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Guide To 301 vs 302 Redirects For SEO

Selecting a suitable redirect method is essential for SEO since it tells Google how to respond to the redirected pages. It includes whether it should consider canonical.

While Google’s signal handling is continually developing, the information offered by 301 and 302 response codes has no modification.

This post will teach you what 301 and 302 redirects are for, when to use them, how they affect SEO, and more.

What are Redirects?

It is a method of sending both visitors and search engines to a different URL than what they were requesting.

A redirect is used in digital marketing to lead site visitors and search engines to different URLs than what they intended to view. 301 and 302 are the few most widely used redirects.

The redirect response code additionally notifies the browser that the webpage they want to open has new URLs. It informs that the server is now redirecting the browser to the webpage they want to view but at the new address.

What is 301 Redirect?

A 301 redirect notifies search engines about the permanent relocation of a webpage or site.

Permanent refers to a period of one year or more. Check to see whether users are still accessing your site after a year. If they are, determine where they are originating from and resolve the issue before canceling the redirect.

When to Use 301 Redirects?

301 redirect is for someone who aims at Permanently altering a page’s URL, Permanently migrating to a new domain, Changing your website’s protocol, Duplicate content concerns must be resolved, Permanently combining two pages or any such thing.

What is a 302 Redirect?

A 302 redirect informs search engines about the temporary relocation of a webpage or site.

When to Use 302 Redirect?

This form of redirect might be used if you want to take your customers to a different site or page for a short period of time, such as while revamping or updating your website.

You only use a 302 if you intend to bring the old page back at some point. You may also utilize a 302 redirect if you want to test out a new page and obtain some consumer feedback without negatively impacting your rankings on the original page.

In most cases, you should avoid using a 302 redirect unless you intend to utilize the original URL again in the future.

What Effect Does a Redirect Have on SEO?

Redirects are an essential aspect of SEO for a website since they may guarantee that the user experience is not under any harm due to broken links (commonly shown as 404 errors) and that search engines scan and index the correct pages.

One should use a 301 redirect if they want search engines to index the updated URL in a redirect. Because 301 redirects are permanent transfers, they inform Google that the new URL should be under indexation instead.

If you have a lot of backlinks to a page and wish to alter the URL or replace the page with a new one, you should utilize a 301 redirect.

A 302 redirect will not harm your SEO efforts if handled appropriately. Temporary Redirection, such as 302 redirects, does not transfer on PageRank to the new link by definition.

Google keeps the original page for indexation when you utilize this redirect form. No value (link equity) will transmit to the new URL because Google understands it is only temporary.

As a result, you’ll keep any ranks, traffic value, and authority that page may have.

Conclusion

Problems arise when users don’t realize the difference between the two and pick a 302 to reroute a site permanently.

Essentially, they construct a new website or page while not transferring any of the value they have over time from the previous website or webpage.

That is why it is critical to grasp the distinction between a 301 and a 302 redirect. Also, it’s important to understand when it is preferable to utilize both.

The distinction between 301 and 302 redirects is rather basic. It’s crucial to understand the impact of each to avoid making mistakes that lead you to lose search engine rankings.

Permanent redirects are 301 redirects, whereas temporary redirects are 302 redirects. Use the 301 Redirect if you want to transfer link signals to the new URL and index it. And use the 302 redirects if you’re going to switch back to the old URL ultimately.