Quick answer: Use a 301 (or 308) redirect when a page has moved permanently. Google treats it as a strong signal that the new URL should be shown in search results and consolidates signals there. Use a 302 (or 307) only when the move is genuinely temporary and you want the original URL to stay in search. Using a 302 for a permanent move can leave the old URL indexed and delay the transfer of signals.
Redirects look like a developer detail until a migration goes wrong. Then they become the most expensive line in the project. The difference between a 301 and a 302 is one digit, but it changes what Google shows in results.
Redirect types at a glance
| Code | Meaning | How Google treats it | Use for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Moved permanently | Strong signal that the target is canonical | URL changes, site migrations, merged pages |
| 308 | Permanent redirect | Same as 301 | Permanent moves where the request method must be kept |
| 302 | Found (temporary) | Weak signal that the target is canonical | Short promotions, A/B tests, temporary maintenance |
| 307 | Temporary redirect | Same as 302 | Temporary moves where the request method must be kept |
| Meta refresh (0 seconds) | Client-side redirect | Treated as permanent | Only when server redirects are impossible |
| JavaScript redirect | Client-side redirect | Followed after rendering | Last resort |
Does a 301 redirect lose ranking power?
Not in the way older SEO advice claimed. Google has said that 3xx redirects do not lose PageRank. What can be lost is relevance: if you redirect a detailed guide to your homepage, the signals do not transfer usefully because the target does not match. Redirect to the closest equivalent page.
When a 302 is the right choice
- A product is temporarily out of stock and you send visitors to a related product for a short time.
- A seasonal promotion page temporarily replaces a category page.
- A page is down for maintenance and you show a holding page.
- You are testing a new page version for a short period.
If the “temporary” redirect stays in place for months, change it to a 301. Google may eventually treat a long-lasting 302 as permanent, but it is better to send the right signal from the start.
Redirect best practices
- Redirect to the most relevant page, not the homepage by default.
- Avoid chains. A to B to C wastes crawl time and risks breaking. Googlebot follows up to 10 hops, but other crawlers and browsers may give up sooner. Point A directly to C.
- Avoid loops, where A redirects to B and B back to A.
- Update internal links to the new URL instead of relying on the redirect.
- Keep redirects for at least a year after a site move, as Google recommends, and longer if old URLs still have links or traffic.
- Use a 404 or 410 for pages with no replacement, rather than redirecting everything to the homepage. Mass redirects to irrelevant pages are often treated as soft 404s.
Redirects during a migration
Migrations are where redirect mistakes cost the most. The core steps:
- Export every URL that has traffic, links or rankings.
- Map each one to its new equivalent in a spreadsheet.
- Implement one-to-one 301 redirects at server level.
- Test the full list before and after launch, checking for 200 final status and no chains.
- Keep the old sitemap submitted for a period so Google recrawls the old URLs and sees the redirects.
The full process is in my website migration SEO checklist. Redirects and canonical tags also work together, so read my canonical tag guide if you are consolidating duplicate pages.
How to check your redirects
- Use a crawler to list all redirects and chains on the site.
- Use your browser’s developer tools or a header checker to see the exact status code.
- Use URL Inspection in Search Console to see which URL Google treats as canonical.
- Check the Page indexing report for “Page with redirect” entries that should not be there, such as redirecting URLs listed in your sitemap.
Redirect audits are a standard part of my technical SEO service, especially before and after redesigns.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 301 or 302 better for SEO?
Neither is better in general. A 301 is correct for permanent moves, a 302 for temporary ones. Problems come from using the wrong one.
How long does it take Google to process a 301?
Google needs to recrawl the old URL. Important pages are often processed within days; less important ones can take weeks.
Can too many redirects hurt SEO?
The number of redirects is not a problem. Chains, loops and irrelevant targets are.
Should I redirect HTTP to HTTPS with a 301?
Yes. Site-wide HTTP to HTTPS and non-preferred host to preferred host redirects should be permanent.
Sources: Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Search; Site moves with URL changes.
