Does a 301 redirect lose SEO value?

According to Google, 301 and 302 redirects no longer lose PageRank. The difference is which URL Google treats as canonical: with a 301 the new one, with a 302 more likely the old one.

How long should I keep a 301 redirect?

Ideally forever, at least a year. External links and bookmarks keep pointing to old URLs for years.

What if I leave a 302 instead of a 301 after a migration?

Over time Google may treat a long-lived 302 as permanent, but until then old URLs can linger in results. Better to set a 301 straight away.

301 vs 302 redirect

A 301 redirect means the page has moved permanently — Google passes signals to the new URL and replaces it in results. A 302 means the move is temporary — Google keeps the old URL in the index for longer. For migrations and permanent URL changes, use 301 (or 308).

Redirect codes at a glance

Code	Name	Type	When to use
301	Moved Permanently	permanent	migration, URL change, merging pages
308	Permanent Redirect	permanent	like 301, when the method must be kept (e.g. POST)
302	Found	temporary	short campaigns, maintenance
307	Temporary Redirect	temporary	like 302, keeping the method
303	See Other	temporary	after a form submission

How Google treats 301 and 302

A permanent redirect is a strong signal to Google that the target should be canonical — the old URL disappears from results and the new one takes its place. A temporary redirect is a weak signal — Google assumes the old URL will come back and keeps it in the index more often.

Common mistakes

302 after a migration — the default in many plugins and frameworks,
chains — old URL → intermediate → new instead of straight to the new one (more on chains and loops),
redirecting everything to the homepage — Google may treat it as a soft 404,
redirecting to an error page — the target was removed after the migration,
a canonical pointing to a URL that redirects — conflicting signals.

How to check the redirect type

The redirect checker shows every hop of the chain with its status code (301, 302, 307, 308), target and timing, plus the status, canonical and noindex of the final page.

Monitoring redirects

Redirects break silently: a new release overwrites the config, the CDN gets a new rule.

IndexRise checks the status code of monitored pages every night. When a page that used to respond on its own starts redirecting or falls into a loop, you get a critical event with the redirect target.