What is a 302 Redirect?

A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect that sends visitors and search engines from one URL to another, while signaling that the move is not permanent. Like the 301, the number refers to the HTTP status code sent behind the scenes. The key difference is intent: a 301 says "this page has moved forever," while a 302 says "this page has moved for now, but the original URL will be back."

How It Behaves Differently in SEO

This distinction matters significantly for SEO. When Google encounters a 302 redirect, it continues to index the original URL rather than replacing it with the destination. It also does not fully transfer link equity from the old URL to the new one, because it is expecting the original page to return eventually.

This makes 302 redirects the right choice in specific situations, but a costly mistake when used where a 301 was actually needed. Many site owners accidentally use 302 redirects during permanent URL changes, then wonder why their new pages are not inheriting the authority of the old ones. It is exactly the kind of technical detail that sits behind SEO fixes that end up hurting rankings without the site owner ever realizing what went wrong.

When a 302 is the Right Choice

A 302 redirect is appropriate when the redirect is genuinely temporary. Common examples include redirecting users to a seasonal promotion page while the original page is still live, sending visitors to a maintenance page during a site update, or running an A/B test between two versions of a page. In all of these cases, the original URL is expected to return to normal, which is exactly what a 302 communicates to Google.

The Most Common Mistake

Using a 302 when you intend a permanent change is one of the most frequently overlooked technical SEO errors. It is easy to implement the wrong redirect type, especially if you are relying on a plugin or developer who defaults to 302 without asking. If you have recently changed URLs or migrated pages and are not seeing the expected transfer of rankings, checking whether your redirects are 301s or 302s is one of the first things worth investigating.

Understanding the difference between these two redirect types is part of a broader awareness of how technical decisions quietly shape your rankings, which connects to what a complete SEO strategy actually involves beyond just content and keywords.