301 vs 302 Redirects: Which to Use for SEO

301 vs 302 Redirects: Which Should You Use?

A 301 and a 302 both send users to another URL, but they communicate different intent. Use a permanent redirect when the move is permanent and a temporary redirect when the original URL is expected to return.

The status code is one signal among several. Search engines also evaluate the destination, canonical tags, internal links, sitemaps, how long the redirect remains, and whether the new page is genuinely equivalent.

301: Moved Permanently

A 301 response states that the resource has a new permanent URI. It is appropriate when:

• A page moved to a lasting replacement URL.
• HTTP permanently redirects to HTTPS.
• A preferred hostname or URL format is being consolidated.
• A site migration maps old pages to corresponding new pages.
• An obsolete page has a close, useful replacement.

The HTTP definition appears in RFC 9110. Google lists 301 and 308 as permanent redirects and describes them as strong signals that the redirect target should be canonical.

302: Found, Used as a Temporary Redirect

A 302 indicates that the resource is temporarily available at another URI. Use it when the redirect will be removed and the original URL should remain the long-term address, for example:

• A short maintenance or availability change
• A temporary campaign or event route
• A controlled experiment where the original URL remains primary
• A temporary regional or device experience, provided users and crawlers can still access appropriate content

The protocol definition is in RFC 9110. Google groups 302 and 307 as temporary redirects and describes them as weaker canonical signals than permanent redirects.

The Practical Difference

Google’s redirect documentation covers permanent and temporary server-side redirects and recommends server-side redirects when possible.

Do Redirects Pass Link Signals?

Google can use permanent redirects as part of canonicalization and site moves. That does not mean every redirected domain transfers a predictable amount of “authority,” nor that a 301 guarantees rankings. The source links may be ignored, irrelevant, removed, or aimed at historical pages with no equivalent destination.

A temporary redirect can also be processed and followed, but its declared intent is different. Do not choose a 302 because of an old claim that it “preserves all value,” and do not choose a 301 because someone promises it will transfer a third-party score.

Redirecting an Aged or Acquired Domain

1. Audit the history: Confirm the previous topic, ownership transitions, and material risks.
2. Export linked URLs: Identify which historical pages actually earned relevant live links.
3. Create an equivalence map: Match an old URL only to content satisfying substantially the same user need.
4. Use 301 for permanent matches: Return 404 or 410 when there is no honest equivalent.
5. Update owned signals: Change internal links, canonicals, hreflang, and sitemaps instead of relying on redirects internally.
6. Monitor outcomes: Check crawling, indexing, referral traffic, search performance, and important links.

Google warns that buying an expired domain and repurposing it primarily to manipulate rankings with low-value content can constitute expired domain abuse. A technically correct 301 does not make an unrelated or manipulative use appropriate.

Implementation Examples

At the HTTP level, the important result is the response code and a valid absolute or relative Location header. The exact configuration depends on the server, proxy, framework, and hosting platform.

# Apache: permanent single-page redirect
Redirect 301 /old-guide https://example.com/new-guide

# Nginx: permanent redirect
return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;

Test production behavior with a header request or crawler. Avoid copying configuration without checking server context, query-string handling, URL encoding, and whether another layer such as a CDN already redirects the request.

Common Redirect Mistakes

• Using a temporary status for a permanent migration without a reason
• Redirecting many unrelated URLs to one homepage
• Creating chains such as A → B → C instead of A → C
• Creating loops or sending users to an error page
• Leaving internal links and canonicals pointed at old URLs
• Redirecting robots-blocked URLs without testing crawler access
• Assuming the browser landing successfully proves the correct status code was returned

Post-Launch Checklist

• Confirm every mapped URL returns the intended 301 or 302 directly.
• Confirm destinations return 200 and are indexable where appropriate.
• Check for chains, loops, soft 404s, mixed protocols, and hostname inconsistencies.
• Update internal links and submit current sitemaps.
• Monitor server logs and Search Console during a site move.
• Keep permanent redirects in place while old URLs and external links continue to be used. Google recommends keeping site-move redirects for generally at least one year.

For a full migration, follow Google’s site-move guidance and our site-migration guide.