301 vs 302 Redirects: Which One Should You Use (and Does Google Care)?

Here’s a question I get from clients almost every week: “We moved a page. Does it matter whether the redirect is a 301 or a 302?”

Yes, it matters. Not because Google punishes the wrong one, but because the redirect type tells Google which URL you want people to see in search results. Choose wrong, and Google may keep showing an old address for months, or treat a short-term change as permanent.

Let’s settle it.

The short verdict

Use a 301 when a page has moved permanently. Use a 302 when the move is temporary and the original URL will come back.

A 301 tells Google to show the new URL in search results. A 302 tells Google to keep showing the original URL. If you’re not sure, ask yourself: “Will the old URL ever be used again?” If the answer is no, it’s a 301.

What is a 301 redirect?

A 301 Moved Permanently response tells browsers and search engines that the content now lives at a new URL for good. Browsers remember it, and Google treats it as a strong signal that the new URL should be the one it indexes and shows (Google Search Central).

Typical uses:

• Changing a page’s slug or URL structure
• Merging two overlapping pages into one
• Moving from HTTP to HTTPS, or from www to non-www
• Migrating to a new domain
• Retiring a page that has a clear replacement

What is a 302 status code?

The 302 status code tells the browser the content is temporarily available at a different URL, but the original address is still the “real” one. Google treats 302s as a weak signal: the original URL usually stays in search results.

Typical uses:

• A page is under maintenance and you’re sending people to a temporary version
• A seasonal promotion page temporarily replaces a regular page
• A/B testing an alternate page (the original should stay indexed)
• Sending visitors to a location- or language-specific page while keeping one main URL
• Sending people to a login page before they can see a members’ area

Why is it called “302 Found”?

The official name of HTTP 302 is “Found” (in HTTP/1.0 it was “Moved Temporarily”). The name is a bit confusing, but it simply means: “I found what you want, but it’s over there for now.” The browser follows the Location header to the temporary URL automatically, so visitors rarely notice.

Is a 302 an error?

No. People search for “302 error” because they see code 302 in a browser’s developer tools, a crawler report or Search Console and assume something broke. A 302 is a normal redirect, not an error. It only becomes a problem when:

• It’s used for a move that’s actually permanent
• It’s part of a redirect chain or loop
• It points to a page that doesn’t exist (see our 404 error guide)

301 vs 302 vs 303 vs 307 vs 308: the full comparison

There are actually five redirect status codes worth knowing, plus two non-HTTP methods. Here they are side by side.

Sources: MDN redirections in HTTP and Google Search Central.

The method part, in plain English: 301 and 302 date from the early web, and browsers historically changed a form submission (POST) into a normal page load (GET) when following them. 307 and 308 were added later to guarantee that a form submission stays a form submission. For ordinary web pages, this doesn’t matter much. For APIs, checkout flows and forms, use 307 or 308. If you’re building a web application, our web application development team handles this as standard.

How Google handles redirects

Here’s what Google’s documentation says, distilled into what you actually need to know:

1. Server-side redirects are best. A 301 or 302 sent by your server is the most reliable method. An instant meta refresh is the next option. JavaScript redirects should be a last resort, because Google only sees them after rendering the page.
2. Permanent redirects transfer the “canonical” choice. With a 301 or 308, Google usually swaps the old URL for the new one in search results.
3. Temporary redirects keep the old URL. With a 302, 303 or 307, Google usually keeps the source URL in results.
4. Google follows up to 10 hops. After that, it stops and reports a redirect error. Each extra hop also slows visitors down.
5. Google won’t fix the wrong code for you. Google’s documentation describes temporary redirects as a weak signal. If your move is permanent, don’t leave it to Google to work that out from a 302; send the code that matches what you mean.

Which redirect should I use? 12 real scenarios

7 redirect mistakes that quietly hurt rankings

1. Using a 302 for a permanent move

Some plugins and hosting panels default to 302. If you’ve moved a page for good, check the type. A 302 left in place keeps the old URL in search longer and splits signals between two addresses.

2. Redirect chains

/page-a/ → /page-b/ → /page-c/ happens naturally over years of changes. Each hop adds delay, and after 10, Google stops. Fix: point every old URL straight to the final destination.

