302 Redirect

A 302 redirect is an HTTP status code that temporarily points a browser to a different address than the one it requested. When a server returns a 302, it is saying that the resource the visitor asked for can be found somewhere else for now, but that the original address should still be considered the real home of the content. The browser follows the redirect and loads the new location, usually without the visitor noticing, while the underlying signal to search engines is that the move is not permanent.

The mechanics are simple in operation but meaningful in their implications. A server configured to send a 302 for a given address responds not with page content but with the code and the address of the temporary destination. The browser then automatically requests that new address and displays whatever it finds there. Because the redirect is flagged as temporary, search engines are expected to keep the original address in their records and to continue associating the content's ranking value with that original address rather than transferring it to the temporary destination. This is the crucial difference between a 302 and its permanent counterpart, which instructs search engines to shift ranking value to the new address for good.

The 302 code belongs to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol defined in the early 1990s, part of the 300 series reserved for redirection. The protocol's authors recognized that resources sometimes need to move, and that the reason for a move matters: a temporary detour and a permanent relocation call for different handling. The 302 was created to express the temporary case, allowing a site to reroute traffic without surrendering the identity or authority of the original address. Over the years the distinction has occasionally caused confusion, and additional codes were introduced to make the temporary-versus-permanent intent even clearer, but the 302 remains widely used.

For a business, the 302 is valuable in specific situations where content genuinely needs to move only for a while. Examples include sending visitors to a seasonal landing page, routing traffic during maintenance, running a temporary promotion, or performing quick tests. In these cases the business wants visitors to reach the alternate page while preserving the standing of the original address, so that when the temporary period ends, everything returns to normal without any loss of ranking or accumulated value. Used deliberately, a 302 lets a site adapt to short-term needs without disrupting its long-term structure.

The most common and costly mistake is using a 302 when the move is actually permanent. If a page has relocated for good but is served with a temporary redirect, search engines may keep the old address in their index and withhold ranking value from the new one, blunting the site's performance. For permanent moves, the permanent redirect is the correct choice because it transfers authority to the new address. Other errors include chaining many redirects together, which slows the site and can confuse crawlers, and forgetting to remove a temporary redirect once its purpose has passed. The 302 relates closely to the wider family of status codes, to the not-found and permanently-removed responses that handle missing content, and to the domain and address structure that redirects help manage. Matching the redirect type to the true nature of the move is what keeps a site's search value intact.