If you’ve ever moved a webpage temporarily, or needed to reroute traffic due to a site update or maintenance, you’ve likely had to deal with a 302 redirect. This type of redirect informs search engines and browsers that the change is only temporary. This is unlike a 301 redirect, which is a permanent change.
But, when do you use 302 redirects, and what types of errors can occur if they’re not set up correctly? Whether you’re learning about 302s for the first time or you just need a refresher, this guide has you covered.
What Is a 302 Redirect?
A 302 redirect is an HTTP status code indicating that a requested resource has been temporarily moved to a different URL. Unlike a 301 redirect, which indicates a permanent move, a 302 redirect tells browsers and search engines that the change will be temporary, and that the original URL will be reinstated.
The Impact of 302 Redirects on SEO
If you use a 302 redirect properly, it should preserve the SEO value of the original page instead of transferring it to the new URL. It informs search engines to keep the original URL indexed, which preserves the page’s SEO ranking and link equity. If you don’t use a 302 redirect properly, you could lose your SEO juice, reducing search visibility. This could occur, e.g., if you used a 302 redirect for a permanent move, instead of a 301.
How Do 302 Redirects Work?
A 302 redirect lets a browser know that the page you’ve requested has been temporarily moved to a new website location. It then prompts the browser to redirect the user to the new URL. Because it’s a 302 and not a 301, search engines will continue to index the original URL.
When to Use a 302 Redirect
Website Under Construction or Maintenance
A 302 redirect is often used to redirect users when a URL needs to be taken offline for various reasons. Here’s an example of a scenario where this might occur:
An SEO agency needs to temporarily take its website offline for a major platform upgrade and redesign. Instead of displaying a blank page or error message to website visitors, the web developer implements a 302 redirect to a branded “Maintenance Mode” page hosted on a separate subdomain. Not only does this ensure that search engines wouldn’t de-index their main domain, they also preserve their SEO value and ensure website visitors have a positive experience when visiting the site during the upgrade.
Running A/B Testing
Online retailers will often send visitors to different versions of a product page to see which page has better conversions. This is known as A/B testing. Here’s an example:
Victoria’s Flowers is a small flower shop with an online store. Its owners want to improve conversions on its product pages, so they decide to A/B test two different versions of its “Wedding Bouquet” product page: The original page and a new page with a different layout and customer reviews.
Their developer sets up a 302 redirect on the /wedding-bouquet URL to direct half of their website traffic to the new version. 50% of users remain on the original URL, while the other 50% are sent to the new version (/wedding-bouquet-new). After a month of testing, it is determined that the new URL generated a 23% higher conversion rate. As a result, the owners replace the original product page with the new-and-improved version and remove the 302 redirect.
Seasonal Products
E-commerce stores will often use 302 redirects when selling seasonal products. Let’s say that your store sells seasonal clothing: During most of the winter, your homepage displays ski jackets, gloves, and other winter apparel. But during the Christmas holiday season, you want to focus on promoting your holiday gift guide without compromising the SEO value of your regular homepage.
So, from mid-November until the end of December, you set up the following 302 redirect from www.samplestore.com to www.samplestore.com/holiday-gift-guide-2025. Because this redirect is temporary, search engines know your original homepage hasn’t disappeared — you’re just steering customers away for a while. You then remove the redirect when the holiday season ends, and traffic will return to your original homepage.
How to Implement a 302 Redirect
Here are a few common ways to program a 302 redirect:
Website Plug-ins
WordPress users can easily set up 302 redirects using plug-ins like Redirection or Yoast SEO (Premium version only). Using a plug-in means that you don’t have to worry about any coding, so they’re well-suited for non-technical users. All you need to do is enter the original URL and the new target URL, and you’re ready to go.
Control Panel Tools From Hosting Providers
Many web hosts, including SiteGround and Bluehost, offer built-in redirect tools in their dashboards. You’ll usually find them in the cPanel or Site Tools area. By going through your host, you avoid having to deal with code or install additional plug-ins, which might slow down your website’s performance.