3. Redirect loops

/page-a/ → /page-b/ → /page-a/. Browsers show “too many redirects” and Google reports a redirect error. Usually caused by conflicting rules in a plugin and in .htaccess, or HTTPS and www rules fighting each other.

4. Redirecting everything to the homepage

During migrations, it’s tempting to send every old URL to the homepage. Visitors who wanted a specific service land somewhere irrelevant, and Google often treats these as soft 404s anyway.

5. Redirecting to a page that doesn’t exist

This is the one we nearly did ourselves. [CONFIRM 1] While restructuring our location pages, we built a 301 redirect map, then noticed several of the destination pages hadn’t been published yet. If that map had gone live, old URLs would have redirected straight into 404 errors: the worst of both worlds. Fix: test every destination returns 200 before turning redirects on.

6. Forgetting internal links

A redirect is a safety net, not a substitute for updating your own links. Internal links should point to the final URL. Otherwise, every click and every crawl goes through an unnecessary hop.

7. Removing redirects too soon

If old URLs have backlinks or bookmarks, keep the 301s in place long term. Removing them later turns those links back into 404s.

When we used 301s to consolidate pages

Redirects aren’t only for fixing problems. They’re also how you clean up content that competes with itself. [CONFIRM 1]

In 2026, we had several pages targeting nearly the same Mississauga web design searches, and two blog posts covering overlapping cost questions. They were competing with each other for the same rankings. We chose the strongest page in each group, merged the best content into it, and 301-redirected the weaker URLs to it.

The rules we followed:

• Merge content first, then redirect (never redirect to a page that doesn’t cover the topic)
• One hop only, straight to the chosen page
• Update every internal link to point to the new URL
• Remove the old URLs from the sitemap
• Watch Search Console for the old URLs moving to “Page with redirect”

How to set up redirects

WordPress (Rank Math)

1. Go to Rank Math → Redirections → Add New.
2. Enter the Source URL (old path) and choose a match type (usually Exact).
3. Enter the Destination URL.
4. Choose the type: 301 Permanent Move, 302 Temporary Move or 307 Temporary Redirect (Rank Math also offers 410 and 451 for removed content).
5. Save, then test in a private browser window.

Apache (.htaccess)

# Permanent redirect for a single page

Redirect 301 /old-page/ https://www.example.ca/new-page/

# Temporary redirect

Redirect 302 /sale/ https://www.example.ca/black-friday/

Nginx

location = /old-page/ {

    return 301 https://www.example.ca/new-page/;

}

Shopify

When you change a product or page URL handle, Shopify offers a “Create a URL redirect” checkbox in the search engine listing section; leave it ticked. For any other URL, go to Content → Menus → View URL redirects → Create URL redirect (Shopify Help). Shopify’s redirects are 301s, and Shopify notes that browsers and search engines cache them, so test carefully before you save. Our Shopify team can map redirects for migrations.

Site migration redirect checklist

Before any redesign, domain move or URL restructure:

• Crawl the old site and export every URL (including images and PDFs that have backlinks)
• Pull URLs with backlinks and traffic from Ahrefs or Semrush and Search Console
• Map each old URL to its closest new equivalent (one-to-one, not everything to the homepage)
• Confirm every destination URL is published and returns 200
• Use 301 for all permanent moves
• Remove chains: old URLs go straight to final URLs
• Update internal links, navigation menus and canonical tags to new URLs
• Submit the new XML sitemap in Search Console
• Spot-check 20 to 50 old URLs after launch
• Monitor “Redirect error,” “Page with redirect” and “Not found (404)” for 4 to 8 weeks

The full process is in our website redesign SEO checklist.

How to test a redirect

• Browser developer tools: Network tab → reload → the first entry shows the status (301, 302…) and the Location header.
• Command line: curl -I https://www.example.ca/old-page/ shows the status code and destination. Add -L to follow every hop and spot chains.
• Google Search Console: URL Inspection shows the URL Google chose as canonical.
• Crawlers: Ahrefs or Screaming Frog list redirect chains and loops across your whole site.

Remember to test logged out. Cached or logged-in versions can hide what Google actually receives.