What is 302 Redirect?

A 302 redirect is the HTTP status code (302 Found) for a "temporary move": it sends visitors to a different location for the time being while keeping the original URL in place.
The distinction from a 301 (permanent move) is what matters most. A 301 transfers indexing and link signals to the new URL, whereas a 302 leaves the original URL in the index.
Google follows a 302 but does not treat it as a signal to make the redirect target the canonical URL, so the original page keeps appearing in search results.
Misusing a 302 on a page you intend to move permanently delays the transfer of link equity and canonicalization. Reserve the 302 for genuinely temporary situations.
When a supposedly temporary 302 stays in place too long, search engines tend to eventually treat it like a 301, so match the code to your actual intent and timeframe.

Overview

A 302 redirect is the HTTP status code that tells browsers and search engines a requested page is temporarily located at a different URL. Its formal name is 302 Found, and the client is sent automatically to the address in the response's Location header. The key idea is that the original URL is still the correct one: the move is temporary, and the original address remains live.

Because of this, a 302 fits cases like diverting a page that is under maintenance, showing a different screen temporarily based on region, device, or login state, or briefly routing visitors to a time-limited event page. Conversely, for moves with no intention of reversal, such as a domain change or a permanent page merge, you should use a 301.

301 vs. 302

The most common mistake is using a 302 for a permanent move. The two codes diverge clearly in both behavior and SEO impact.

Aspect	301 (Moved Permanently)	302 (Found)
Meaning	Permanent move	Temporary move
Indexing	Signals the new URL as the canonical URL	Not a canonical signal; keeps the original URL indexed
Search results	The new URL appears	The original (existing) URL keeps appearing
Link and ranking signals	Strong canonical signal, concentrated on the new URL	Weak signal, stays with the original URL
When to use	Domain change, permanent page merge or deletion replacement	Maintenance, A/B testing, temporary diversion and other reversible moves

SEO Impact

Google's documentation states that the two codes are handled differently in the indexing pipeline. For a 301, it explains that "Googlebot follows the redirect, and the indexing pipeline uses the redirect as a signal that the target of the redirect should be canonical." For a 302, by contrast, it states that "Googlebot follows the redirect, but the indexing pipeline doesn't use the redirect as a signal for canonicalization." As a result, a 301 surfaces the new URL while a 302 surfaces the original URL in search results.

In terms of the strength of Google's canonicalization signals, server-side 301 and 308 are treated as strong signals, while 302 and 307, along with methods like JavaScript or meta refresh, are treated as comparatively weak ones. So if you use a 302 for what is actually a permanent move, link equity and ranking signals may not transfer to the new URL in a timely way, hurting you from an SEO standpoint. That said, it is also reported that when a temporary 302 stays in place too long, search engines tend to eventually treat it like a 301. In other words, when the code and the actual intent are out of sync, search engines interpret it inconsistently.

Correct Use Cases

Diverting a page to a temporary notice page during maintenance.
Sending visitors briefly to a different screen for an A/B test or campaign.
Showing a different URL temporarily based on region, language, or login state.
Briefly substituting a page that will soon return to normal, such as an out-of-stock or limited-time page.

Conversely, do not use a 302 in the following cases. Use a 301 whenever you move a domain or URL permanently, switch permanently from http to https, permanently merge duplicate pages into one, or permanently link a deleted page to a replacement. Using a 302 for these permanent moves delays both indexing and the transfer of link equity.

POST Request Caveat

A 302 also calls for care when handling POST requests. According to MDN, many user agents change the method of the follow-up request from POST to GET after a 302 response, which can cause unintended behavior. If you need to preserve the request method, it is safer to use 307 Temporary Redirect, which prohibits changing the method.

Implementation Examples

Examples that explicitly specify a 302 in server configuration.

# Nginx (temporary redirect)
location /event {
    return 302 https://example.com/promo;
}

# Apache .htaccess (R=302 is a temporary redirect)
Redirect 302 /event https://example.com/promo

302 Redirect