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Freedom251 › Blog › Google Search

301 vs. 302 Redirects for SEO: Which Should You Use?

By Freedom251 Team · · 9 min read

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Use a 301 redirect when a URL has moved permanently and the replacement should become the URL Google shows. Use a 302 redirect when the change is temporary and the original URL should remain the preferred address. The choice is about both duration and indexing intent—not a shortcut for guaranteeing rankings.

If the request method must survive the redirect, use 308 for a permanent move or 307 for a temporary one. These preserve the method where 301 and 302 may allow a client to change POST to GET.

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301 and 302 redirects at a glance

Decision point 301 Moved Permanently 302 Found
Intended duration The old URL has been replaced and is not expected to return. The alternate URL is being used for a limited period.
Google Search signal Google can use the redirect as a canonicalization signal for the destination. Google follows the redirect, but it does not receive the same permanent-canonical signal.
What may appear in Search The destination is generally the candidate that should replace the source, subject to other indexing signals. The source can remain in Search; the target can also be indexed if other signals support it.
Typical uses Permanent URL changes, domain migrations, HTTPS moves, consolidation and pages with clear replacements. Temporary outages, short-term routing and A/B tests.
Request-method behavior A client may change POST to GET. Use 308 when preservation is required. A client may change POST to GET. Use 307 when preservation is required.
Cache behavior RFC 9110 describes 301 as heuristically cacheable unless method rules or explicit cache controls say otherwise. Because 302 describes a temporary location, define cache policy explicitly when clients must not retain the response longer than intended.

What the redirect tells Google

Google treats a redirect as one input to canonicalization. A permanent redirect tells Google that references to the source should normally use the destination instead. That is a signal, not a promise that indexing changes instantly or that every ranking signal transfers in full.

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Googlebot can follow both 301 and 302 responses. The difference is the strength and direction of the indexing hint. With a 302, the original URL may remain the result Google considers canonical. The redirected URL can still enter the index when other evidence—such as internal links, rel=canonical declarations or external references—supports it.

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The status code therefore cannot be selected solely by asking which one is “better for SEO.” Select the code that accurately describes the site’s intended state. Mislabeling a temporary experiment as permanent can cause the variation to replace the original in Google’s processing; using a temporary code for a lasting move can delay consolidation of signals.

A practical decision process

1. Decide whether the change is permanent

Ask whether the old URL is expected to come back. If the answer is no, return a server-side 301. A domain migration, a changed slug that will never be restored, a move from HTTP to HTTPS, and a consolidation into a preferred URL are permanent changes.

If the source remains the address you intend to publish after an outage, campaign or experiment ends, use a temporary redirect. That normally means 302, or 307 when the request method must be preserved.

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2. Confirm that the destination is the closest replacement

For a permanent move, map each old URL to its most relevant new URL. Redirecting every discontinued page to a homepage or an unrelated category creates a poor user experience and gives search engines weak evidence about the replacement. If a page has been removed and has no genuinely equivalent destination, return a true 404 rather than forcing an arbitrary redirect.

3. Check the HTTP method

SEO intent and HTTP behavior are separate decisions. RFC 9110 allows a user agent to change POST to GET when following a 301 or 302. For a permanent endpoint move that must continue receiving POST, use 308. For a temporary endpoint move that must preserve POST, use 307.

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4. Plan for direct paths

Point the old URL directly to the final destination. Google recommends keeping redirect chains short—ideally no more than three hops and fewer than five. Chains add latency, increase the chance of a broken intermediate rule and make crawling less efficient.

When a 301 is the right choice

Permanent URL restructuring

Use 301 when a page’s address changes as part of a lasting information architecture update. Keep the content and purpose of the replacement as close as possible to the original, and update internal links so visitors and crawlers reach the new address without passing through the old one.

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Domain or protocol migration

Moving a site to a new domain or from HTTP to HTTPS is a permanent change when the old address will no longer be the canonical public location. Configure server-side redirects from each old URL to its corresponding final URL rather than sending all traffic to one generic landing page.

Duplicate consolidation

If several URLs represent the same resource and one address is the permanent preferred version, a 301 can consolidate visits and canonicalization signals around that address. Make sure the destination is accessible, returns a successful response and contains the intended content.

A page with a clear replacement

When a product, article or documentation page has been replaced by a newer equivalent, a 301 communicates that the replacement should take over. Do not use it simply because a page is inconvenient to maintain; the destination must be relevant to the source.

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When a 302 is the right choice

Temporary service interruption

A 302 can route visitors to a status page or alternate service while the original URL remains the address that should return. Keep the response temporary and remove the rule when the source is available again. If the outage becomes a permanent retirement, change the response to the appropriate permanent status or a 404.

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Short-lived routing

Use 302 when traffic is being diverted for maintenance, a regional operation or another limited event, but the source URL remains the intended long-term location. Set cache controls so browsers, proxies and CDNs do not retain the temporary route longer than your operational plan allows.

A/B and multivariate tests

When users visiting an original URL are sent to a test variation, Google Search Central recommends a 302 rather than a 301. The temporary response helps avoid signaling that the variation has permanently replaced the original. Keep the test duration limited, expose the original URL to crawlers where appropriate and remove the redirect when the experiment ends.

A redirect does not by itself make an experiment search-safe. Avoid creating many crawlable variations, keep canonical and internal-link signals consistent with the test design, and decide on one permanent URL only after the experiment has finished.

307 and 308: the method-preserving alternatives

Status Duration signal Method behavior Use it when
301 Permanent A client may rewrite POST as GET. The move is permanent and changing the method is acceptable.
302 Temporary A client may rewrite POST as GET. The move is temporary and changing the method is acceptable.
308 Permanent Preserves the request method and body. A permanent endpoint move must continue receiving the same method, such as POST.
307 Temporary Preserves the request method and body. A temporary route must continue receiving the same method, such as POST.