PHP Redirects
If you’re a developer or have some foundational coding knowledge, you can use a simple PHP script to add a 302 redirect. According to the Elementor blog, here’s what a PHP script might look like for a 302 redirect when conducting website maintenance or making short-term changes:
<?php header(“Location: https://www.example.com/”, true, 302); exit; ?>
Considerations With 302 Redirects
Before programming a 302 redirect, it’s important to be mindful of the following potential issues:
A 302 Redirect Is Meant to Be Temporary
302 redirects tell search engines that the change is only temporary — 301 redirects are meant for permanent changes. As a result, search engines usually keep the original URL indexed, so almost no SEO value is transferred to the new URL. This is perfectly fine. However, if you don’t remove the 302 redirect within a reasonable period, the search engine may begin to treat it like a permanent 301 redirect. Make sure you’re not leaving your 302 redirects in place past their intended use, as it may confuse search engines and hurt your SEO rankings.
Be Mindful of the User Experience
A 302 redirect is meant to maintain or improve the user experience by ensuring that visitors to your website are sent to the proper page, and don’t get a blank page or error message. Even if the move is temporary, try to make the new page relevant and visually appealing to protect your brand image and avoid “turning off” users.
Avoid Redirect Chains
Redirect chains happen when one redirect leads to another redirect, and so on, which can slow down page load times and frustrate users. Always use single-step redirects to protect your reputation and SEO, and test your redirects before taking them live.
Why Do 302 Errors Occur?
302 errors don’t appear the same way a 404 or 500 error would, but they can cause issues if you don’t set them up correctly.
For example, if you don’t point a 302 redirect to the correct URL, you could end up with a redirect chain (explained above) or a loop. If you use a temporary 302 redirect when you intended to use a permanent 301, it could confuse search engines and mess with your SEO rankings or link equity. Lastly, if you leave a 302 redirect in place too long, search engines may begin to treat it like a 301 redirect, which can also cause ranking or indexing issues over the long run.
How to Fix 302 Errors
To fix a 302 error, you must first understand where redirects are occurring. If you have a small website with only a few pages, you can do this manually by inputting URLs and trying to spot the redirection. You should be able to notice the URL changing as the page loads.
Here are some other options for larger websites or audits:
- Website crawlers: Popular website crawlers, such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Ahrefs Site Audit, or SEMRush Site Audit, can quickly scan your website and highlight all redirect types, including 301s, 302s, 307s, etc.
- Chrome extensions: Chrome extensions, such as Link Redirect Trace, make it easy to check individual URLs for redirects. To do so, you download and install the extension from the Chrome Web Store (it’s free), enter a URL, and then click on the extension for the results.
This screenshot shows how the extension results appear:
- Command-line tools: A command-line tool is a program that works by typing text-based commands into a terminal or command prompt, instead of using a mouse or graphical menu. Command-line tools like curl or wget can help determine if a URL uses a redirect by viewing the HTTP headers that a server returns. Not surprisingly, this option suits those with more advanced knowledge, like developers, system admins, or SEOs.
Key Takeaways
Understanding 302 redirects is critical if you manage a website, whether you’re a developer, marketer, or small business owner. These temporary redirects are incredibly useful when updating content, A/B testing new pages, or running short-term campaigns.
However, you must use 302s correctly, or you could confuse search engines, damage user experience, or hurt your SEO results. As such, it’s important that you monitor any redirects you add and keep them clean by doing a regular audit. Thankfully, there are many different tools you can use to create and monitor your redirects, from WordPress plug-ins and server files to browser extensions and website crawlers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
301 redirects vs. 302 redirects: What’s the difference?
A 301 redirect is considered a permanent move and passes full SEO value to the new URL. A 302 redirect signifies a temporary move, and search engines typically keep the original URL indexed. You usually use a 301 redirect when migrating to a new domain or reorganizing your website. A 301 redirect could be used for website maintenance or A/B testing.
302 vs. 307: What’s the difference?
302s and 307s are both temporary redirects. While a 302 redirect is more common, a 307 is ideal when you want to preserve the HTTP request method (e.g., POST or GET) for online forms or surveys.
Which HTTP redirect codes are most commonly used in SEO?
The most commonly used redirects are 301s, which are permanent, and 302s, which are temporary.
