301 vs 302 Redirects Explained Simply
When to use each redirect type and how they affect SEO and link equity.
🔄 Quick tip: Use our Redirect Checker to check redirects on your site.
What are HTTP redirects?
HTTP redirects tell browsers and search engines that a URL has moved to a new location. They're essential for website migrations, URL changes, and fixing broken links.
301 vs 302: The quick difference
301 Moved Permanently
Permanent redirect
- ✅ Passes 90-99% of link equity (SEO value)
- ✅ Old URL is removed from index
- ✅ New URL replaces old in search results
- ✅ Use when: You're moving content permanently
302 Found (Temporary)
Temporary redirect
- ❌ Does NOT pass link equity
- ✅ Old URL stays in index
- ✅ Search engines keep old URL
- ✅ Use when: Redirect is temporary
When to use 301 redirects (permanent)
- ✅ Website migration — Moving from old-domain.com to new-domain.com
- ✅ HTTP to HTTPS — Upgrading to secure protocol
- ✅ www to non-www — Standardizing your domain structure
- ✅ Deleted pages — Page removed, redirect to relevant category or homepage
- ✅ URL structure change — /blog/post-name to /post-name
- ✅ Merging content — Two similar pages merged into one
- ✅ Rebranding — Company name or product name changes
301 redirect example (.htaccess)
Redirect 301 /old-page https://tyzo.in/new-page
When to use 302 redirects (temporary)
- ✅ A/B testing — Testing two versions of a page
- ✅ Site maintenance — Page is temporarily down for updates
- ✅ Seasonal content — Holiday page that returns yearly
- ✅ User location-based redirects — Redirecting based on country/language temporarily
- ✅ Logged-in vs logged-out users — Different experience for authenticated users
- ✅ Flash sales or promotions — Temporary promotional pages
302 redirect example (PHP)
header("HTTP/1.1 302 Found");
header("Location: https://tyzo.in/temporary-page");
Other redirect types you should know
307 Temporary Redirect
Modern alternative to 302. Preserves the request method (POST stays POST). Use for temporary redirects where method matters.
308 Permanent Redirect
Modern alternative to 301. Preserves request method. Use for permanent redirects where method matters.
303 See Other
Used after form submissions. Redirects to a different page (often a "thank you" page).
404 Not Found
Not a redirect. Page doesn't exist. Use 301 to redirect instead of leaving 404s.
Real-world examples
Example 1: Website migration (Use 301)
Scenario: Moving from olddomain.com to newdomain.com
Why 301: You want all SEO value (backlinks, authority) to transfer permanently.
Redirect 301 / https://newdomain.com/
Example 2: A/B testing (Use 302)
Scenario: Testing two versions of your homepage for 2 weeks
Why 302: The redirect is temporary. You don't want to lose the original page's SEO value.
header("HTTP/1.1 302 Found");
header("Location: https://example.com/test-version");
Example 3: HTTP to HTTPS (Use 301)
Scenario: Moving your entire site from HTTP to HTTPS
Why 301: This is a permanent move. You want Google to update all URLs to HTTPS.
Example 4: Flash sale page (Use 302)
Scenario: A special sale page active only for 3 days
Why 302: The page will be removed after the sale. You don't want it indexed permanently.
Common redirect mistakes to avoid
- ❌ Using 302 for permanent moves — You lose SEO value
- ❌ Using 301 for temporary moves — Hard to undo, loses original page
- ❌ Redirect chains — A → B → C (multiple redirects slow down site)
- ❌ Redirect loops — A → B → A (infinite loop, page never loads)
- ❌ Not updating internal links — Update links to point directly to final URL
- ❌ Redirecting to irrelevant pages — 404 is better than irrelevant content
How redirects affect SEO
✅ Positive impacts
- Fixes broken links (404 errors)
- Consolidates link equity
- Improves user experience
- Helps with site migrations
❌ Negative impacts
- Redirect chains slow down page load
- 301 redirects lose 1-10% of link equity
- Too many redirects = crawl budget waste
- Redirect loops break your site
Redirect chain example (BAD)
Old URL → Redirect 301 → URL2 → Redirect 301 → URL3 → Redirect 301 → Final URL
Problem: 3 redirects = slower page load, wasted crawl budget, lost link equity.
Fix: Old URL → Redirect 301 → Final URL (one redirect only)
Redirect loop example (DANGEROUS)
Page A → Redirects to → Page B → Redirects to → Page A
Problem: Infinite loop. Page never loads. Search engines can't access content.
Fix: Break the loop by fixing one of the redirects.
How to check redirects on your site
- ✅ Redirect Checker tool — Enter any URL to see redirect chain
- ✅ Browser DevTools → Network tab → Look for 301/302 status codes
- ✅ Screaming Frog SEO Spider — Crawls your entire site and shows all redirects
- ✅ Google Search Console → Coverage report shows redirect issues
Frequently asked questions
No. 301 redirects pass 90-99% of link equity. A small amount is lost, but it's the best option for permanent moves.
Google can process 301 redirects within hours to days, but it may take weeks for all pages to update in search results.
Yes, but it may take time for Google to recrawl and update. The original page may lose trust and ranking.
For permanent moves: 301. For temporary moves: 302. Using the wrong type can hurt your SEO.
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