What's the Distinction Between a 301 and 302 Redirect?

Do you want to change your URL or domain name? Before you do make sure you know what a 301 redirect and a 302 redirect is.

A 301 redirect tells Google you changed URLs or domain names. By using a 301 redirect you are telling Google that you permanently moved. In other words, the URL won’t go back to the old one and now the new one should take the place within the Google search results.

A 302 redirect, on the other hand, is a temporary move. For example, if you are temporarily changing the URL, you would use a 302 redirect. This tells Google that you have temporarily change your URL or domain name and you maybe going back to the old one.

In general, you should try to use 301 redirects instead of 302s, as 302 redirects do not guarantee that your search engine rankings will transfer over to the new URL or domain name.

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