301 vs 302 Redirects - Which Redirect Should You Use?

Published: at 07:00 PM

301 vs 302 Redirects: Which Should You Use?

Choosing between a 301 and 302 redirect is one of the most important decisions in web development and SEO. Get it wrong, and you could lose search rankings, traffic, and revenue. This guide will help you make the right choice every time.

Quick Answer

But the details matter. Let’s dive deep.

Table of Contents

Open Table of Contents

The Basics

What is a 301 Redirect?

Status Code: 301 Moved Permanently

Definition: Tells browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location.

Example:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/new-page

What is a 302 Redirect?

Status Code: 302 Found (Temporary Redirect)

Definition: Indicates a temporary move. The original URL should still be used for future requests.

Example:

HTTP/1.1 302 Found
Location: https://example.com/temp-page

Key Differences

Feature301 Permanent302 Temporary
DurationForeverTemporary
SEO Value Transfer✅ Yes (~90-99%)❌ No
Search IndexNew URL replaces oldOld URL stays
Link EquityPassed to new URLKept at old URL
Browser CacheAggressive cachingMinimal caching
Best ForDomain migrations, permanent changesA/B tests, maintenance
Reversible❌ Difficult✅ Easy

SEO Impact Comparison

301 Redirect SEO Effects

✅ Positive Effects:

  1. Link Equity Transfer: 90-99% of PageRank passes through
  2. Index Update: Search engines replace old URL with new
  3. Ranking Preservation: Rankings typically maintained
  4. Consolidated Authority: Combines signals from both URLs

⚠️ Considerations:

Timeline:

Week 1-2:   Search engines discover redirect
Week 2-4:   Link equity begins transferring
Month 2-3:  Old URL drops from search results
Month 3-6:  Full equity transfer complete

302 Redirect SEO Effects

Impact:

  1. No Link Equity Transfer: SEO value stays with original URL
  2. Original URL Stays: Keeps appearing in search results
  3. Temporary Signal: Search engines keep checking original
  4. No Ranking Transfer: New page doesn’t inherit rankings

Best For:

When to Use 301

✅ Perfect Use Cases:

1. Domain Migration

Moving from old domain to new domain:

❌ Bad: example-old.com → example-new.com (302)
✅ Good: example-old.com → example-new.com (301)

Why: You want to transfer all SEO value, rankings, and authority to the new domain.

2. Site Restructuring

Changing URL structure:

Old: /blog/2024/10/30/post-title
New: /blog/post-title

Redirect: 301

Why: Old URLs aren’t coming back. You want search engines to index the new structure.

3. HTTPS Migration

Forcing secure connections:

http://example.com → https://example.com (301)

Why: HTTP version is permanently deprecated. All traffic should use HTTPS.

4. Consolidating Duplicate Content

Canonical URL enforcement:

example.com     → www.example.com (301)
www.example.com/index.html → www.example.com (301)

Why: Prevents duplicate content issues and consolidates SEO signals.

5. Retired Product/Service

Redirecting to alternative:

/old-product → /new-product (301)

Why: Old product isn’t returning. Users should find the replacement.

6. Merged Pages

Combining related content:

/page-a → /combined-page (301)
/page-b → /combined-page (301)

Why: Content permanently consolidated. Want to combine SEO value.

When to Use 302

✅ Perfect Use Cases:

1. A/B Testing

Testing new page versions:

/page → /page-variant-b (302)

Why: Original page will return. You don’t want search engines indexing test pages.

2. Seasonal Promotions

Holiday or sales redirects:

/products → /black-friday-sale (302)

Why: Promotion is temporary. Original URL returns after the event.

3. Maintenance Mode

During site maintenance:

/* → /maintenance.html (302)

Why: Site will return to normal. Don’t want maintenance page indexed.

4. Geographic Redirects

Location-based redirects:

/store → /store-us (302)
/store → /store-uk (302)

Why: Users return to original URL, then get redirected based on location.

5. Testing New Content

Evaluating page performance:

/landing-page → /landing-page-new (302)

Why: Testing performance before making permanent. May revert.

6. Login Redirects

After authentication:

/login → /dashboard (302)

Why: Login page still exists and is accessed regularly.

