---
title: "302 Redirect"
description: "A 302 redirect is a temporary HTTP redirect that tells search engines a page has temporarily moved, keeping the original URL indexed rather than replacing it with the new one."
category: "Technical SEO"
date: "2026-03-05"
url: "https://getbeast.io/glossary/302-redirect/"
type: "glossary"
---

# 302 Redirect

**Category:** Technical SEO | **Updated:** 2026-03-05

A 302 redirect is a temporary HTTP redirect that tells search engines a page has temporarily moved, keeping the original URL indexed rather than replacing it with the new one.

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## What Is a 302 Redirect?
A 302 redirect is an HTTP status code indicating a page has temporarily moved to a different URL. Unlike a 301 (permanent), a 302 tells search engines to keep the original URL in their index because the page will return. Search engines do not transfer link equity through 302 redirects in the same way as 301s.

## Why 302 vs 301 Matters
Using a 302 when you mean 301 is one of the most common SEO mistakes. If a page has permanently moved but you use a 302, search engines may keep the old URL indexed and not transfer link equity to the new URL. Use 302 only for genuinely temporary situations: A/B tests, maintenance pages, or geolocation-based redirects.

## How to Choose the Right Redirect
If the move is permanent, use 301. If truly temporary (the old URL will return), use 302. Audit your redirects with [CrawlBeast](/crawler/) to identify 302 redirects that should be 301s — a common issue that silently hurts SEO performance.

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## Related Terms

- [301 Redirect](/glossary/301-redirect/)
- [Redirect Chain](/glossary/redirect-chain/)
- [Site Migration](/glossary/site-migration/)
- [HTTP Status Codes](/glossary/http-status-codes/)

## Further Reading

- [Finding and Fixing Redirect Chains](/blog/redirect-chains/)

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*Part of the [GetBeast SEO Glossary](/glossary/). Visit [GetBeast.io](https://getbeast.io) for professional SEO and log analysis tools.*