A 301 redirect is the usual choice when a page has moved permanently. A 302 redirect is appropriate when the move is temporary and you expect the original address to return. The decision starts with what should happen to the old URL, rather than which code sounds better for SEO.
For a business website, the important questions are practical: Which page should customers reach? Which address should remain in search? Will the old content return? Who will verify the change?
The difference between a 301 and a 302
| Question | 301 redirect | 302 redirect |
|---|---|---|
| What does it communicate? | A permanent move | A temporary move |
| Typical business use | Replacing a service-page address | Temporarily sending visitors to an alternative |
| Which URL do you intend to retain? | The destination | Usually the original address |
| What needs documenting? | The permanent old-to-new mapping | Why the redirect exists and when to review it |
Google’s redirect documentation recommends permanent server-side redirects when a URL has permanently changed. A temporary redirect communicates a different intention. Neither choice guarantees a particular ranking outcome.
A real example: moving our Mississauga service page
SERP Radius initially published its Mississauga page at /seo-services-mississauga/. We then created a Locations hub and moved the page to /locations/mississauga/.
The page’s purpose stayed the same. Its address changed permanently, so we implemented a 301 from the old path to the new one.
We also updated the canonical URL, structured-data references, incoming internal links and sitemap. The migration preserved the approved page design.
Our checks confirmed that the old address redirected directly to the destination, with and without a trailing slash. A test containing tracking parameters retained those parameters, and the destination returned HTTP 200.
Those checks verified the migration’s implementation. They did not establish a ranking increase. Keeping those two conclusions separate makes a migration report more useful.
When a 302 makes sense
Consider this illustrative situation: a business temporarily routes visitors from an appointment page to a notice while its booking provider is unavailable. The appointment URL will return when the integration is restored.
A temporary redirect may fit that situation. The implementation record should include the reason, the owner and a review date. Otherwise, a short-term workaround can become a forgotten permanent feature.
Before redirecting, ask whether the original page could remain available with an explanatory notice. The redirect is a technical response to a business decision; it should not replace that decision.
How to implement a permanent move in WordPress
For a straightforward path change, use the redirect facility supported by your host or a maintained WordPress redirect tool. Avoid configuring the same rule in several places.
- Record the exact old URL and intended destination.
- Confirm that the new page is published and publicly accessible.
- Create the permanent redirect using the tool’s 301 option.
- Update links you control to use the destination directly.
- Check canonical and sitemap output where applicable.
- Purge relevant caches, then test without an administrator login.
For our migration, we used the free Redirection plugin. That is a documented example of the tool we used, rather than a requirement for every website.
Verify the response, destination and tracking separately
Opening the old address in a browser confirms that something happens. It does not show the whole response chain.
Use your browser’s Network panel or an HTTP inspection tool to inspect the initial status and Location header. Then check the destination response. A read-only command-line check is:
curl -sS -o /dev/null -D - 'https://example.com/old-service/'Look for a 301 response and the intended destination in the Location header. Request that destination separately and confirm that it loads the correct public content. Replace the example address with the URL you are checking.
Test the variants people may actually use: trailing slash, old internal links and relevant query parameters. If attribution matters, confirm that parameters still arrive at the intended page and that the analytics implementation handles them as expected.
Mistakes to catch before signing off
An illustrative chain such as old page → temporary page → final page creates more to maintain than a direct old-to-final rule. A redirect to the homepage can also disappoint someone who expected a specific service. Choose the closest useful replacement where one exists.
Another mistake is changing the redirect while leaving menus, article links or the sitemap pointing at the old path. Our migration checklist treats those references as separate work items.
For diagnosis of existing loops and broken destinations, use our redirect-error troubleshooting guide. For an upcoming rebuild, start with the website redesign SEO checklist.
What if a permanent move was implemented as a 302?
Confirm the business intention first. If the new URL is genuinely permanent, correct the rule and recheck the related references. Record the date and monitor the old and new URLs in Search Console as Google revisits them. An immediate ranking change is not a reliable implementation test.
If you need help mapping a URL change and checking its effects across your site, discuss a technical SEO audit with SERP Radius.