In short
I fixed a redirect, tested it, and it still looked broken. The cache had saved the broken version.
What I did
I moved The SEO Lab to a new address and redirected the old one. My first redirect sent people to the homepage by mistake, and I fixed it within minutes. But the two old addresses I had already tested kept going to the homepage. The LiteSpeed server cache had saved the wrong redirect. Addresses I had not tested before worked correctly.
Where
My own website, October 2026
What changed
Adding a test parameter to the address showed the correct redirect. The saved copies needed a cache purge to clear.
What you should do
After fixing a redirect, test it with something like ?test=1 on the end. That skips the cache. If the test works and the normal address does not, purge your cache.
How long it took
Five minutes once you know
A page cache saves copies of pages so the site loads faster. Some caches also save redirects.
Why it matters
If you test a redirect while it is wrong, the cache can keep the wrong version. You fix the redirect, test again, and it still looks broken. It is easy to start changing things that were already fixed.
How to check your own site
- Test the address with a parameter that has never been used, such as ?check=7.
- If that works and the plain address does not, the cache is the problem. Purge it.
At a glance
2addresses stuck on the wrong redirect
1test parameter to see the truth
What this changed in how I work
When a fix looks like it failed, I test once more with the cache skipped before I change anything else.
End of Lab entry No. 043
- My two case studies were published, but every address for them returned 4049 Nov 2026
- 18 old post addresses lost all their impressions before anyone redirected them, but the articles came back on new addresses6 Nov 2026
- I replaced my blog-list homepage with a landing page, and the homepage lost 95 percent of its impressionsToo early to tell30 Oct 2026
- My web app kept going down. The cause was a crypto miner on my server.17 Oct 2026