Google recognizes 301 and 308 as permanent redirect signals and 302, 303 and 307 as temporary signals for Search. The protocol choice should still be tested with the clients and intermediaries that call the endpoint, because application behavior can differ even when the SEO intent is correct.

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How to implement a permanent move safely

  1. Create a URL map. List every old address that receives traffic or has meaningful links, then assign its closest final replacement. Include important URL variants such as trailing-slash, case and parameter forms when your server treats them separately.
  2. Return a server-side response. Configure the web server, reverse proxy or application to return 301 (or 308 when method preservation is required). Server-side redirects are the mechanism Google recommends when technically possible and are generally interpreted more reliably than client-side workarounds.
  3. Use one direct hop. Redirect each source straight to the final destination. Remove old intermediate rules that create chains.
  4. Update site signals. Change internal links, XML sitemaps, rel=canonical declarations, hreflang references and structured-data URLs to the destination. These updates reduce dependence on the redirect and make the preferred URL unambiguous.
  5. Keep the redirect available. Do not remove a useful permanent redirect immediately after launch. Retain it while users, crawlers and external links may still request the old address, subject to your site’s maintenance policy.
  6. Inspect representative URLs. Test high-traffic pages, pages with valuable backlinks, parameter variants and URLs from each template. Confirm the response code, Location destination and final content.

Minimal response examples

A permanent redirect response contains the status and a destination in the Location header:

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

For a method-preserving permanent endpoint move:

HTTP/1.1 308 Permanent Redirect
Location: https://example.com/new-endpoint

The examples show the HTTP shape only. Replace the example host with your own destination and configure the rule in the server or platform that actually handles the request.

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How to run a temporary redirect correctly

  1. Define the end condition. Record when the original URL should become active again or when the test will be evaluated.
  2. Return 302 or 307. Use 302 for ordinary temporary navigation. Choose 307 if the original method and request body must be retained.
  3. Control caching. Add explicit cache directives when a browser, proxy or CDN must recheck the route promptly.
  4. Keep the source authoritative. Avoid changing canonical tags, sitemaps and internal links to the temporary target unless the temporary route is also the intended indexing choice.
  5. Remove or convert the rule. End the redirect when the source is restored. If the destination becomes the lasting replacement, replace the temporary response with a 301 or 308 and complete the permanent-migration steps.

Redirect chains, loops and common mistakes

Using 302 for a permanent move

A lasting migration served as 302 leaves Google with a weaker permanent-canonical signal and can allow the old URL to remain in Search. Correct the status, update internal signals and inspect the affected URLs again.

Using 301 for an experiment

A 301 tells indexing systems that the variation should replace the source. That is the opposite of the normal A/B-test requirement. Change the response to 302 while the test runs.

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Redirecting unrelated pages

A discontinued URL without a relevant replacement should not be sent indiscriminately to the homepage. Return 404 when the resource is gone and no equivalent page exists.

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Building long chains

Chains such as old URL → campaign URL → category URL → final article add unnecessary requests. Replace them with old URL → final article and remove obsolete intermediate rules.

Creating loops

A loop occurs when two rules point back to each other, often because HTTP-to-HTTPS and trailing-slash rules are configured independently. Test the complete sequence from an external client and ensure one canonical final URL.

Relying only on client-side redirects

JavaScript and meta-refresh techniques can be useful as fallbacks, but they are less dependable for a migration than a server-side status response. Use the server or edge layer whenever you control it.

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Verification checklist

  • Request the old URL without following redirects and confirm the intended 301, 302, 307 or 308 status.
  • Check that the Location header contains the exact destination, including path and required protocol.
  • Follow the redirect and verify that the final response is successful rather than another redirect, an error or a blocked page.
  • Test both GET and, where relevant, POST requests to detect method changes.
  • Use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool on a sample of source and destination URLs to verify the returned code and Google’s current indexing view.
  • Review server logs after launch for repeated requests to old URLs, redirect loops, unexpected parameters and high-value pages returning errors.
  • Re-crawl internal links and sitemaps so permanent destinations are submitted directly.

What redirects cannot guarantee

A 301 does not guarantee instant replacement in Search, a specific ranking, complete transfer of every signal or identical traffic after the move. Google evaluates the redirect with content relevance, canonical declarations, links, crawlability and many other signals.

A 302 does not guarantee that the source will always remain indexed. If other signals consistently identify the target as canonical, Google may index the target despite the temporary status. This is why temporary redirects should be used for genuinely temporary situations, not as a way to force a preferred URL while avoiding a permanent decision.

Google’s guidance describes Google’s own indexing systems. Other crawlers, browsers, caches and API clients can interpret status codes differently, so operational testing remains necessary even when the Search intent is clear.

Examples by scenario

Scenario Recommended response Reason
An article moves from /guide-old to a permanent replacement. 301 The old address has been replaced and the new article should become canonical.
The whole site moves to HTTPS. 301 The protocol change is intended to be permanent.
A checkout endpoint moves permanently but must continue accepting POST. 308 Permanent intent and method preservation are both required.
A site is temporarily unavailable during maintenance. 302 The original URL remains the intended address.
A temporary maintenance route must receive POST requests unchanged. 307 Temporary intent requires method preservation.
Visitors are split between an original page and a test variation. 302 Google recommends a temporary redirect for this testing pattern.
A page was deleted and has no comparable replacement. 404 There is no relevant destination to inherit the URL’s purpose.

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