301 redirects when a URL changes
When a page changes address, the redirect tells Google and the visitor where it went. A 301 says the move is permanent. A 302 says it is temporary. The wrong choice leaves the signal on the old URL.
Permanent versus temporary
A 301 is a permanent redirect. Google records it as the address moving. A 302 is temporary, and Google tends to keep the old URL as the main one. A site move, a path change, or folding www into the bare domain — those are 301s.
A chain of three redirects, from an old URL to another old URL and only then to the new one, slows the request and raises the chance Google stops midway. One redirect, straight to the destination.
| Case | Code | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A path that changed for good | 301 | The new URL is the permanent one |
| A temporary test | 302 | The old URL is still primary |
| http to https | 301 | The secure version is permanent |
| www to non-www | 301 | One version only |