What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
When you create a redirect, you choose a status code that tells browsers and search engines what kind of redirect it is. The two most common are 301 and 302.
301
Moved Permanently. The page has moved to a new URL and will not be coming back. Search engines transfer the ranking and link value from the old URL to the new one over time. This is the correct choice for the vast majority of redirects- when you change a slug, restructure a section, or retire a page in favour of a new one.
302
Found (Temporary). The page is temporarily available at a different URL and will be returning to its original address. Search engines keep the original URL indexed and do not transfer ranking to the destination. Use this only when a page is genuinely offline for a short time- for example, during maintenance- and will return to its original URL.
307
Temporary Redirect. Functionally similar to a 302 but more strictly defined. Rarely needed in standard content management. Unless you have a specific reason to use a 307, a 302 achieves the same result.
Which to use in practice
When in doubt, use a 301. The permanent redirect is the correct choice for almost every redirect you will create in the CMS. Only use a 302 if the original URL will genuinely be restored and reused in the near future.
301
Moved Permanently. The page has moved to a new URL and will not be coming back. Search engines transfer the ranking and link value from the old URL to the new one over time. This is the correct choice for the vast majority of redirects- when you change a slug, restructure a section, or retire a page in favour of a new one.
302
Found (Temporary). The page is temporarily available at a different URL and will be returning to its original address. Search engines keep the original URL indexed and do not transfer ranking to the destination. Use this only when a page is genuinely offline for a short time- for example, during maintenance- and will return to its original URL.
307
Temporary Redirect. Functionally similar to a 302 but more strictly defined. Rarely needed in standard content management. Unless you have a specific reason to use a 307, a 302 achieves the same result.
Which to use in practice
When in doubt, use a 301. The permanent redirect is the correct choice for almost every redirect you will create in the CMS. Only use a 302 if the original URL will genuinely be restored and reused in the near future.