301 vs 302 vs 307: A Decision Guide for Link Builders
A redirect looks simple: tell the browser "go here instead." But the status code you return is a signal to browsers, search engines, and analytics tools — and picking the wrong one quietly costs you. Use a 301 for something temporary and you can't change it back. Use a 302 for a permanent move and you may not pass link equity. Misunderstand 307 and you'll break POST submissions.
This guide is the decision tree: what each code means, when to use it, and the specific trade-offs that matter for SEO and link analytics.
The four codes at a glance
| Code | Name | Meaning | Cached? | Preserves method? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Moved Permanently | Permanent move | Yes (aggressively) | No (often → GET) |
| 302 | Found / Temporary | Temporary | No | No (often → GET) |
| 307 | Temporary Redirect | Temporary, method-preserving | No | Yes |
| 308 | Permanent Redirect | Permanent, method-preserving | Yes | Yes |
The two dimensions that decide your choice are permanent vs temporary and method preservation.
301 — the workhorse for SEO
Use 301 when a URL has moved permanently and you want search engines to transfer authority and index the new location. It's the right choice for:
- Migrating to a new domain.
- Restructuring your URL scheme.
- Merging or redirecting old posts to new ones (see link-rot prevention).
The catch: 301s are cached aggressively. Browsers and search engines remember the redirect, so the old URL stops getting hit. That's good for SEO (equity consolidates) but bad for analytics — you lose visibility into clicks on the old URL.
302 — the analytics-friendly choice for short links
Use 302 when the redirect is temporary or, critically, when you still want every request to reach the shortener so you can count clicks.
Short links are a perfect 302 case: the short URL is a stable, permanent address that points at a destination you may change. If you returned a 301, browsers would cache the redirect and bypass the shortener on later visits — so you'd lose click analytics, and you couldn't update the destination without people seeing the old target.
With a 302:
- Every click hits the shortener → click analytics stay accurate.
- You can change the destination at any time → flexibility.
- Search engines still follow it → it's temporary, so no permanent equity shift.
For a URL shortener like yas.sh, 302 is the default for exactly this reason: it keeps the short link as the reliable, measurable entry point.
307 and 308 — when the method matters
Most redirects happen on GET requests (page navigation), so 301/302 are fine. But if the client sent a POST — a form submission, an API call, a payment — then 301 and 302 may switch the method to GET, which breaks the request.
Use 307 (temporary) or 308 (permanent) when you must preserve the method:
- API endpoint moved and clients POST to it → 307/308.
- A form submission endpoint moved → 307/308.
- You need method-safe redirects in your application → 307/308.
308 is the permanent, cacheable version of 307. The trade-off is the same as 301: once cached, it's harder to change.
How this affects your links and analytics
The choice between 301 and 302 for your own links comes down to one question: do you still want to measure and control that URL?
- SEO consolidation wanted, analytics on the old URL not needed → 301.
- You want to keep counting clicks and be able to change the target → 302.
- The URL must preserve POST method → 307/308.
If you're building a short link, the answer is almost always 302 — the whole point of the short link is that it's a stable pointer you can re-target and measure.
The takeaway
Redirect codes are a small decision with big downstream effects. Use 301 for permanent SEO moves, 302 for measurable, re-targetable short links, and 307/308 whenever you must preserve the HTTP method. Match the code to your intent and you keep both your search equity and your click data intact.
If you want to see how a URL actually behaves, run it through the Redirect Tracer — it shows you every hop and status in the chain, so you can confirm your redirects are doing what you think they are.