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

You decided to change your "About Us" page from mysite.com/about-us to mysite.com/team.

You set up a redirect so visitors don't see a 404 error. Great job!

But did you tell the server if this change is forever or just for now? That distinction is the difference between a 301 Redirect and a 302 Redirect.

What is a Redirect?

When a browser (or Google bot) asks for a page, the server usually replies with code 200 OK ("Here is the page").

If the page has moved, the server replies with a 3xx Code ("Go look over there instead").

The 301 Redirect (Moved Permanently)

This is the "Change of Address" form at the post office.

What it tells Google:

"I have moved out of this house forever. Please forward all my mail (SEO credit/backlinks) to the new address. Forget the old address existed."

When to use it:

• You are moving your site from HTTP to HTTPS.
• You are merging two websites.
• You changed a URL structure (e.g., /blog/post-1 to /news/post-1).
• You deleted a page and want to send traffic to a relevant alternative.

SEO Impact: It passes 90-99% of the "Link Juice" (ranking power) to the new page.

The 302 Redirect (Found / Moved Temporarily)

This is the "Out to Lunch" sign on your door.

What it tells Google:

"I am working at a different desk today, but I will be back here tomorrow. Keep the old address in your contacts. Don't transfer my mail."

When to use it:

• You are running A/B tests on a landing page.
• You are doing maintenance on the homepage and want to show a temporary "Under Construction" page.
• A product is out of stock, and you want to send users to a category page for now.

SEO Impact: It passes zero ranking power. Google keeps ranking the old URL because it expects it to come back.

The Dangerous Mistake

The most common SEO disaster is using a 302 (Temporary) when you meant 301 (Permanent).

If you move your site permanently but use a 302 redirect, Google will keep trying to rank the old, empty URLs and ignore your new ones. Your traffic will slowly die.

Conclusion

Redirects are powerful tools, but you must be precise. If the move is forever, use 301. If the move is just for the weekend, use 302. Getting this right ensures your hard-earned SEO rankings follow you wherever you go.

Not sure which redirect you are using? https://findinfo.io/tool/headers Check your HTTP Headers here.