302 Redirect

A 302 redirect is a temporary server-side redirect that sends visitors and crawlers from one URL to another while signalling that the original URL may return. It is useful for short-lived changes, but it is the wrong choice when content has moved permanently.

How does a 302 redirect work?

When a browser or crawler requests the original URL, the server responds with HTTP status 302 and a Location header containing the temporary destination. The client then requests that destination. Unlike a 301 redirect in Webflow, the temporary signal does not tell search engines to replace the original URL with the target as the preferred canonical page.

When should you use a 302 redirect?

Use a 302 when the change is genuinely temporary: a short maintenance period, a limited campaign, locale routing or an experiment that sends some visitors to a variation. Google specifically recommends temporary redirects for URL-based A/B tests so the original can remain indexed. If a page has moved indefinitely, a permanent redirect is clearer for users and search-engine indexing.

What are the SEO risks?

A 302 can become misleading when teams leave it in place after a permanent migration. Search engines may continue treating the original URL as the canonical candidate, while users repeatedly pass through an unnecessary hop. Redirect chains also slow access and complicate technical crawling. Audit temporary rules by owner, purpose and expiry date instead of treating them as permanent infrastructure.

How do 302 redirects relate to AI Search?

AI search systems and their crawlers need stable, retrievable source URLs. A temporary redirect is usually followable, but unstable destinations, chains or conflicting canonical signals make source selection less predictable. Include redirects in AI retrieval checks: test the full response path, confirm the final page is accessible and ensure cited URLs do not depend on expired experiments or campaigns.

How should B2B teams manage 302 redirects?

Document the source, destination, reason, owner and planned removal date for every temporary rule. Test both the status code and final destination, update internal links to point directly at the active URL, and review rules after launches or experiments. In Webflow, native redirect settings are designed for permanent 301 rules, while features such as locale routing and Optimize may use temporary routing. A structured Webflow SEO implementation should verify the actual HTTP response instead of inferring redirect type from browser behaviour.