302 redirect
Senior SEO-specialist
A new domain for your website or want a temporary redirect to another url? In this case, it is smart to opt for a 302 redirect. What is a 302 redirect and what use is it to you? You can read about that here!
What is 302 redirect?
302 redirect is a term for designating a temporary redirect of visitors to a Web site. It involves a referral from one URL to another. A 302 redirect is different from a 301 redirect, which involves a permanent redirect from one URL to another. (1)
When using a 302 redirect: Know what it is no problem to set a 302 for a permanent redirect as well. Over time, Google will test the redirect less frequently (and thereby consume less crawl budget). So Google interprets the temporary redirect over time as a permanent redirect (this is a 301).
Using a 302 redirect
When is it smart to choose a 302 redirect and when is it better to choose a 301 redirect. Are you switching to a new domain? Then it makes sense that you would want to keep the ranking of your old domain. In this case, you go for a permanent redirect: a 301 redirect. You may also be looking for a temporary solution, below I explain when I use a 302 redirect.
Situations where I use a 302 redirect
| Situation | Why a 302 redirect |
|---|---|
| Temporary promotion or sale | If you have a temporary promotion or sale, you may want to redirect visitors to a specific sales page. Because this change is temporary, a 302 redirect is the right choice. A 301 would indicate that the old URL has been permanently moved, which is not the case in this situation. |
| Testing a new page | You may want to test a new page for functionality or design, but you don’t want the original URL to lose its value in the search engines. A 302 redirect indicates that it is only a temporary change and the original URL is still valid. |
| Seasonal content | If your website contains seasonal content that you want to display in place of your normal content, you can use a 302 redirect. This allows you to send temporary traffic to seasonal content, while maintaining the default content in the search engine indexes. |
| Maintaining a page or website | If you are performing maintenance on a page or your entire site, you can use a 302 redirect to send users temporarily to a “maintenance page. This prevents them from getting error messages, while making it clear that the original page will soon be available again. |
The impact of 302 redirect on SEO
302 redirect definitely impacts the SEO of a website or page. The results in the search page belong to a domain and when there is a temporary redirect, it definitely impacts the results. Among other things, it depends on the search engine itself: Google determines the interpretation of the redirect.” (2)
My advice
The use of a 302 redirect does occur, but in practice, it is more often a definitive referral. In some cases, it is better to opt for the 301 redirect because Google does not always count a 302 redirect. This way, the old page still remains displayed in the search results.
We recommend hiring an SEO specialist who knows exactly what the right steps are in redirecting your website.
- Heitzman, A. (2022, March 18). A Guide To 301 vs 302 Redirects For SEO. Search Engine Journal. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/301-vs-302-redirects-seo/299843/
- Hardwick, J. (2023c, October 4). 301 vs. 302 Redirects for SEO: Which Should You Use? SEO Blog By Ahrefs. https://ahrefs.com/blog/301-vs-302-redirects/#:~:text=How%20302%20redirects%20impact%20SEO,URL%20will%20be%20back%20soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 302-Redirect?
A 302 redirect is a temporary redirection of a website visitor to another page. In addition to a 302 redirect, there is also a 301 redirect. The latter is a final redirect to another page.
What is the impact of 302-Redirect on SEO?
A 302 redirect definitely has a certain impact on SEO. The results displayed by the search engine belong to a domain. Thus, in the case of a temporary referral, this will have some impact. How big depends on how the search engine interprets the redirect.
