGoes is the tool you open when somebody sends you a shortened link and you want to know where it actually lands. Paste one URL, watch the hops unfold, read the final destination. For that question it is quick and free, and nothing here argues against it.

Sitewell answers the same first question and then keeps going, because the redirect problems that cost a site traffic are not usually about one link. They are about the third hop that appeared after a migration, the chain that resolves correctly but slowly, and the rule someone adds in six months that nobody tests.

Side by side

Aspect	WhereGoes	Sitewell
Built for	Tracing where a single link ends up	Tracing, timing and re-checking redirects on sites you run
Hops shown	Each hop in the path with its status code	Each hop with status code, target and response time
Several URLs at once	One URL per trace	The redirect mapper takes a whole list
Timing	Not what the trace is about	Milliseconds per hop, plus the total delay before the destination loads
Loops	Visible as a repeating path in the trace	Named outright by the redirect loop checker
Ongoing checks	On-demand tracing	Redirect monitors re-run the trace and alert when the path changes

Where they win

When WhereGoes is the better choice

For a link you did not create, WhereGoes is the faster answer. A shortened URL in a message, an affiliate link, a tracking redirect in a marketing email: you want to see the destination before you click it, once, and then never think about it again. Opening a site-health tool for that adds steps and returns nothing extra.

It also fits better when the URL has nothing to do with a site you are responsible for. Sitewell's value comes from repetition on your own properties, in bulk and on a schedule. None of that helps with a single trace of a stranger's link, and paying for it would make no sense.

There is a simplicity argument too. One box, one answer, no account, no concept of monitors or plans to understand first.

What Sitewell does differently

The trace itself carries more detail. Each hop shows its status code, its target and how many milliseconds that server took to answer, so a chain that is technically correct but expensive stops being invisible. The redirect speed test turns that into one number: the delay a visitor sits through before the destination page is even allowed to start loading.

Then there is scale. The redirect mapper takes a list of old URLs and reports where each one now lands, which is the check you run after a migration rather than the one you run out of curiosity. Running that against an exported list of your top pages catches the redirects that were written but never tested.

The last difference is that Sitewell keeps watching. A redirect monitor re-runs the trace on a schedule, so a rule added next quarter that turns one hop into three arrives as an alert. Redirect chains rarely break at the moment you build them. They break later, quietly, when a plugin or a CDN rule is added by someone who never saw the original map.

Frequently asked questions

Does Sitewell trace shortened links the way WhereGoes does?: Yes. Any URL works, shorteners and tracking links included. The redirect checker lists every hop with its status code and target, and names the final destination.
What does Sitewell add over a plain redirect trace?: Three things: the response time of each hop, bulk tracing through the redirect mapper, and scheduled re-checks that alert you when a path changes. A plain trace tells you where a link goes right now; those add what it costs and what it does over time.
How many hops will Sitewell follow?: Up to ten, which is well past the point where a chain has become a problem. A path still redirecting at that depth is almost always a loop, and the redirect loop checker says so directly rather than leaving you to spot the repetition.
Can I check a list of redirects instead of one at a time?: That is what the redirect mapper is for. Paste the URLs, and it reports the final destination and status for each one, which is the practical way to verify a migration rather than spot-checking a handful by hand.