301 and 302 redirects: when and how to use them

A redirect is an instruction to the server: 'The requested URL has moved. Here is the new address.' The browser and search crawler receive an HTTP code and a new URL, then navigate there automatically. For users it's invisible; for SEO — choosing the right type is critical.

What are redirects

An HTTP redirect is a server response with a 3xx code that indicates the resource is located at a different URL. The browser automatically follows the new address; the search crawler does the same and updates its index depending on the redirect type.

301: permanent redirect

301 Moved Permanently tells the browser and crawler that a page has moved forever. Google passes link equity (PageRank) from the source URL to the new one, updates its index, and starts showing the new URL in search results.

When to use 301

302: temporary redirect

302 Found is a temporary redirect. Google does not pass link equity and does not update its index: the source URL remains canonical. Use it only when the page is genuinely temporarily unavailable and will return to its original address.

When to use 302

307, 308 and other codes

For most SEO tasks, 301 and 302 are sufficient. Codes 307 and 308 are used in APIs and web applications where preserving the HTTP method matters. Code 410 signals to Google that a page is permanently deleted — it clears from the index faster than a 404.

SEO impact

A 301 redirect passes up to 99% of link equity — according to Google. In practice, positions may temporarily dip after a migration and recover within weeks. This is normal and not a permanent loss.

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Redirect chains

A redirect chain is when URL-A → URL-B → URL-C instead of URL-A → URL-C. Each additional hop reduces the PageRank passed, increases load time, and complicates crawling for Googlebot.

The maximum recommended chain length is 3 hops. Chains of 5+ hops may be cut short by Google before reaching the final URL. Regularly audit chains with tools (Screaming Frog, Redirect Checker) and flatten them.

# Check redirect chain via curl
curl -L -s -o /dev/null -w "%{url_effective}\n%{http_code}\n%{redirect_url}\n" \
  https://old-domain.com/page

# Check all redirects in the chain
curl -L -v https://old-domain.com/page 2>&1 | grep -E "^< HTTP|^> GET|Location:"

Server configuration

Nginx

# 301: permanent redirect for a single page
server {
  location = /old-page {
    return 301 /new-page;
  }
}

# 301: full domain redirect
server {
  server_name old-domain.com;
  return 301 https://new-domain.com$request_uri;
}

# 301: HTTP → HTTPS
server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.com www.example.com;
  return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}

# 302: temporary redirect
server {
  location = /promo {
    return 302 /sale;
  }
}

Next.js (next.config.ts)

// next.config.ts
const nextConfig = {
  async redirects() {
    return [
      // 301: permanent redirect
      {
        source: '/old-blog/:slug',
        destination: '/blog/:slug',
        permanent: true, // = 301
      },
      // 302: temporary redirect
      {
        source: '/promo',
        destination: '/sale',
        permanent: false, // = 302
      },
    ];
  },
};

export default nextConfig;

Common scenarios

FAQ