SEO · Technical SEO
Temporary redirect: 302 vs 307, SEO effects and checks
A temporary redirect is an HTTP response that sends a visitor to another URL while signalling that the move is not permanent. If you manage an A/B test or audit redirects on a website, the choice depends on whether the original URL is expected to return. Use a permanent redirect for a lasting move. A 302 status guarantees neither that Google keeps the old URL in results nor that the destination stays out of the index.
Key takeaways
- A 302 redirect suits a temporary move; a 301 or 308 redirect suits a permanent change of URL.
- Googlebot follows 302 and 307 redirects, but a temporary redirect does not express a permanent preference for a canonical destination.
- Google recommends a 302 redirect for an A/B test with multiple URLs, together with canonical links pointing to the original version.
- Redirect checks should cover the initial status, the final destination and the canonical URL selected by Google.
Franck Gordi
Source URL
302 or 307
Temporary destination
What does a 302 Found redirect mean?
The server responds to a request for one URL with a 302 status and a Location header pointing to another address. The browser can then request the destination. Visitors usually see the landing page rather than the intermediate response, so a page that appears to work does not prove the right status was used.
Temporary describes the intended move. The original URL should be able to resume its role. It is not a universal deadline of a few days or a deindexing switch. A rule left running without an owner or a removal condition becomes hard to distinguish from a forgotten permanent move.
A 302 is not automatically an error to fix. Investigate when the destination is wrong, a loop prevents access, useful parameters disappear or the content has actually moved permanently. Replacing every 302 with a 301 to clean up an audit report would be a decision without a diagnosis.
What is the difference between a 302 and a 301 redirect?
A 301 signals a permanent move; a 302 signals a temporary move. Google recommends a permanent server-side redirect when the new URL should replace the old one in search results. Choose based on the future of the page, not on the status an auditing tool appears to prefer.
For a domain migration or a lasting path change, the destination should meet the need served by the old page. Conversely, an experiment that may return to the original version calls for a temporary move. Removing content without a replacement does not become a relevant redirect simply because the homepage is available.
| Situation | Appropriate choice | Required check |
|---|---|---|
| A/B test with a variation URL | 302 | Canonical pointing to the original and removal after the test. |
| Permanent URL change | 301 or 308 | Relevant replacement and a direct journey. |
| Temporary page move | 302 or 307 depending on context | Planned return, useful destination and application behaviour. |
| Removal without a replacement | 404 or 410 | Genuine content removal, not a redirect to the homepage. |
When should a temporary redirect use 302 or 307?
Google says it treats a 307 as equivalent to a 302 for Search. Both therefore belong to the temporary redirect group from an SEO perspective. This does not make them interchangeable for every client: Google explicitly notes that these status codes are semantically different.
For a content page reached through a link, first check the temporary purpose and whether the destination is accessible. For a form, sign-in flow or API request, have the technical team validate how the HTTP method and request body behave. A status chosen solely for Google can break an application journey.
Do not confuse a 307 message displayed by the browser with proof that the public server returned a 307. Inspect the URL response and identify the layer causing the move. SEO concerns crawlable URLs; a private application flow also needs its own functional tests.
How does Google handle temporary redirects?
Googlebot normally follows a 302 redirect. The HTTP status documentation describes a weak signal for processing the destination, compared with a strong signal for a 301. The redirects guide explains that a temporary redirect is not used as a signal to prefer its target as the canonical URL.
These descriptions concern different steps: following a destination to obtain its content and choosing the representative URL for a set of pages. Neither supports the claim that Google ignores the destination or that a 302 forces it to retain the original URL in every case. Other canonicalisation signals can lead to the destination being indexed.
A canonical URL is the address Google selects as representative among identical or closely similar pages. Compare the declared canonical with the Google-selected canonical in URL Inspection. The status observed today and the state recorded at the last crawl may not describe the same moment.
There is no quantified guarantee here about rankings, traffic or retaining link signals. The official pages cited do not establish a universal number of days after which every 302 turns into a 301. When the move becomes permanent, align the rule with that decision instead of waiting for an assumed deadline.
What is the benefit of a 302 redirect for an A/B test?
For an experiment that redirects users from the original URL to a variation URL, Google recommends a 302 rather than a 301. The move lasts for the experiment while the original remains the preferred version. The benefit is a coherent signal, not a guaranteed improvement in search performance.
