A 302 redirect is a temporary HTTP status code used to send users and search engines from one URL to another without permanently changing the original page. It is commonly used during website maintenance, A/B testing, or short-term content moves. Unlike a 301 redirect, it does not pass full SEO value to the new URL.
What Is a 302 Redirect, Exactly?
A 302 redirect is an HTTP status code that tells a browser or search engine crawler: “The page you requested has temporarily moved to a different URL.” The key word is temporary the server is saying the original URL is still the canonical address and should be remembered.
According to the HTTP/1.1 specification maintained by the IETF (RFC 9110, updated 2022), a 302 response must include a Location header pointing to the new URL. The client whether that’s Chrome, Googlebot, or a curl request is expected to follow that header automatically.
That automatic follow is why most users never see a 302 happen. It’s invisible at browser level, typically resolving in under 100 milliseconds.
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How a 302 Redirect Actually Works (Step by Step)
When you set up a 302, here’s the exact sequence that plays out every time someone — or Googlebot hits the original URL:
To understand how a 302 redirect works, follow this sequence:
User or crawler requests the original URL (e.g., yoursite.com/old-page)
Server responds with HTTP status 302 Found and a Location: yoursite.com/new-page header
Browser or crawler automatically sends a second request to the new URL
New URL responds with 200 OK and delivers the page content
Original URL remains indexed the redirect is treated as temporary
That fifth step is where things get nuanced for SEO, and it’s where most guides stop short.
The redirect itself consumes a small amount of crawl budget. On a large site with hundreds of 302s chained together, this adds up. Screaming Frog SEO Spider will flag these chains under its “Redirect Chains” report worth auditing if you’re on an enterprise site.
302 vs 301 What’s the Real Difference?
This is where developers and SEOs genuinely disagree — and both sides have a point.
Quick Comparison
Some experts argue that Google now treats 302s and 301s identically in terms of PageRank passing. That’s valid for verified temporary redirects that resolve cleanly. But if you’re running a 302 that’s been live for six months with no sign of resolution, Google’s John Mueller has confirmed in public office hours that Googlebot will eventually start treating it as permanent. The timeline isn’t published. That ambiguity is the real risk.
When to Use a 302 Redirect (Legitimate Use Cases)
Not every redirect should be a 301. There are genuinely correct scenarios for a 302.
The clearest cases:
- A/B testing landing pages you’re splitting traffic between two versions temporarily; you don’t want the test URL indexed as the permanent home
- Geo-based redirects sending UK visitors to /en-gb/ while keeping the root URL canonical; the root needs to stay in the index
- Maintenance or login walls redirecting authenticated routes to a login page while the user session is absent
- Seasonal campaign pages your Black Friday page lives at /black-friday/ but only exists in November; the 302 prevents it being indexed as a live destination year-round
Look if you’re in situation A/B testing right now, a 302 is exactly what you want. Using a 301 there would push equity to a variant page that might not even exist next month.
The SEO Risk Nobody Talks About
If Googlebot crawls a 302 enough times and the destination URL consistently returns a 200 OK with strong content signals, Google can start indexing the destination URL even though your 302 is supposed to keep the source canonical. This creates a split: some users land on your original URL (which Google still shows in search), while link equity and behavioral signals start accumulating at the destination.
I’ve seen conflicting data on how frequently this happens some SEO practitioners report it occurring within weeks on high-traffic pages, others only after months of a persistent 302. My read is that it’s traffic-volume dependent: the more Googlebot crawls the destination, the faster this drift happens.
The fix is straightforward. Run your site through Screaming Frog and filter for 302 status codes. Check the destination URLs in Google Search Console → URL Inspection. If GSC shows the destination URL as the “Google-selected canonical” rather than your intended source, your 302 has drifted. Switch it to a 301 or implement a rel=”canonical” at the destination pointing back to the source.
How to Set Up a 302 Redirect
To create a 302 redirect, you have three common paths depending on your setup:
Apache (.htaccess):
Redirect 302 /old-page https://yoursite.com/new-page
Nginx:
return 302 https://yoursite.com/new-page;
Cloudflare Page Rules / Redirect Rules: In your Cloudflare dashboard → Rules → Redirect Rules → set “Status code” to 302. Cloudflare’s Redirect Rules (available on all plans as of 2024) replaced the legacy Page Rules interface; if you’re still using Page Rules, the redirect type field works identically.
WordPress (via plugin): Plugins like Redirection (by John Godley) let you set the redirect type per-rule select “302 Temporary” from the dropdown. No .htaccess editing required.
Whichever method you use: document the redirect, set a calendar reminder to review it, and don’t let it sit untouched for more than 90 days without reassessing whether it should become permanent.
Conclusion
A 302 redirect is useful when changes are temporary and you plan to bring the original page back. However, using it incorrectly can impact SEO performance, so it’s important to choose between 302 and 301 redirects carefully based on your goals. Proper use helps maintain user experience and search visibility.
FAQs
What's the difference between a 302 and a 301 redirect?
A 301 is permanent and passes link equity to the new URL. A 302 is temporary the original URL stays indexed and retains its canonical status. Use 301 for permanent moves, 302 for short-term changes.
How do I know if a 302 is hurting my SEO?
Check Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool. If the destination URL is being selected as canonical instead of your source URL, the 302 is affecting your indexing. Switch to a 301 or add a canonical tag.
Should I use a 302 or 301 for A/B testing?
Use a 302. A 301 would pass equity to your test variant and cache the redirect in browsers; neither is appropriate for a temporary experiment.
Why does Google sometimes follow a 302 as if it's permanent?
According to Google’s documentation, if a temporary redirect persists long enough, Googlebot may treat the destination as the effective canonical. There’s no fixed timeframe; it depends on crawl frequency and content signals at the destination.
When should I avoid using a 302 redirect entirely?
Avoid it when a page has moved permanently, when you’re consolidating duplicate content, or when you’re migrating a domain. In those cases, a 302 leaves ranking signals fragmented across two URLs indefinitely.
