301 vs 302 Redirects: When to Use Each Type

Reading time: 5 minutes

TLDR

Use 301 redirects for permanent moves. They pass 90-99% of link equity and tell Google to index the new URL. Use 302 redirects for temporary moves like A/B tests or seasonal pages. They keep the old URL indexed and pass little link equity. Common mistake: using a 302 for a permanent move means the new page never gains rankings. Implement redirects in your .htaccess file, nginx config, or WordPress plugin. Test with a redirect checker to verify the status code.

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Quick Definition: Redirects send users (and search engines) from one URL to another. A 301 says “this page moved permanently. update your bookmarks.” A 302 says “this page moved temporarily. keep the old URL.”

Choosing the wrong redirect type can tank your rankings. Here’s how to get it right.

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The Critical Difference

301 (Permanent)	302 (Temporary)
Passes 90-99% of link equity	Passes little to no link equity
Google indexes the NEW URL	Google keeps indexing the OLD URL
Old URL disappears from search results	Old URL stays in search results
Use when content moved forever	Use when content will return

SEO Impact:

• 301 redirects transfer almost all “SEO juice” (rankings, backlinks, authority) to the new URL
• 302 redirects keep the SEO value on the original URL (because Google expects it to come back)

Common mistake: Using a 302 for a permanent move. Result: The new page never gains rankings because Google thinks the old URL will return.

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When to Use 301 (Permanent Redirect)

1. Site Migrations

Moving from oldsite.com to newsite.com:

oldsite.com → 301 → newsite.com

2. URL Structure Changes

Changing your URL format:

example.com/products.php?id=123 → 301 → example.com/products/widget-name

3. Content Consolidation

Merging duplicate pages:

example.com/seo-tips → 301 → example.com/blog/complete-seo-guide
example.com/seo-guide → 301 → example.com/blog/complete-seo-guide

4. HTTP to HTTPS Migration

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

5. Removing Old Products/Pages

Product discontinued? Redirect to category page or replacement:

example.com/products/old-model → 301 → example.com/products/new-model

6. Fixing WWW vs Non-WWW

Pick one version and redirect the other:

example.com → 301 → www.example.com
OR
www.example.com → 301 → example.com

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When to Use 302 (Temporary Redirect)

1. A/B Testing Pages

Testing a redesign before committing:

example.com/landing → 302 → example.com/landing-v2

(Use 302 so the original URL keeps its rankings during the test)

2. Seasonal Content

Summer sale page redirects to homepage after promotion ends:

example.com/summer-sale → 302 → example.com

(In 11 months, you’ll bring back /summer-sale for next year)

3. Maintenance Mode

Site under maintenance:

example.com → 302 → example.com/maintenance.html

4. Regional/Language Redirects

Redirecting based on user location (but keeping all URL versions indexed):

example.com → 302 → example.com/uk (for UK visitors)
example.com → 302 → example.com/us (for US visitors)

5. Out-of-Stock Products

Product temporarily unavailable:

example.com/product/blue-widget → 302 → example.com/product/blue-widget?out-of-stock=true

Key principle: Only use 302 if the original URL will be restored within weeks/months.

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How to Implement Redirects

Apache (.htaccess)

301 Redirect:

# Single page redirect
Redirect 301 /old-page.html https://example.com/new-page.html

# Entire domain redirect
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^oldsite\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newsite.com/$1 [R=301,L]

# HTTP to HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

302 Redirect:

Redirect 302 /temporary-page.html https://example.com/new-location.html

Nginx

301 Redirect:

# Single page
location = /old-page {
    return 301 https://example.com/new-page;
}

# Entire domain
server {
    server_name oldsite.com;
    return 301 https://newsite.com$request_uri;
}

302 Redirect:

location = /temporary-page {
    return 302 https://example.com/new-location;
}

WordPress

Use a plugin like Redirection or Yoast SEO Premium:

1. Install plugin
2. Add source URL: /old-page
3. Add target URL: /new-page
4. Select “301 Permanent” or “302 Temporary”
5. Save

PHP

// 301 Permanent
header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently");
header("Location: https://example.com/new-page");
exit();

// 302 Temporary
header("HTTP/1.1 302 Found");
header("Location: https://example.com/temporary-page");
exit();

JavaScript (Not Recommended for SEO)

// Only use if server-side redirects aren't possible
window.location.href = "https://example.com/new-page";

Warning: Search engines may not follow JavaScript redirects. Use server-side redirects whenever possible.

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Common Redirect Mistakes

Redirect Chains

Problem:

Page A → 301 → Page B → 301 → Page C

Why bad:

• Each redirect loses some link equity
• Slower page load times
• Google may stop following after 3-5 hops

Fix: Always redirect straight to the final destination:

Page A → 301 → Page C
Page B → 301 → Page C

Redirect Loops

Problem:

Page A → 301 → Page B → 301 → Page A

Result: Browser shows “Too many redirects” error.

Fix: Test redirects before deploying. Use Redirect Checker.

Redirecting to Irrelevant Pages

Bad:

example.com/plumbing-services → 301 → example.com/homepage

Better:

example.com/plumbing-services → 301 → example.com/services

Best:

example.com/plumbing-services → 301 → example.com/services/plumbing

Google expects redirects to lead to relevant content. Redirecting everything to the homepage wastes link equity.

Using 302 for Permanent Moves

Scenario: You migrate from /blog/old-url to /blog/new-url and use a 302.

Result after 6 months:

• Google still indexes /blog/old-url
• /blog/new-url has no rankings
• You’ve lost 6 months of SEO value

Fix: Change the 302 to 301 immediately.

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Checking Your Redirects

Browser Developer Tools

1. Open Dev Tools (F12)
2. Go to Network tab
3. Load your URL
4. Check the Status Code column for “301” or “302”

Online Tools

• Redirect Checker
• HTTP Status Code Checker
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider (for bulk checking)

Google Search Console

• Coverage Report → “Page with redirect” shows URLs with redirects
• Check if old URLs are still indexed (sign of improper redirect)

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Other Redirect Types (Advanced)

Code	Name	When to Use
307	Temporary (HTTP/1.1)	Same as 302 but preserves POST data
308	Permanent (HTTP/1.1)	Same as 301 but preserves POST data
Meta Refresh	Client-side redirect	Last resort (not recommended for SEO)

For 99% of cases, stick with 301 and 302.

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Quick Decision Tree

Is this change permanent?

• Yes → Use 301
• No → Continue below

Will the old URL come back within 3-6 months?

• Yes → Use 302
• No → Use 301

Still unsure? Default to 301. You can always change a 301 to 302 later if needed, but delaying a 301 costs you SEO value.

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What Surmado Checks

Surmado Scan looks for:

• Redirect chains (flags 3+ redirects in a row)
• Redirect loops (flags infinite redirects)
• 302 redirects older than 6 months (suggests using 301)
• HTTP→HTTPS redirects (should be 301, not 302)

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→ Related: Canonical URLs: Fix Duplicate Content | Server Response Codes

Next Steps

Run Surmado Scan to check your redirects

Learn more about technical SEO →