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Company Rebrand

Situation: Changing brand name and domain

Old Domain: oldcompany.com New Domain: newbrand.com

✅ Correct Approach:

oldcompany.com/* → newbrand.com/* (301)

Result:

Scenario 2: Product Page Updates

Situation: Temporarily testing new product page design

Original: /product/widget Test: /product/widget-new

✅ Correct Approach:

/product/widget → /product/widget-new (302)

Result:

Scenario 3: Blog URL Structure Change

Situation: Simplifying blog URL structure

Old: /blog/year/month/day/post-title New: /blog/post-title

✅ Correct Approach:

/blog/2024/10/30/example → /blog/example (301)

Result:

Real-World Case Studies

Case Study 1: The 302 Mistake

Company: E-commerce site (Anonymous) Scenario: Site migration using 302 redirects

What Happened:

oldstore.com → newstore.com (302) ❌

Results After 6 Months:

Fix Applied:

oldstore.com → newstore.com (301) ✅

Recovery: 3-4 months to regain rankings

Lesson: Always use 301 for permanent moves

Case Study 2: The 301 Success

Company: Tech blog Scenario: Domain consolidation

Implementation:

blog.example.com → example.com/blog (301)

Results After 3 Months:

Lesson: 301 redirects preserve SEO value when done correctly

Case Study 3: Smart 302 Usage

Company: Online retailer Scenario: Holiday promotion redirect

Implementation:

/ → /cyber-monday-sale (302)
Duration: 3 days

Results:

Lesson: 302 perfect for temporary campaigns

Decision Tree

Use this flowchart to choose the right redirect:

Is the move permanent?
├─ YES → Is this an important page?
│  ├─ YES → Do you want to transfer SEO value?
│  │  ├─ YES → Use 301 ✅
│  │  └─ NO → Use 410 (Gone) or 404
│  └─ NO → Use 301 anyway ✅
│
└─ NO → Will the original URL return?
   ├─ YES → How long is it temporary?
   │  ├─ < 1 week → Use 302 ✅
   │  ├─ 1 week - 3 months → Use 302 ✅
   │  └─ > 3 months → Consider 301
   └─ UNSURE → Use 302 (safer choice)

Testing Your Redirects

Using LinkGoWhere

  1. Visit LinkGoWhere
  2. Enter your URL
  3. Select appropriate User-Agent
  4. Click “Check Links”
  5. Verify status code (301 vs 302)

Using Command Line

# Check redirect type
curl -I https://example.com/page

# Follow redirects
curl -L -I https://example.com/page

# Check as Googlebot
curl -A "Googlebot" -I https://example.com/page

What to Verify

Common Mistakes

Mistake #1: Using 302 for Permanent Changes

Problem: Site migration using 302 redirects

Impact:

Solution: Always use 301 for permanent moves

Mistake #2: Leaving 302s Active Too Long

Problem: “Temporary” redirect left for months/years

Impact:

Solution: Either remove or convert to 301

Mistake #3: Using 301 for Testing

Problem: Using 301 for A/B tests or experiments

Impact:

Solution: Use 302 for temporary tests

Problem: Keeping old URLs in internal links after 301

Impact:

Solution: Update all internal links to new URLs

Mistake #5: Mixed Signals

Problem: Using 301 but keeping original URL in sitemap

Impact:

Solution: Remove old URLs from sitemap after 301

Advanced Considerations

Cache Control

For 301 (Permanent):

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://example.com/new
Cache-Control: max-age=31536000, public

Aggressive caching improves performance.

For 302 (Temporary):

HTTP/1.1 302 Found
Location: https://example.com/temp
Cache-Control: no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate

Prevents stale redirects after removal.

User-Agent Considerations

Some sites serve different redirects for:

Best Practice: Be consistent unless intentionally varying.

FAQ

Q: Can I change a 302 to 301 later?

A: Yes! If you determine a “temporary” redirect is actually permanent, update to 301.

Q: How long should I keep 301 redirects active?

A: Minimum 1 year, ideally forever. Costs minimal server resources.

Q: Does 301 pass 100% of SEO value?

A: Google says ~90-99%. Small loss is normal and acceptable.

Q: Can 302 hurt SEO?

A: Not if used correctly for temporary changes. Problems arise when misused for permanent moves.

Q: What if I’m not sure if change is permanent?

A: Use 302 initially. Convert to 301 if it becomes permanent.

Q: Do redirect chains matter?

A: Yes! Minimize chains:

Each hop adds latency and potential link equity loss.

Conclusion

Golden Rules:

  1. Use 301 for permanent moves - migrations, restructuring, retired content
  2. Use 302 for temporary changes - testing, promotions, maintenance
  3. Test your redirects - verify status codes are correct
  4. Monitor performance - check search rankings after implementation
  5. Keep redirects active - minimum 1 year for 301s
  6. Update internal links - don’t rely on redirects internally

Still unsure? When in doubt:

Need to verify your redirects? Use LinkGoWhere to check status codes, trace redirect chains, and ensure everything is configured correctly.

Last updated: October 30, 2025