A 302 status code is an HTTP response that tells the browser “the resource you requested temporarily lives at a different URL.” The browser automatically redirects to the new URL, loads the content from there, but remembers the original URL for future requests. Unlike a 301 permanent redirect, a 302 tells search engines and browsers that the original URL is still the canonical location.
The 302 Found response (originally called “Moved Temporarily” in HTTP/1.0) is one of the most commonly used redirect status codes. Understanding when to use 302 versus 301 is critical for SEO because the wrong choice can dilute link equity, cause indexation problems, and hurt your search rankings.
How a 302 Redirect Works
When a server sends a 302 response, it includes a Location header with the new URL. Your browser reads this header and immediately makes a second request to the new URL. The original URL remains in your browser history and bookmarks. The next time you visit the original URL, your browser requests it again (not the redirect target) because 302 means the redirect is temporary and might change.
The complete flow: Browser requests URL A, server responds with 302 and Location: URL B, browser requests URL B, server responds with 200 and the actual content. This happens so fast that users typically do not notice the redirect. Search engine bots follow the same process but treat the SEO implications differently than a 301.
302 vs 301 Redirects: When to Use Each
Use a 301 permanent redirect when the resource has moved permanently and will never return to the original URL. Examples: domain migration (oldsite.com to newsite.com), URL structure change (site.com/old-slug to site.com/new-slug), HTTP to HTTPS migration, and www to non-www canonicalization. A 301 transfers 95-99% of link equity to the new URL.
Use a 302 temporary redirect when the resource will eventually return to the original URL or when the redirect is conditional. Examples: A/B testing different landing pages, geographic or language-based redirects (showing different versions to different users), maintenance pages (temporarily redirecting to a “we’ll be back” page), seasonal promotions (redirecting a category page to a sale page temporarily), and logged-in vs logged-out content variations.
SEO Impact of 302 Redirects
Google treats 302 redirects differently from 301s. With a 302, Google attempts to keep the original URL in its index because the redirect is declared as temporary. However, if a 302 redirect stays in place for an extended period (months or years), Google may eventually treat it as a 301 and transfer indexation to the target URL. This inconsistent behavior is why using the correct redirect type matters.
Common SEO mistakes with 302 redirects: using 302 for permanent URL changes (link equity stays on the old URL instead of transferring), creating redirect chains (302 to 302 to 302) that waste crawl budget and lose link equity, and accidentally 302-redirecting canonical URLs which confuses Google about which version to index.
How to Implement a 302 Redirect
In Apache .htaccess: use “Redirect 302 /old-page /new-page” or “RewriteRule ^old-page$ /new-page [R=302,L]” with mod_rewrite. In Nginx: use “return 302 /new-page;” inside the location block. In PHP: use “header(‘HTTP/1.1 302 Found’); header(‘Location: /new-page’); exit();” In Node.js Express: use “res.redirect(302, ‘/new-page’);” In WordPress: use the wp_redirect() function with 302 as the second parameter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 302 redirect pass link equity (PageRank)?
Officially, 302 redirects do not transfer link equity to the destination URL because the redirect is declared as temporary. In practice, Google has stated that 301 and 302 redirects pass PageRank similarly. However, for permanent moves, using 301 is still recommended because it provides a clear signal to all search engines and avoids ambiguity about which URL should be indexed.
How many 302 redirects are too many?
A single 302 redirect adds minimal overhead (one extra HTTP request). Chains of multiple 302 redirects degrade performance and user experience. Keep redirect chains to a maximum of 2 hops. If you find chains of 3 or more redirects, simplify them to point directly from the original URL to the final destination. Google follows up to 10 redirects in a chain but may stop crawling before reaching the end.
Can 302 redirects cause duplicate content issues?
Yes. If both the original URL and the redirect target are accessible (the 302 is intermittent or conditional), search engines may index both URLs with similar content. Use canonical tags on the target page pointing to the preferred URL. Ensure your 302 redirects are consistent: every request to the original URL should redirect, not just some requests.
