Choosing the correct type of redirect for the situation is crucial if you want your site to rank and provide a great user experience. There’s often some confusion around which one you should use 301 or 302 Redirect?. You must choose carefully because the wrong one can interfere with search engine optimization. 

Let’s look at 301 vs. 302 directs, the differences, and when you should use them. 

Do You Need a Permanent or Temporary Redirect? 

The only difference between these two redirects is whether you need to temporarily or permanently route the incoming traffic. 

• A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect. Use it when you intend to reroute traffic forever. You could do this if you have URLs you want to keep alive but have consolidated your content elsewhere. 
• A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect. Developers often use these for A/B testing or when making other temporary changes. 

Choosing between a 301 or 302 redirect is straightforward when considering some specific examples. 

Moving to a Secure URL with a 301 Permanent Redirect 

Search engines prioritize secure pages with valid certificates. Depending on browser settings, some users won’t be able to view sites that aren’t secure. Users on corporate or educational networks are often limited to secure sites with an HTTPS URL. 

If you have existing URLs that aren’t secure, you can redirect traffic with a 301 redirect. This permanent change keeps the original URL alive and doesn’t affect the user experience. There’s no interaction required by the user when traffic forwards to the new address. 

It’s one of the most common examples of using a 301 permanent redirect. 

Testing a New Page with a 302 Temporary Redirect 

A/B testing is the industry standard for SEO professionals, website owners, developers, and other professionals involved in the creation and maintenance of websites. 

You can efficiently test new pages without eliminating an old URL or modifying the original content by using a 302 temporary redirect. Traffic will route to the new URL and its associated content, allowing you to monitor traffic, time on page, lead generation, and any other applicable metrics. 

Running Unique Promotions with a 302 Redirect 

Users enjoy streamlined experiences when browsing. Pop-ups and other invasive ways of displaying temporary content can affect search ranking, website code-to-text ratio, and user experience. 

If you run a promotion that calls for new content, you can run a 302 redirect during the promotion to send users to a new URL. This type of redirect signals its temporary nature to search engines. You won’t have issues with indexing and ranking. 

It’s a safe and efficient way to redirect traffic without affecting the search performance and SEO efforts you’ve invested in the original page. 

How do Redirects Affect Backlinks? 

Every change you make to your pages can potentially affect search ranking. Using the correct 301 or 302 redirects ensures your site is correctly indexed and that existing rankings are protected. 

301 redirects signal to search engines that a page has permanently relocated. Engines like Google and Bing will stop indexing the original URL and only index the target. 

Backlinks are protected when you use redirects correctly. Let’s say you want to redirect Site A to Site B. Site A ranks well with search engines, partly thanks to several high-quality backlinks. Using a permanent 301 redirect won’t eliminate the benefits of these backlinks. They will continue to affect the search algorithm for Site B, which is now indexed. It also means that these backlinks won’t need to be updated. Traffic will pass through the redirect. 

Keep Redirects Updated as Your Needs Change 

Search engine indexing is the fundamental reason we must carefully choose redirects. Let’s consider another scenario. 

You temporarily route traffic from Page A to Page B with a 302 redirect. You want to test Page B without any indexing. You find that Page B performs well, and you leave the redirect active. 

Because you selected a 302 temporary redirect, search engines index the old page, and users see the old title and meta information in search results. 

Google doesn’t publish how its algorithm works, but it takes anywhere from weeks to several months before it treats a temporary redirect as permanent. It can hinder the SEO performance of the new page. 

The takeaway is that you need to keep track of your redirects and convert them to permanent at any point you want to make Page B appear in search results. 

Efficiently Manage Your Content and Pages with Captive Web Media 

We are a team of experienced SEO professionals ready to assist you with building, managing, and maintaining your online web presence. From development to content management and digital marketing, we simplify the process so that you can focus on what you do best. Managing redirects is just one small part of your larger SEO strategy. For the best results, talk to us about how we can help you rank with high-quality content that grows your brand.