Learn SEO: Practical Guides and Tutorials

Q: How do I check whether a URL uses a 301 or 302?

Read the URL’s raw HTTP response, since the browser hides the status code behind the redirect. Paste the URL into our free HTTP status code checker to see the exact code, the Location target, and the full chain, or use a browser extension like Sprout SEO that surfaces the live status on the page you are viewing. It is the only way to catch a config that claims one type while the server returns another.

Question 1

What is the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?

Accepted Answer

A 301 is a permanent redirect and a 302 is a temporary one. A 301 tells search engines the page has moved for good, so they transfer its ranking signals to the destination and index the new URL in its place.
A 302 says the move is temporary, so they keep the original URL indexed and hold its ranking ability for when it returns. The visitor experience is identical; only the status code differs.

Question 2

Does a 302 redirect pass link equity?

Accepted Answer

By design, a 302 does not transfer link equity, because it signals that the original page will return and should stay canonical. Google follows a 302 but does not use it as a signal that the destination should become canonical, so the source page keeps its authority.
Treat a 302 as protective of the original, not as a way to pass value forward.

Question 3

Is a 302 redirect bad for SEO?

Accepted Answer

A 302 is not bad for SEO when it matches a genuinely temporary move; there it correctly protects the original page&#8217;s rankings. It becomes harmful when it sits on a permanent change, because it withholds the consolidation a 301 would deliver, so the destination never fully inherits the rankings.
The problem is the mismatch, not the 302 itself.

Question 4

When should I use a 302 instead of a 301?

Accepted Answer

Use a 302 only when you intend to reverse the redirect: A/B and split tests, brief maintenance or redesign windows, short-term promotional pages, and out-of-stock products you plan to restock.
If you cannot honestly say the original URL is coming back, choose a 301, because a 302 on a permanent move quietly suppresses the rankings the destination should have inherited.

Question 5

How do I check whether a URL uses a 301 or 302?

Accepted Answer

Read the URL&#8217;s raw HTTP response, since the browser hides the status code behind the redirect. Paste the URL into our free HTTP status code checker to see the exact code, the Location target, and the full chain, or use a browser extension like Sprout SEO that surfaces the live status on the page you are viewing.
It is the only way to catch a config that claims one type while the server returns another.

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301 vs 302 redirects: which one to use and when