In short. HTTP redirects use a status code and Location header to send clients to another URL, with different rules for permanence and request methods.

Definition: An HTTP redirect is a server response that directs a client, such as a browser or crawler, to another URL through a redirection status code and a Location header. A permanent redirect signals a lasting move; a temporary redirect keeps the original URL as the address for future requests.

Key facts

RFC 9110, HTTP Semantics defines 301 and 308 as permanent redirects, and 302 and 307 as temporary redirects.
As of 17 October 2026, Google's HTTP status code documentation says Googlebot generally follows up to 10 redirect hops when crawling general web content. A hop is one step from a redirecting URL to its destination.
Google's redirect guide treats a permanent redirect as a signal that the destination should be canonical, meaning the URL selected to represent the page in search results.
Google's site-move guidance recommends redirecting directly to the final destination because chains add latency.

How do permanent and temporary redirects differ?

Under RFC 9110, a 301 Moved Permanently or 308 Permanent Redirect response assigns the resource a new permanent address. A 302 Found or 307 Temporary Redirect response indicates a temporary location, while future requests should continue using the original address.

The Location header identifies the destination. This illustrative response matches the status and destination headers in Google's PHP example:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://www.example.com/newurl

Request methods specify the operation being requested. GET retrieves a resource; POST asks a resource to process submitted content. The RFC permits clients following 301 or 302 to change a POST request into GET. The 307 and 308 codes preserve the method during automatic redirection. Permanence and method preservation therefore both matter when selecting a code.

What does a crawler process after a redirect?

Google's HTTP status code documentation says its crawlers ignore content received from the redirecting URL and process the final destination's content instead. It describes 301 as a strong signal that the destination should be processed and 302 as a weak signal. For this processing, it treats 308 as equivalent to 301, and 307 as equivalent to 302.

For search results, Google's redirect guide recommends permanent server redirects when a page's displayed URL needs to change. It gives a temporary service outage as an example for using a temporary redirect to an explanatory page while retaining the original URL in search results.

How should a website check redirects?

A redirect chain occurs when a destination itself returns another redirect. Google's site-move guidance recommends mapping old URLs to their corresponding new URLs and sending requests directly to the final destination. Its recommendation applies even when a chain fits within Googlebot's hop limit.

The same guidance recommends command-line tools or scripts for testing many URLs. Checks cover the returned status, the Location destination and any intermediate responses. Google warns against redirecting many unrelated old pages to a new homepage. A consolidated replacement page can serve as the destination for the pages whose content it combines.

FAQ

Should you use 301 or 308 for a permanent move?

Both indicate permanence. RFC 9110 distinguishes their method handling: choose 308 when automatic redirection must preserve the request method.

Can you use a temporary redirect during an outage?

Google's redirect guide explicitly gives temporary service unavailability as a use case. You can send visitors to an explanation while keeping the original URL as the intended search result.

How long should you keep migration redirects?

Google's site-move guidance recommends keeping redirects for as long as possible, generally at least one year. It also recommends updating internal links to point to the new URLs.

Sources

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