The difference between a permanent (301) or temporary (302) redirect is subtle, yet extremely important. Effectively, a user is redirected to a new URL in both cases. However, there are important differences between the two, especially when it comes to SEO:
A permanent redirect (HTTP 301) tells search engines that the content that was previously found on the URL being redirected will never be there again. The search engine will then follow the redirect and update their information to show the destination URL. A 301 redirect also passes on the SEO value of the source URL to the destination, which allows you to transfer SEO value accordingly. There are also some browsers that will change any associated bookmarks.
A temporary redirect (HTTP 302) tells search engines that the content that was previously available at the location may be available again at this same location in the future. As a result, the search engine will keep referring to the page by the current URL, and not the destination URL. Temporary redirects will not transfer SEO value.
In most cases, URL redirects should be permanent (301) which is why it is our default type during your redirect set up in your dashboard.
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