301 vs 302 Redirects: Which to Use and When

Every website eventually moves something: a page is renamed, a section is merged, a domain changes or a product is retired. When that happens, old addresses should lead somewhere useful. A redirect does that job, and choosing between a 301 and a 302 is one of the most common decisions in technical SEO. The short version: use a 301 when the move is permanent and a 302 when it is temporary.

What a Redirect Does

A redirect is an instruction from your server that says "the page you asked for is elsewhere, go here instead." Browsers follow it automatically, so a visitor barely notices. Search engines follow it too, and use it to decide which address to show and where to pass on the value built up by the old page.

The type of redirect is communicated by a number called a status code. You do not need to memorise them all, but two matter most for everyday work.

301: The Permanent Move

A 301 says the page has moved for good. Search engines are told to treat the new address as the replacement and, over time, to show it in results instead of the old one. Signals pointing to the old address, such as links from other sites, are generally carried across to the new destination.

Use a 301 when:

• You change a page's address permanently
• You merge two pages into one
• You switch from an insecure to a secure address
• You choose a single preferred version of your domain, such as with or without the www prefix
• You move to a new domain
• You delete a page that has a close replacement
• You are tidying up after a site redesign

302: The Temporary Move

A 302 says the move is temporary and the original address will return. Search engines are therefore more inclined to keep the original address in their index and to keep showing it.

Use a 302 when:

• A product is briefly out of stock and you point visitors to a similar item for a short time
• A page is under maintenance and you send traffic to a holding page
• You run a short-term promotion on a different address
• You are testing a new page layout with some visitors and plan to revert
• You redirect visitors by location or language while keeping one main address

The key question: "Will the old address be the real home again?" If yes, a 302 fits. If no, use a 301.

What About 307 and 308?

You may also meet two cousins of these codes. A 308 is a permanent redirect that preserves the original request method, and a 307 is its temporary counterpart. For ordinary page redirects on a content website, 301 and 302 are what you will use. The newer codes matter mainly for developers handling forms and application requests, and secure-connection enforcement sometimes uses them behind the scenes. If your platform uses them, there is usually no need to change them.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Question	301	302
Meaning	Moved permanently	Moved temporarily
Which address do search engines prefer?	The new one	Usually the original
Typical use	Migrations, merges, URL clean-ups	Short-term detours, tests
Risk if misused	Old address may be dropped too soon	New address may not replace the old one

Search engines are adaptive. If a 302 stays in place for a long time, they may treat it more like a permanent move. Do not rely on that, though. State your intention clearly with the right code.

A Hypothetical Example

Imagine a small furniture shop that renames its "sofas and couches" category to "sofas". The old address has links from a few blogs and some steady visitors.

The correct fix is a 301 from the old category address to the new one. Every link, bookmark and search listing then lands on the right page, and signals move across.

Now imagine the same shop sells a particular armchair that is out of stock for three weeks. A 302 to the closest alternative might make sense, with the plan to remove it when stock returns. The original product page should come back, so a permanent redirect would be wrong.

How to Set Up Redirects

The method depends on your platform.

1. Content management systems. Many offer built-in redirect managers or plugins. On WordPress, a redirect plugin or your SEO plugin usually lets you add rules without touching code. See SEO for WordPress websites.
2. Server configuration. Developers can set rules in the server configuration for pattern-based redirects, such as moving an entire folder.
3. Hosting control panels. Some hosts provide a simple redirect tool.
4. Platform settings. Hosted store builders usually include a redirect area for managing old product and page addresses.

Whatever the method, test every redirect by visiting the old address and confirming where you land. Then check the status code with a browser developer tool or an online checker.

Redirect Best Practices

Redirect to the Most Relevant Page

Send each old address to the closest equivalent. A retired product should go to its replacement or its category, not blindly to the homepage. Mass redirects to the homepage are often treated as errors by search engines and frustrate visitors.

Avoid Chains and Loops

A chain happens when A redirects to B, which redirects to C. Each hop slows the visitor and weakens clarity. A loop happens when pages redirect back to each other, so the page never loads. Whenever you add a redirect, point it straight to the final destination and update older redirects accordingly.

Update Your Own Links

Redirects are a safety net, not a replacement for housekeeping. After a move, update internal links, navigation, the sitemap and canonical tags so they point directly at the new address. This keeps pages fast and avoids mixed signals. The XML sitemap and robots.txt guide and canonical tags explained cover those two pieces.

Keep Redirects in Place

Do not remove a permanent redirect after a few weeks. Old links, bookmarks and search listings can persist for a long time. Keep redirects live for as long as there is any chance they are used, and ideally indefinitely for important pages.

Match Content

If the new page is wildly different from the old one, search engines may treat the redirect as irrelevant and ignore the transfer of value. Keep the topic and intent consistent.

Redirects During a Redesign or Migration

Site moves are where redirect mistakes cause real damage. Follow a simple routine.

1. Crawl the old site and save a full list of addresses.
2. Decide the new address for each, or a replacement if the page is retired.
3. Build a redirect map in a spreadsheet, old address to new address.
4. Implement 301 redirects before or at launch.
5. Test a sample, then test everything with a crawler.
6. Submit updated sitemaps and monitor the indexing and error reports.

Add these steps to your website redesign checklist and keep the map for reference. If traffic dips after a move, the diagnostic steps in website traffic drop recovery will help you find out why.

Common Mistakes

• Using 302 for permanent moves. The old address may linger in results and the new one may not take its place.
• Using 301 for temporary tests. Search engines may start replacing the original in results.
• Redirecting everything to the homepage. It confuses visitors and wastes the old page's value.
• Leaving chains after several redesigns. Review old rules periodically.
• Redirecting to a page that blocks crawlers or returns an error. Test the destination too.
• Forgetting parameters and trailing slash variations. Check that all common variants land on the right page.
• Mixing redirects with other controls. A redirected page should not also be marked as the canonical target of something else.

How to Monitor Redirects

Redirects are not a set-and-forget task. Include them in a regular review.

• Crawl the site every few months and list redirecting addresses, chains and loops.
• Check error reports in your search performance tool for pages that return errors where a redirect should exist. See Google Search Console basics.
• Look at your top linked pages and confirm they resolve cleanly.
• Make this part of your website maintenance checklist and your wider technical SEO audit.

Quick Decision Guide

Ask yourself these questions in order:

1. Is the old address coming back? If yes, use a 302.
2. Is the move permanent, with a close replacement? Use a 301.
3. Is the page gone with no replacement? Consider a proper "gone" response and a helpful error page rather than a misleading redirect.
4. Are you consolidating duplicate versions that must remain reachable? Consider a canonical tag instead of a redirect.

Takeaway: Say What You Mean

A redirect is a message to browsers and search engines. A 301 says "this is the new home", while a 302 says "this is a temporary detour". Choose the one that matches your intention, redirect to the most relevant page, avoid chains, update your own links and keep an eye on the results.

If a site move is on your horizon and you want a clear plan, see the free resources or get in touch.