302 Redirect

A 302 redirect is an HTTP status code used when a webpage has been moved to another URL temporarily.

Visitors who request the original URL are sent to a different page, but the redirect signals that the move is not necessarily permanent.

This is the main difference between a 302 and a 301 redirect.

Both can send a visitor to exactly the same destination. The difference is the message they send to search engines about whether the original URL is expected to return.

If the move is temporary, a 302 can be appropriate.

If the old URL has been replaced permanently, a 301 is usually the clearer choice.

How a 302 redirect works

When someone requests a URL with a 302 redirect, the server responds with a temporary redirect status and provides another URL.

For example:

https://example.com/summer-offer

might temporarily redirect to:

https://example.com/general-offers

The browser follows the redirect automatically, so the visitor may never notice the HTTP status code involved.

Search engines do notice it.

A 302 tells them that the original URL may still be the main version and could return in the future.

That makes it suitable for temporary changes rather than permanent URL migrations.

When should you use a 302 redirect?

Use a 302 when the original URL is expected to become useful again.

Common examples include:

Temporary maintenance

If a page or service is unavailable briefly while work is carried out, a temporary redirect can send visitors somewhere useful without implying that the original URL has been permanently replaced.

Temporary product availability

A product that will be restocked may temporarily redirect visitors to a related category or availability page.

Be careful not to use an unrelated destination simply to avoid showing an unavailable product.

Seasonal campaigns

A seasonal landing page may temporarily send visitors elsewhere outside its active period if the original URL will return for the next campaign.

A/B testing

Temporary redirects may be used as part of an experiment where visitors are sent to an alternative version while the original remains the primary URL.

The implementation should be designed carefully so search engines understand that the test is temporary.

Temporary geographic or language routing

Some websites temporarily route visitors according to location or language preferences.

A temporary redirect can be suitable where the original URL should remain available and has not been permanently replaced.

Automatic geographic redirects should still be implemented cautiously, particularly if they prevent users or crawlers from accessing alternative versions.

301 vs 302 redirect

The simplest difference is permanence.

301 redirect

A 301 redirect means:

“This page has moved permanently.”

Use it when:

• A page has moved to a new URL
• Two pages have been merged
• A service or product URL has permanently changed
• A website migration replaces old URLs
• An obsolete URL has a clear permanent replacement

Over time, search engines normally consolidate their signals around the destination URL.

302 redirect

A 302 redirect means:

“Use this other page for now.”

Use it when:

• The move is temporary
• The original page is expected to return
• A temporary campaign or experiment is running
• Visitors need an interim destination

Search engines can still pass signals through temporary redirects, and they may eventually interpret a long-running 302 as effectively permanent.

That does not make long-term 302s a good substitute for choosing the correct redirect type.

If the move is permanent, make that intention clear with a 301.

What about 307 and 308 redirects?

You may also encounter 307 and 308 redirects.

307 Temporary Redirect

A 307 is a temporary redirect with stricter handling of the original HTTP request method.

For normal SEO purposes, it communicates a temporary move in much the same way as a 302.

308 Permanent Redirect

A 308 communicates a permanent redirect while preserving the original request method.

For SEO purposes, its intent is similar to a 301: the move is permanent.

Most everyday websites will mainly encounter 301 and 302 redirects, but developers may prefer 307 or 308 in situations where preserving request methods matters.

What happens if a 302 stays in place too long?

Search engines do not rely on the status code in isolation.

If a 302 remains in place for a long period and all other signals suggest that the move is permanent, Google may begin treating the destination as the preferred URL.

Those other signals can include:

• Internal links
• Canonical tags
• XML sitemaps
• How long the redirect has existed
• Whether the original page ever returns

This is useful as a safety mechanism, but it should not be part of the strategy.

A permanent move should use a permanent redirect.

Leaving a 302 in place indefinitely creates unnecessary ambiguity.

The most common 302 redirect mistake

One of the most common problems is using a 302 during a permanent website migration.

This often happens without anyone deliberately choosing it.

A CMS, plugin or server tool may default to temporary redirects.

The developer tests the old URL in a browser:

Old URL → New URL

It works.

From the visitor's perspective, nothing is wrong.

But the HTTP response may still be:

302 Found

when the migration should have used a permanent redirect.

That is why redirect testing needs to include the actual HTTP status code, not just whether the browser arrives at the correct page.

How to check a redirect

Do not rely solely on the label inside a CMS or plugin.

Check the real server response.

For example, an old URL should ideally show something like:

301 Moved Permanently

followed by the final URL.

After a migration, review:

• Redirect status codes
• Final destinations
• Redirect chains
• Redirect loops
• Canonical tags
• Internal links
• XML sitemaps

Google's documentation on redirects also explains how Google interprets different redirect methods.

