When Is Which Redirect Used?
One of the most common questions website owners face during platform migrations or URL restructuring is whether to use a 301 or 302 redirect. The choice matters more than most people realize, and getting it wrong can cost you search rankings.
What Do Redirects Actually Do?
Think of it like reorganizing a recipe book. If you move recipes to different sections, you need a way to track their new locations so you can still find them. Websites work the same way.
Redirects guide Google's crawler from outdated content to current pages. They protect your crawl budget, preserve the link equity you have built up, and maintain your search rankings during transitions. Without proper redirects, search engines and users alike will hit dead ends.
Redirect 301: Permanently Moved Content
A 301 redirect tells search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location. This is the redirect you will use most often. It passes the vast majority of link equity to the new URL.
Use a 301 redirect for:
- CMS or domain migrations when moving to a new platform
- URL structure changes such as reorganizing your site architecture
- Shop system transfers when changing e-commerce platforms
- Updated article names when improving URL slugs
- Corrected spelling errors in URLs
- SSL conversions from HTTP to HTTPS
Implementation can be done through CMS plugins for common platforms like WordPress, or by editing .htaccess files directly on Apache servers.
Redirect 302: The Temporary Redirection
A 302 redirect signals that content has moved temporarily. Search engines will continue to index the original URL and will not transfer link equity to the temporary destination.
This redirect type is appropriate for:
- Seasonal items that will return to their original URL
- Promotional offers with a defined end date
- Temporarily unavailable products that will be restocked
- A/B testing where you want to preserve the original URL
Tips for Getting Redirects Right
After implementing redirects, verification is essential:
- Check status codes with a tool like Screaming Frog to confirm the correct redirect type is in place
- Run manual tests by entering old URLs in your browser and confirming they resolve correctly
- Monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors and indexing issues
- Track ranking changes in the weeks following implementation to catch any problems early
A few minutes of testing after implementation can prevent significant SEO headaches down the road.