Why Do Google Treat 302 Redirects Like 301 Redirects So Frequently?

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In terms of how Google treats redirects, John Mueller of Google has stated numerous times that 302s and 301s are nearly identical He frequently stated that switching from a 302 to a 301, or vice versa, was not an issue. What gives? According to Google, the majority of the web employs both, so Google considers a variety of factors when determining whether a 302 redirect is permanent.

If a 302 redirect has been in effect for several months, it is likely that Google will modify the status of the “temporary” redirect of the 302 status code and treat it more like a 301 redirect.

In terms of Google’s technical point of view, what does this imply? With redirects, we tend to put URLs in the same bucket, and then use canonicalization to pick which one to show, John Mueller explained on Twitter, and as we previously explained here. The rankings will be similar in most cases, he added, so it doesn’t matter whether it’s the source or destination URL.

A temporary redirect (such as a 302) indicates that the source URL is preferred, whereas a permanent redirect indicates that the destination URL is preferred. However, we use a lot more than redirects for canonicalization. Thus, over time, a 302 “source-preferred” has a greater resemblance to a 301 private destination. For example, if all internal and external links point to the same location, we should probably choose that location as well. There is no set deadline for this.

Google will have to figure it out on its own eventually. Most developers don’t give a second thought to how Google perceives 301 vs. 302 redirects. Google therefore understands and responds adequately to this situation.

Why Do Google Treat 302 Redirects Like 301 Redirects So Frequently?Why Do Google Treat 302 Redirects Like 301 Redirects So Frequently?
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Why Do Google Treat 302 Redirects Like 301 Redirects So Frequently?

In terms of how Google treats redirects, John Mueller of Google has stated numerous times that 302s and 301s are nearly identical He frequently stated that switching from a 302 to a 301, or vice versa, was not an issue. What gives? According to Google, the majority of the web employs both, so Google considers a variety of factors when determining whether a 302 redirect is permanent.

If a 302 redirect has been in effect for several months, it is likely that Google will modify the status of the “temporary” redirect of the 302 status code and treat it more like a 301 redirect.

In terms of Google’s technical point of view, what does this imply? With redirects, we tend to put URLs in the same bucket, and then use canonicalization to pick which one to show, John Mueller explained on Twitter, and as we previously explained here. The rankings will be similar in most cases, he added, so it doesn’t matter whether it’s the source or destination URL.

A temporary redirect (such as a 302) indicates that the source URL is preferred, whereas a permanent redirect indicates that the destination URL is preferred. However, we use a lot more than redirects for canonicalization. Thus, over time, a 302 “source-preferred” has a greater resemblance to a 301 private destination. For example, if all internal and external links point to the same location, we should probably choose that location as well. There is no set deadline for this.

Google will have to figure it out on its own eventually. Most developers don’t give a second thought to how Google perceives 301 vs. 302 redirects. Google therefore understands and responds adequately to this situation.

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