302 Redirect
A 302 redirect is a temporary HTTP status code that tells browsers and search engines that a page has been temporarily moved to a different location. Unlike a 301 redirect, a 302 indicates that the move is not permanent, and search engines should continue to index the original URL.
Why Use 302 Redirects
1. Temporary Changes
- Maintenance pages
- A/B testing
- Seasonal promotions
- Limited-time offers
- Temporary site changes
- Geographic redirects
- Device-specific content
2. SEO Considerations
- Maintains original URL indexing
- Preserves original page rankings
- Keeps link equity with source
- Allows easy reversal
- Supports testing scenarios
- Maintains search presence
- Enables temporary routing
Common Use Cases
1. Website Maintenance
- Site updates
- Server maintenance
- Feature testing
- Performance optimization
- Security updates
- Database maintenance
- Content updates
2. Marketing Activities
- Promotional campaigns
- Seasonal content
- A/B testing
- Landing page tests
- Geographic targeting
- Device targeting
- Time-sensitive offers
Implementation Methods
1. .htaccess (Apache)
Redirect 302 /original-page.html /temporary-page.html
RedirectTemp /original-page.html /temporary-page.html
RewriteRule ^original-page\.html$ /temporary-page.html [R=302,L]
2. Nginx Configuration
location /original-page.html {
return 302 /temporary-page.html;
}
3. PHP Implementation
header("HTTP/1.1 302 Found");
header("Location: /temporary-page.html");
exit();
Best Practices
1. Implementation
- Use for temporary moves only
- Set clear expiration timelines
- Monitor redirect performance
- Test before deployment
- Plan for reversal
- Document all redirects
- Regular maintenance
2. Testing
- Verify redirect chains
- Check mobile behavior
- Test all browsers
- Monitor load times
- Validate SEO impact
- Check analytics tracking
- Test user experience
3. Monitoring
- Track redirect duration
- Monitor traffic patterns
- Check server loads
- Analyze user behavior
- Watch bounce rates
- Track conversion impact
- Monitor error rates
Common Issues
1. Technical Problems
- Redirect loops
- Chain redirects
- Performance impact
- Cache issues
- Browser compatibility
- Mobile redirect errors
- Server load
2. SEO Considerations
- Extended temporary use
- Mixed redirect types
- Search engine confusion
- Indexing issues
- Ranking fluctuations
- Analytics tracking
- Link equity concerns
Tools for Managing 302 Redirects
1. Testing Tools
- Browser Dev Tools
- Redirect Checkers
- HTTP Headers Analyzers
- SEO Crawlers
- Load Time Testers
- Mobile Testers
- Analytics Tools
2. Monitoring Tools
- Server Logs
- Web Analytics
- SEO Tools
- Performance Monitors
- Error Trackers
- User Behavior Tools
- Uptime Monitors
When to Use 302 vs 301
1. Use 302 When
- Changes are temporary
- Testing new pages
- Seasonal content
- Maintenance required
- A/B testing
- Geographic routing
- Time-sensitive changes
2. Use 301 When
- Permanent moves
- Domain changes
- URL structure changes
- Content consolidation
- Platform migrations
- Permanent mergers
- Brand changes
Advanced Considerations
1. Performance
- Cache management
- Load balancing
- CDN configuration
- Mobile optimization
- Server resources
- Response times
- Bandwidth usage
2. Security
- SSL handling
- Authentication
- Session management
- Cookie handling
- Data protection
- Access control
- Security headers
3. Analytics
- Traffic tracking
- User journey mapping
- Conversion tracking
- Error monitoring
- Performance metrics
- Behavior analysis
- ROI measurement
Remember that 302 redirects should only be used for temporary changes where you plan to revert to the original URL. For permanent changes, use 301 redirects instead. Regular monitoring and clear documentation of temporary redirects help prevent them from becoming accidentally permanent.