An SEO glossary of terms every marketer should know in 2026
A practical, current glossary covering the essential SEO terminology every marketer should be comfortable with, from foundational concepts to 2026-specific terms.
6 min read
A 301 redirect signals a permanent move — this content has moved here for good, and both users and search engines should update their records accordingly. A 302 redirect signals a temporary move — this content is here for now, but the original URL remains the canonical, correct one to remember.
Why this distinction matters for SEO
Google treats a 301 as a strong signal to consolidate ranking value at the new destination URL over time. A 302, by design, tells Google the original URL is still the one that matters, and Google generally continues to index and rank the original URL rather than transferring signals to the temporary destination.
- 301: permanent, consolidates ranking signals at the new URL.
- 302: temporary, keeps ranking signals associated with the original URL.
- Using the wrong one for a genuinely permanent change can leave signals stranded at an old URL that no longer serves the actual content.
The common mistake
Many content management systems and hosting configurations default to 302 redirects for convenience, even when the underlying change (a permanent URL restructure, a domain migration, a permanently retired page redirected to a relevant alternative) is genuinely permanent. This mismatch is one of the more common, quietly damaging technical SEO errors.
A permanent change implemented with a temporary redirect tells Google to keep waiting for the old URL to come back — which, for a genuinely permanent change, it never will.
When 302 is actually the correct choice
Genuinely temporary situations — a page under maintenance, a seasonal redirect, an A/B test variant — should use 302, since you specifically want search engines to retain the original URL as canonical once the temporary situation ends.
How to check your own redirects
Use a browser extension or command-line tool to check the actual HTTP status code returned by any redirect — do not assume based on visual behaviour alone, since both types appear identical to a regular visitor. Screaming Frog and similar crawling tools can audit redirect types across an entire site at once.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for ranking signals to transfer after a 301 redirect?
Google has said this can take anywhere from a few days to several months, depending on crawl frequency and the specific situation — patience is genuinely required here.
Is there a 307 or other redirect type I should know about?
307 is a temporary redirect similar to 302 but strictly preserves the original HTTP method (important for form submissions); for standard SEO purposes, the 301 versus 302 distinction is the one that matters most.
Does redirect chain length (multiple hops) matter even with correct 301s?
Yes — even correctly implemented 301 redirects lose some efficiency and add latency with each additional hop, so single-hop redirects to the final destination are always preferable.
If you suspect redirect misconfigurations are affecting your rankings, contact our team for a technical audit.
The takeaway
Audit your site for 302 redirects that should actually be 301s — this single, common mistake can prevent ranking signals from properly transferring to a new, permanent URL.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
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