Redirect chains

A redirect chain happens when one URL redirects to another URL that then redirects again.

For example:

Page A → Page B → Page C

If Page C is the actual final destination, Page A should usually redirect directly to Page C.

Long chains can:

• Add unnecessary latency
• Make crawling less efficient
• Complicate migrations
• Make redirect rules harder to maintain
• Increase the chance of something eventually breaking

Chains often accumulate after several redesigns or URL changes.

A website may have:

2019 URL → 2022 URL → 2024 URL → current URL

when the oldest version could simply point directly to the current page.

Redirect loops

A redirect loop occurs when redirects send the browser around in circles.

For example:

Page A → Page B

and:

Page B → Page A

Neither page becomes accessible.

Browsers usually stop after several attempts and display an error such as:

Too many redirects

Redirect loops should be fixed immediately because the content becomes inaccessible to both users and crawlers.

302 redirect vs canonical tag

A 302 redirect and a canonical tag solve different problems.

A redirect sends the visitor somewhere else.

A canonical leaves both URLs accessible while indicating which version you prefer search engines to treat as primary.

Use a redirect when the visitor should be sent to another URL.

Use a canonical when:

• Both URLs still need to work independently
• Their content is duplicate or substantially similar
• One should be treated as the preferred search version

Do not use a redirect simply because two URLs contain similar content if both still need to be available.

302 redirects and website migrations

A permanent migration should normally use permanent redirects rather than 302s.

For example:

Old URL:

/roof-repairs-kent

New URL:

/services/roof-repair

If the old URL will never return, the move is permanent.

A 301 makes that clear.

During a migration, check that:

• Every important old URL has the correct destination
• Permanent moves use permanent redirects
• Redirects point directly to the final URL
• Old URLs are not still used in internal links
• The XML sitemap contains the new canonical URLs
• Canonical tags point to the new pages

Ranksphere's website audit finds redirect chains, loops and incorrect status codes, helping uncover redirect problems that may not be obvious when testing pages manually.

Should you convert old 302 redirects to 301s?

If a redirect was meant to be permanent and the original URL is not coming back, converting it to a permanent redirect usually makes sense.

But do not change every 302 simply because it has existed for a while.

First ask:

• Why was the redirect created?
• Is the original URL expected to return?
• Is the destination genuinely permanent?
• Does the redirect support an active test or temporary campaign?

If the move is still temporary, leave it temporary.

If it became permanent months ago, update the status accordingly.

Common 302 redirect mistakes

• Using a 302 for a permanent migration. Use a permanent redirect when the old URL is gone for good.
• Assuming temporary redirects never pass SEO signals. Search engines handle redirects more flexibly than that.
• Leaving a temporary redirect in place indefinitely. If the move became permanent, update it.
• Trusting a CMS or plugin without checking the response code.
• Creating redirect chains. Point old URLs directly to the final destination.
• Creating redirect loops. These make the page inaccessible.
• Redirecting to irrelevant pages. The destination should satisfy the reason someone requested the original URL.
• Using a redirect when a canonical is more appropriate. If both URLs need to remain usable, consider canonicalisation instead.
• Forgetting to update internal links after a migration. Link directly to the final URL rather than relying on redirects permanently.

302 redirect best practices

• Use 302 only when the move is genuinely temporary.
• Use 301 for permanent URL changes.
• Check the real HTTP status code.
• Document why temporary redirects exist.
• Review long-running 302s periodically.
• Point directly to the final destination.
• Avoid redirect chains and loops.
• Make sure the destination is relevant to the original URL.
• Update internal links when URLs permanently move.
• Audit redirects after migrations, redesigns and platform changes.

Example

“Carrow Outdoor moves its website to a new ecommerce platform.

The development team creates redirects for more than 200 old product and category URLs.

Manual testing looks successful.

Every old URL sends visitors to the correct new page.

A few months later, however, the team notices that some old URLs are still appearing in search and the new URL structure has not settled as cleanly as expected.

A technical audit reveals that the platform's redirect tool created 302 temporary redirects by default.

The move was never temporary.

Those old URLs were permanently retired.

The redirect rules are updated to permanent redirects, internal links are checked and the sitemap is confirmed to contain only the new URLs.

Nothing visibly changes for customers.

They still click the old URL and arrive at the same new page.

What changes is the message being sent to search engines.

That is why the distinction between 301 and 302 matters: the destination may look identical to a visitor, but the status code explains whether the move is temporary or permanent.”

See also

• 301 redirect — the standard choice for permanent URL moves
• Redirect chain — when several redirects sit between the original and final URL
• HTTP status codes — the wider family of server responses
• Canonical tag — when duplicate URLs need to remain accessible
• 404 error — when no appropriate replacement exists
• Technical SEO — the wider discipline covering crawling, indexing and website configuration