Redirects are a daily occurrence in website optimization. They allow one URL to be redirected to another when accessed with a browser. With a 301 or 302 redirect, SEOs, and web admins can easily redirect a URL permanently and temporarily. So which redirect should you use and when? We provide some helpful information in this article. Three hundred-one redirects and 302 redirects are commonly used HTTP codes with apparent differences. The most common code is 301. The 301 redirects are permanently changing the redirected link page URL. So, it is a permanent redirect. There is no link to the old page. A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect.

What is 301 Redirect?

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect technique called "Redirect Permanent." You need to use 301 redirects when you change the web page's content or enable it to switch to different projects. For example, Changing the content and links of a web page that belongs to you is not well received by any search engine, especially Google. If the web page you have prepared has not been indexed by search engines before and if you try to change the URL values ​​of your pages that have received links from other web pages, naturally, web users will not be able to reach the specified page. Suppose you permanently redirect the addresses of the pages of your old website using 301 redirects in your new project. In that case, using this method, you will turn the visitors who visit your site with a minor loss.

What is 301 redirect in Seo?

The 301 redirection is most important for SEO purposes. It allows one URL to be permanently redirected to another. That is why the status code given by the server is also 301 - always migrated. The redirect passes the link juice from the "old" URL to the "new" URL.

A 301 redirect should be used in the following situations:

Domain transfer: In this case, redirects ensure that the original URLs and directories are redirected to new URLs and directories. Internal 301 redirects for individual URLs should be avoided as much as possible. First, a URL chain uses browser resources, and second, page speed slows down as the page is redirected. However, if the URLs contain external links, individual pages may be redirected to preserve link juice. Changes to website protocol: If you encrypt your website with an SSL certificate using HTTPS, a 301 redirect is a practical way to redirect your site from HTTP to HTTPS. URL structure changes: If you change the URL structure by changing your website directories, a 301 redirect will allow visitors to find new URLs immediately. Transferring individual documents: If you are serving a PDF for download at a specific URL but have redesigned the download area, a 301 redirect may point to the new download location. The 301 helps prevent duplicate content, maintain the usability of your website, and provide a seamless user experience to your site visitors. Overall, redirecting is a practical and helpful way to optimize your website's user experience. A 301 redirect can be set up indefinitely. Google does not specify how long a 301 redirect must exist before it can be removed again. It would help if you always waited for Google to index new URLs. You can run a site query to test whether a unique URL has been indexed.

Does a 301 redirect affect SEO?

Yes, the proper referrals will ensure the rankings in SEO are maintained. It is one of the most effective methods to improve your organic results order. Also, if the page has been moved permanently, doing a 302 redirect instead of a 301 may harm you. Since 301 or 30X redirects include PageRank, your backlinks will be transferred to the new URL over time. Not all 301s (about 5 minutes) pass 100% PageRank. Consider keeping your 301 redirects active for at least one year. Also, make sure your HTTP versions point to HTTPS. Recommendation: Do not leave a 301 URL in your sitemaps. Since pages returning 301 codes no longer exist, Google will not need to crawl them. This can negatively impact your crawl budget. I also do not recommend redirecting with a meta refresh. If you have relevant content on your 404 pages, turn them there with a 301. Irrelevant redirects will result in Soft 404 warnings in Search Console.  Consider using 301 redirects when repacking your old content into added content in your content pruning. In addition, when searching for an e-commerce script, ensure there is a redirect module; it will make your job much easier. 301 permanent redirect is a handy status code in general, and 301 redirect SEO benefits should be addressed.

How do 301 redirect?

Doing a 301 redirection is a simple method. Found in Linux-based operating systems. Hatches file, you can control the URLs you want to redirect with minor changes. You have to be very careful when changing the—hatches file. You can set up your 301 redirects using your hatches file. This way, the film captures any old URL coming to the site and redirects it to the new one.

Step 1: Open a text editor like "Notepad,"

Step 2: Redirect 301 / https://your-adres.com/

Please save the file as .htaccess and upload it to your server.

There are also some plugins for this in ready-made CMSs such as WordPress.

I recommend Redirect Path, my favorite plugin, to see what code the page returns to Chrome.

You can see these problems by doing a comprehensive SEO analysis on your site. You can try tools such as Ahrefs Site Audit, Screaming Frog, and Deepcrawl for this.

Caution: Get rid of Redirect Chains, so the page is not constantly redirected: The scenario like A Page > 301 > 301 > B Page is an example.

301 vs. 302 redirect

The referrals are divided into two main headings:

  1. Client-based redirects
  2. Server-based redirects

301 Permanent Redirect: This type of redirect informs the server that every file will not be changed because page A being redirected to page B. It indicates that only page B will occur in the future, and page A will no longer exist. Based on this redirect code, search engines transfer page A's value to page B. Migration (domain migration), URL structure changes, and the transition to HTTPS is the most useful and recommended redirect type.

302 Temporary Redirect: With this type of redirect, the redirect applied to search engines is temporary. The redirect may differ depending on who accesses page A, the visitor's location, and the device. A 302 redirect is not cacheable. Search engines may continue to store and index the total signal strength of page A. He is aware that after a while, the orientation will differ. 302 is fine for redirecting from the root URL to the bottom-level URL by user domains. They can be used for short-term campaigns (for example, www.example.com will be open briefly, redirect to www.example.com/indirim-campaign), A/B testing, and live tests on the site. Discussions about whether 302 redirects effectively transfer PageRank values ​​ended with the statement made in July 2016.

What Does a 302 Redirect Mean?

The 302 redirect is a temporary redirect system called "302 Moved Temporarily," which means temporarily moved. A 302 redirects search engines such as Google and web users to another URL on the previously used URL. Temporarily unavailable content is offered to users via a different URL so that search engines maintain interest. For example, imagine that we have completed our web page and made a complete renewal. During this process, your web page will be reopened after the renewal process ends. By temporarily redirecting the previously active visitors of your web page to another page, the visitors are prevented from leaving the site, and search engines protect the indexes of the website.

When to use a 302 redirect?

The main difference between a 301 and 302 redirect is its duration. A 301 redirect is "permanent," while a 302 redirect is temporary. The common point of both redirects: They pass in the page rank. New 301 redirect URLs are included and indexed in Google cache, while 302 redirect does not cache redirect targets.

Possible use of 302 redirects:

Redirecting seasonal product URLs: If you run an online store and start a particular campaign focused on seasonal products, you can turn from "old" to "current" products with a 302 redirection.

Redirect for tracking or website testing: If you want to check the performance of a campaign or a redesigned website, you can redirect the old URL to the testing page. You can decide whether to implement the latest version based on the results.

What Are the Differences Between 301 and 302 Redirects?

  • 301 redirects are permanent. 302 redirects are temporary.
  • For 301 redirects, the website is fully transferred to a new project, while for 302 redirects, when the renewal or maintenance work is completed, the old website is returned.
  • Since 301 redirects are permanent, it is ensured that those close to all SEO values of the site or links are preserved. In 302 redirects, since temporary redirects are made, those who visit the link or visit the site do not encounter 404 error pages, and therefore the value of the page in search engines does not decrease. Google bots do not crawl these links for the 302 redirects.