What’s a 302 Redirect? And When Should You (Actually) Use It?

A 302 redirect is a temporary way to divert users from one page on your site to a different page.

It’s important for SEO because it allows you to send traffic to a different page while maintaining the keyword rankings and link value of the original page.

In this guide, we’ll explain when, why, and how to use 302s properly.

How Do 302 Redirects Work?

A 302 redirect is sort of like an out-of-office message.

It’s not a permanent change of address. But it helps make sure users and bots can still access your site if a specific page or resource is unavailable.

A 302 can improve user experience (UX) on your website by making sure users don’t land on pages that are outdated, missing functionality, or under construction.

This HTTP response status code (302 – Found) indicates a page has been moved. Anyone trying to access this page is automatically redirected to the new page while the 302 is in effect.

301 Redirects vs. 302 Redirects

Should you use a 301 or a 302 redirect? It’s a common question.

Here’s the difference:

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect.

A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect.

Implement a 301 redirect to make permanent changes to your website. For example, if you permanently move the content from example.com/page-1 to example.com/page-2.

You want to tell users and search engine bots that your old page no longer exists and they can find the content at a new address.

Otherwise, a 302 redirection works for temporary use cases.

For example, you’d use a 302 for...