Google also recommends rel="canonical" links from the alternate URLs to the original. In this specific case, canonical links better match the intention to group variations than a noindex directive. This does not mean every temporary page, regardless of its content, should declare a canonical pointing elsewhere.
Do not show one set of URLs to Googlebot and a different set to people to manipulate indexing. Google calls this cloaking, including during experiments. Googlebot generally does not support cookies, so also check the variation available to a visitor who does not accept cookies.
When the test ends, apply the chosen outcome and remove unnecessary URLs, scripts and rules. If the winner stays at the original URL, remove the redirect. If a new URL becomes the permanent reference, handle that decision as a permanent move to a relevant destination.
- Define
- Source, destination, purpose and end condition.
- Check
- Status, public journey and observed canonical.
- Close
- Remove the rule or confirm a permanent move.
How can you configure a temporary redirect on a website?
The implementation depends on the server, hosting platform or application responding to the request. Google provides examples of a server-side response with a 302 status and Location header. Headers must be sent before response content; changing the page text does not create an HTTP redirect.
Start with a rule inventory: exact source URL, destination, temporary reason, owner and removal condition. Implement the rule at the layer that actually serves traffic. A configuration copied for Apache does not automatically suit a different hosting environment.
For public URLs that matter to SEO, prefer a server-side redirect where possible. Google advises against relying on JavaScript redirects when a server-side or meta refresh solution is available, because the redirect then depends on rendering execution. Do not change a form journey without testing its data and outcome.
How can you check a redirect without trusting the browser view?
Check the starting response and final response separately. The first command below makes a GET request without following the redirect; the second follows the journey and prints the headers received. Set the URL variable to a real public address affected by the rule. No measured website result is being claimed.
Read the initial status and Location first. Then confirm the destination is the intended page, responds correctly and does not send the request back to the source. Check which parameters should be retained or removed according to their purpose, without unnecessarily carrying personal information.
A browser can hide steps or reuse a cached response. Rechecking the public response after deployment helps identify a competing rule in the application, hosting platform or cache. Test neighbouring URLs that should stay unchanged too: an overbroad expression can divert an entire directory.
Finally, URL Inspection and logs answer a different question: what did Google receive, and when? Logs show the response served for a request; Search Console describes the state known to Google. A correct 302 in your own test does not prove that Google has already crawled it.
curl -sS -D - -o /dev/null "$URL"
curl -sS -L -D - -o /dev/null "$URL"Can temporary redirects hurt SEO?
The main risk is a mismatch between the rule and its purpose. A permanent migration using 302, an unrelated destination or a loop can confuse URL processing and harm the visitor journey. A justified, checked temporary redirect is not inherently an SEO defect.
Chains add unnecessary steps and make diagnosis harder. Where you control the rules, send the source to the useful destination without avoidable intermediate hops. Do not redirect a batch of deleted pages to the homepage merely to clear alerts: Google may treat those irrelevant journeys as soft 404s.
Temporary unavailability does not automatically justify a 302 for every URL. Google gives an example of temporarily sending visitors to a page explaining a service issue, but a server outage may require a 503 response. Decide first whether you are moving the visitor to a useful resource or the server can no longer serve the content.
The final review should tie each rule to a verifiable decision: why the URL moves, where it lands, what should remain canonical and how the return will happen. If that information is missing, document the rule before multiplying fixes.
Frequently asked questions about temporary redirects
What is the difference between a 302 and a 301 redirect?
A 302 signals a temporary move, while a 301 signals a permanent move. To permanently replace a URL in results, Google recommends a server-side permanent redirect to a relevant destination.
What is the benefit of a 302 redirect?
A 302 moves visitors temporarily without expressing a permanent preference for the destination as the canonical URL. Google recommends it for an A/B test that redirects users to a variation.
How can I configure a temporary redirect on my website?
Configure a 302 response with a Location header at the server, hosting or application layer. The implementation depends on your environment. Then check the public response, destination and removal condition.
How does Google handle 302 redirects?
Googlebot normally follows a 302. The temporary status does not force the destination to become canonical, although other signals may lead Google to index it. Check the outcome in Search Console.
Can 302 redirects hurt my SEO?
A correctly used 302 is not inherently a problem. Risks include an incorrectly signalled permanent move, a loop, an unnecessary chain or a destination that does not meet the need served by the source URL.
Extend the diagnosis
Google sources
Google documentation consulted on November 13, 2026. This guide provides a decision and verification framework, with no client case study, quantified result or guaranteed processing deadline.