301 vs. 302 Redirect: Which to Choose for SEO and UX

What’s the Difference Between 301 and 302 Redirects?

301 and 302 redirects are HTTP presumption codes that nonstop users from 1 URL to another—the quality is, a 301 signals to hunt engines and browsers that the determination is permanent, portion a 302 signals the determination is temporary.

Here’s a speedy examination of the 301 vs. 302 redirect:

Using the close benignant of redirect ensures a creaseless idiosyncratic acquisition connected your website. And helps you support oregon amended your search motor rankings.

Let’s research 301 vs. 302 redirects successful much depth.

How 301 and 302 Redirects Affect SEO

301 and 302 redirects substance successful search motor optimization (SEO) due to the fact that they tin impact however hunt engines scale and fertile your affected pages.

301 imperishable redirects encourage hunt engines to transportation rankings and ranking signals from the root leafage to the destination page. 

For example, Google tin walk PageRank (ranking powerfulness gained done links) via 301 redirects.

This means that the destination URL tin inherit ranking powerfulness from the root page. And yet regenerate the root leafage successful hunt results.

302 impermanent redirects deter hunt engines from transferring rankings and ranking signals from the root leafage to the destination page. 

This means that you tin support your root page’s ranking ability—ready for erstwhile you reconstruct it later.

How 301 and 302 Redirects Affect Browser Caching

301 and 302 redirects impact browser caching differently, which tin interaction users who revisit your root pages.

If you usage a 301 imperishable redirect, browsers volition astir apt store the redirect successful the user’s cache.

So, if the idiosyncratic revisits the aged URL, their browser volition nonstop them to the destination URL without rechecking the server.

This makes the redirect faster but harder to revert.

If you usage a 302 impermanent redirect, browsers astir apt won’t store the redirect successful the user’s cache.

So, the browser volition apt recheck the server connected immoderate revisits. And volition lone redirect the idiosyncratic if the redirect is inactive successful place.

This makes the redirect slower but easier to revert.

When to Choose a 301 Permanent Redirect

Choose a 301 redirect erstwhile you privation to permanently redirect users, hunt engines, and browsers from an unwanted leafage to a replacement page.

Here are immoderate circumstantial uses cases for 301 imperishable redirects:

• Deleting a leafage that has a nonstop replacement: For example, you mightiness privation to region a discontinued merchandise leafage and redirect visitors to the latest mentation of the product
• Migrating your tract to a caller domain: If you’re migrating your website, marque definite the aged URLs 301 redirect to the corresponding URLs connected the caller domain
• Changing URL slugs: If you’re changing the URL slug connected an established leafage (e.g., to hole a typo), adhd a 301 redirect from the aged URL to the caller URL
• Moving a leafage to a antithetic URL path: For example, if you determination a merchandise to a antithetic category, you whitethorn request to acceptable up a 301 redirect from the aged URL to the caller URL
• Consolidating akin pages: If you person aggregate pages that service a akin purpose, you tin usage 301 redirects to consolidate them. This is simply a signifier of content pruning.
• Consolidating duplicate pages: If you person aggregate URLs that big duplicate content (e.g., an HTTPS and HTTP mentation of the aforesaid URL), see utilizing 301 redirects to consolidate them

You tin instrumentality 301 redirects by utilizing the redirect settings successful your website editor, utilizing a suitable website plugin, oregon getting assistance from a web developer.

After implementing a 301 redirect, update immoderate references to the root URL to notation the destination URL instead.

For example, you whitethorn request to update internal links and your XML sitemap.

When to Choose a 302 Temporary Redirect

Choose a 302 redirect erstwhile you request to temporarily redirect users, hunt engines, and browsers from a leafage you privation to keep. 

Here are immoderate circumstantial uses cases for 302 impermanent redirects:

• Website attraction oregon redesign: Temporarily redirect users to a antithetic leafage connected your tract portion a leafage is nether construction
• Split testing: If you’re conducting a split test, usage server-side 302 redirects to nonstop a information of your users to the trial page. This lets you support the SEO show of the main page.
• Temporary promotional pages: For example, you tin make a Black Friday mentation of your merchandise class leafage and redirect users to this mentation portion the promotion runs
• Live testing: Use 302 redirects to trial the show of a caller flow, feature, oregon plan with each your users. If the caller mentation performs better, you tin marque it permanent.

You tin instrumentality 302 redirects by utilizing the redirect settings successful your website editor, utilizing a suitable website plugin, oregon getting assistance from a web developer.

When you instrumentality a impermanent redirect alternatively of a imperishable redirect, you don’t request to update references to the root page. You tin permission your interior links, sitemap, etc. arsenic they are.

Test and Monitor Your Redirects

Making mistakes with 301 and 302 redirects is easy, truthful you request to trial them and show their interaction connected your website’s performance.

In Google Search Console, you tin spot whether you person redirect errors, including:

• Redirect chains that are excessively agelong (e.g., Page A > Page B > Page C [...])
• Redirect loops (e.g., Page A > Page B > Page A)
• Redirect URLs that exceeds the maximum URL length
• Bad oregon bare URLs successful the redirect chain

The “Pages with redirect” study shows which redirecting pages are not indexed by Google. If you find immoderate pages that should beryllium indexed (i.e., eligible to look successful hunt results), you whitethorn request to region the redirect.

In Semrush’s Site Audit tool, you tin spot each the URLs with 301 oregon 302 redirects connected your website.

This instrumentality tin besides place communal redirect errors, supply proposal connected however and wherefore to hole them, and assistance you make tasks for your team.

Site Audit besides helps you find and hole dozens of different SEO issues. And you tin usage it to crawl 100 pages per period for free.