A redirect automatically sends visitors — and search engines — from one URL to a different one. The two most common types, 301 and 302, signal genuinely different things to search engines about why that redirect exists.
301 vs. 302 Redirects
- 301 (permanent) — tells search engines the original page has moved permanently, and passes along its ranking value to the new URL
- 302 (temporary) — tells search engines the move is only temporary, and the original URL should stay indexed as the primary version
Common Reasons to Use a Redirect
- A page or post has been permanently deleted or moved
- A site's URL structure or permalink settings have changed
- A domain name change requires directing all old links to the new one
- Temporarily rerouting traffic during a site redesign or maintenance window
Setting Up Redirects in WordPress
Plugins like Redirection or the redirect features built into Yoast SEO and Rank Math make managing redirects straightforward, without needing to touch a site's raw .htaccess file directly.
A Word of Caution
Using a 302 redirect where a 301 is genuinely appropriate can cause search engines to keep an old, now-unwanted URL indexed instead of properly transferring value to the new one — a small but meaningful distinction worth getting right.
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