The Difference Between Redirect Types (301 vs. 302 vs. 307) and Why It Matters
Not all redirects are equal. Learn the key differences between 301, 302, and 307 redirects, and how choosing the wrong one can affect your SEO and link performance.
When you share a link, you generally expect it to go somewhere. But behind the scenes, a lot of links don't go directly to their final destination — they redirect. And that redirect isn't just a technical detail. The type of redirect you use affects how search engines treat your pages, whether browsers cache the destination, and how reliably your links behave over time.
If you've ever wondered what 301, 302, and 307 actually mean, and whether it matters which one you're using, this article breaks it down clearly.
What a redirect is
A redirect is an instruction your server sends to a browser (or any HTTP client) that says: "The URL you requested has moved. Go here instead." That instruction comes in the form of an HTTP status code, and the three-digit number tells the browser exactly what kind of move it is.
The most common redirect codes are 301, 302, and 307. They all do the same basic thing (send the user elsewhere), but they differ in two important ways: permanence and method preservation.
301 redirects: permanent moves
A 301 is a permanent redirect. When a browser hits a URL with a 301 response, the server is saying: "This page has moved permanently. Update your records."
Browsers and search engines take that instruction seriously. Google will transfer most of the original page's link equity (sometimes called "link juice") to the new URL, and the browser will cache the redirect so future visits skip the round-trip to the original address entirely.
Use a 301 when:
- You've permanently moved a page to a new URL
- You're migrating a website to a new domain
- You're consolidating duplicate content under one canonical URL
- You've changed your URL structure and don't plan to revert it
One thing to keep in mind: because browsers cache 301s aggressively, they can be tricky to undo. If you later decide to send traffic somewhere else, some users may still hit the cached old destination for a while.
302 redirects: temporary moves
A 302 is a temporary redirect. The server is saying: "The page is temporarily at a different location, but the original URL is still the canonical one."
Search engines treat 302s differently. They don't transfer link equity the way a 301 does, and they keep the original URL indexed because they expect it to come back. Browsers also don't cache 302 responses by default, which means every visit makes a fresh request to the server.
Use a 302 when:
- You're running a short-term promotion and need to send traffic to a temporary landing page
- You want to A/B test destinations without committing to one
- You're doing maintenance and redirecting users to a status page temporarily
- You need the flexibility to change or remove the redirect later without SEO consequences
The downside is that 302s can sometimes be misused. If you leave a 302 in place for months or years, search engines may eventually treat it as permanent, but without the full SEO benefit of a proper 301. If a redirect is meant to be permanent, use a 301 from the start.
307 redirects: temporary, method-preserved
A 307 is also a temporary redirect, and it's easy to confuse with a 302. The key difference is technical but important: a 307 redirect preserves the HTTP method of the original request.
Here's what that means. When a browser submits a form using a POST request and hits a 302 redirect, most browsers will automatically switch the follow-up request to a GET. This can cause data loss or unexpected behavior. A 307 redirect tells the browser to repeat the exact same request — same method, same body — to the new URL.
Use a 307 when:
- You're redirecting API requests or form submissions where the HTTP method must be preserved
- You're working with non-GET requests (POST, PUT, DELETE) and need the redirect to be transparent
- You need temporary redirect behavior with strict method fidelity
For most ordinary link redirects — the kind where a user clicks a link and ends up somewhere — 307 vs 302 won't make a noticeable difference. But for applications and APIs, it matters.
There's also a 308 (Permanent Redirect) that does for permanent redirects what 307 does for temporary ones: preserves the HTTP method while signaling a permanent move. It's the counterpart to 301 in method-sensitive contexts.
How this affects SEO
Search engines, particularly Google, use redirect types as signals. According to Google's documentation on HTTP status codes, 301 and 308 redirects pass PageRank to the destination URL, while 302 and 307 redirects do not reliably do so.
In practice, this means:
- Permanently moved pages should use 301 to consolidate ranking signals.
- Temporary campaigns or A/B tests should use 302 (or 307 for method-sensitive flows) to avoid unintentionally reassigning your SEO equity.
- Using a 302 when you mean a 301 — even accidentally — can dilute the authority of your new URL.
How S.EE handles redirects
When you shorten a URL with S.EE, you get a short link that redirects to your destination. S.EE uses permanent redirects for standard shortened links, which is the right default for most use cases, your link equity flows to the destination, and the redirect is fast.
But S.EE also gives you tools that benefit from more nuanced redirect behavior. A/B testing lets you split traffic between two destinations, which uses temporary redirect logic so you can freely adjust the split or change destinations without committing permanently to either URL. Smart routing redirects users based on country, device, or browser language, which also uses flexible redirect logic under the hood.
You can update the destination of any S.EE short link after the fact, too — useful when circumstances change and you don't want dead links floating around in old emails or social posts.
Choosing the right redirect type
A simple decision framework:
Is this move permanent? Use a 301. If you're migrating pages, changing slugs, or consolidating URLs, a 301 tells search engines to update their index and passes along your SEO equity.
Is this move temporary? Use a 302. It keeps the original URL authoritative and lets you reverse course without SEO side effects.
Are you redirecting non-GET requests? Use a 307 (temporary) or 308 (permanent) to preserve the HTTP method.
When in doubt, err toward 301 for permanent changes and 302 for anything you might want to undo. The most expensive mistake is using a temporary redirect for a permanent change — you end up with muddled SEO signals and extra engineering work to clean up later.
Conclusion
Redirect types are one of those details that feel minor until they aren't. A misplaced 302 during a site migration can cost you real search traffic. Understanding what 301, 302, and 307 each communicate, both to browsers and search engines, helps you make smarter decisions when managing websites.
Thanks for reading! If you're looking to simplify how you share and track links, S.EE covers URL shortening, analytics, QR codes, file sharing, branded domains, and more — all in one place. Ready to get started? Sign up today or view pricing.
FAQ
What's the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
A 301 signals a permanent move and transfers SEO link equity to the new URL. A 302 signals a temporary move, keeps the original URL as the canonical reference, and does not reliably pass link equity. Use 301 for permanent changes and 302 when you expect to revert or change the destination.
Does a 302 redirect hurt SEO?
Not inherently, a 302 is the correct choice for temporary redirects. The problem is using a 302 when you mean a 301. If a redirect is permanent, using 302 means search engines may keep the original URL indexed and won't fully consolidate your ranking signals on the new URL.
When should I use a 307 redirect instead of a 302?
Use a 307 when the original request used a non-GET HTTP method (like POST or PUT) and you need the browser to repeat that exact request to the new URL. For standard link redirects where users are just clicking a URL, 302 and 307 behave the same way from the user's perspective.
Do redirect chains affect SEO and performance?
Yes. A redirect chain — where URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C — adds latency and can dilute link equity with each hop. Search engine crawlers also have crawl budgets, and chains eat into them. Keep redirects direct: one hop to the final destination whenever possible.
Can I change a 301 redirect after it's been cached?
You can update the server configuration, but you can't force browsers or search engines to re-check immediately. Because 301s are cached aggressively, some users and crawlers will follow the old cached destination for a while. This is one reason to be deliberate about using 301s only when a change is genuinely permanent.