Redirects (301 and 302)

A redirect sends a browser or crawler that requests one URL to a different URL. The two most important types are the 301, a permanent redirect that tells search engines the resource has moved for good, and the 302, a temporary redirect that says the original URL will return. The distinction matters because a 301 consolidates ranking signals onto the destination, while a 302 signals that the original should stay indexed.

How it works

When a server returns a 301, search engines transfer the old URL’s accumulated authority — links, relevance, history — to the target and eventually drop the old URL from the index. A 302 keeps the original URL indexed because the move is meant to be temporary, so using a 302 for a permanent change strands equity on a URL you have abandoned. Redirects should point directly to the final destination; long redirect chains waste crawl budget and dilute signals, and loops break access entirely. Prefer server-side HTTP redirects over JavaScript or meta-refresh redirects, which are slower and less reliably followed.

Where it applies

Redirects are central wherever URLs change.

• Site migrations — 1:1 permanent redirects from every old URL to its closest new equivalent preserve rankings through a replatform.
• Ecommerce — discontinued or out-of-stock products often redirect to a parent category rather than returning a dead end.
• Publishing — consolidating overlapping articles into one strong page uses 301s to merge their authority.
• Enterprise — HTTP-to-HTTPS and www normalization rely on consistent site-wide redirects.

What matters from each seat

• In-house — maintain a redirect map as a living asset; it is the backbone of any safe URL change.
• Agency and consulting — auditing redirect chains and misused 302s is a fast, high-impact win, especially after a botched migration.
• Engineering — implement redirects at the server or edge, keep them 1:1 and chain-free, and load-test the map before a migration goes live.