The two most common methods for redirecting a pages or an entire website are a 301 or 302 HTTP response code.
For SEO purposes, picking the ideal one for the correct circumstance is crucial since it tells Google how to react to the redirected webpage, including whether or not to treat it as canonical.
While the way Google processes signals is continually changing, the information offered by 301 and 302 response codes has not.
This post will teach you how to utilise 301 and 302 redirects, when to use each, how they affect SEO, and more. On the other hand, if you are a business owner, you must first enrol in an Digital Marketing Course in Noida at a reputable Marketing Institute Named Digital Edge Institute Now Let’s Go Through The Topic.
HTTP Response Status Codes
When a browser asks a server for a website, the server replies to the browser to let it know if the request was successful.
An HTTP Response Status Code is the name of that response.
The status of the webpage request is sent to the browser by the response code.
There are five kinds of HTTP Response Status Codes:
· Information responses.
· Successful responses.
· Redirection responses.
· Client error responses.
· Server error responses.
What Are 301 And 302 Redirects?
A notice from the server to the browser informing it that the webpage at the requested URL no longer exists is known as a redirect response status code.
The browser is also informed by the redirect response code that the requested webpage has changed URLs and that the server is now rerouting browser traffic to the requested webpage at the new address.
There are several reasons why you would wish to redirect a page, including:
· Deciding whether URL, WWW or non-WWW, should be the canonical one.
· You have a fresh webpage or website.
· Need HTTPS from the browser while visiting using HTTP.
· You are updating a website and want people to visit a new page while the current one is being fixed.
Every type of redirect to use depends on the goal of the reroute.
Making the incorrect decision could harm your SEO.
Selecting the appropriate redirect ensures that you will at the very least keep your present ranks.
What Is A 301 Redirect?
Search engines are informed via a 301 redirect that a website or page has been relocated permanently.
Permanent denotes a period of at least a year. Check to see whether people are still being led to your website after a year.
If they are, identify their source and make an effort to address it before cancelling the redirect.
John Mueller from Google has suggested maintaining a 301 redirect for at least a year.
When Should You Use 301 Redirects?
When buying domains that they wish to point at their main domain, many individuals employ a 301 redirect.
This might be done, for instance, with names that are misspellings of popular brands or domain name variants.
When deciding whether “www.example.com” or “example.com” should be your default site, it’s beneficial to utilise a 301.
If you’ve combined two websites or have outdated URLs for any other reason, you should also utilise a 301.
What Is A 302 Redirect?
Search engines are informed via a 302 redirect that a website or page has temporarily relocated.
When Should You Use 302 Redirects?
If you wish to temporarily redirect customers to a different website or page, such as while you’re rebuilding or upgrading your website, utilise this form of redirect.
Use a 302 only if you intend to create a new page or later bring the old one back.
If you want to try out a new page and receive user feedback without harming your rankings from the existing page, you could also utilise a 302 redirect.
How Do 301 & 302 Redirects Impact SEO?
The old page gets removed from Google’s index when you use a 301, and the majority of its value (link equity) is transferred to the new page.
With that said, it’s crucial to remember that if you update a page’s URL, it will take time for search engines to pick up on the change and, as a result, for you to detect any potential influence or change in ranks.
This span of time is, on the whole, rather brief.
A 302 redirect won’t harm your SEO efforts if handled properly.
Because Google is aware that the redirect is just temporary, the old page is still indexed when you pick this method, and no value (link equity) is transmitted to the new URL.
You’ll keep any ranks, traffic value, and authority that page may have as a result.
When users pick a 302 to permanently redirect a site because they are unsure of the differences between the two, issues frequently result.
In essence, they are developing a new homepage or website and without transferring any of the value they have built up over time on the previous one.
Because of this, it’s crucial to comprehend the distinction between a 301 and a 302, as well as when it’s suitable to employ both.
How to create a 301 redirect
Add the following to your.htaccess file to establish a 301 redirect from one URL to another:
Redirect 301 to the new page from the old page
RankMath or the Redirections plugin may both be used to do this. Simply select the redirect type you like, then enter your source and destination URLs.
Add the following to your.htaccess file if you want to redirect the entire website:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^oldsite.com [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.oldsite.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newsite.com/$1 [L,R=301,NC]
Just be aware that maintaining your previous hosting in order to redirect your site with.htaccess might be costly. Therefore, using DNS to redirect is often preferred. You may often choose a 301 or 302 redirect for this with most registrars. Simply choose Website > Add a forwarding address on Google Domains, type in the new domain, then select “Permanent redirect” to proceed.
In our comprehensive guide on 301 redirects, you may find instructions on how to establish redirects for many scenarios (such as non-www to www and HTTP to HTTPS).
How to create a 302 redirect
Add the following to your.htaccess file to establish a 302 redirect from one URL to another:
302 /old-page.html /new-page.html redirect
RankMath or the WordPress Redirections plugin can also be used for this:
Use this code to redirect the entire website if you want to:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^oldsite.com [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.oldsite.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newsite.com/$1 [L,R=302,NC]
Just be warned that a 302 redirect from one site to another is generally not something you want to do. You should utilise a 301 since the majority of domain changes are permanent. The same is true for HTTP to HTTPS and non-www to www redirection (and vice versa).
Final Words
Redirects aren’t that difficult to use. Use a 301 redirect when relocating content permanently to a new location. Use a 302 redirect if you’re temporarily relocating it.
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