Domain redirects are among the most common website operations, yet many people don’t understand the difference between 301 and 302 redirects or their distinct SEO impacts. Using the wrong redirect type can cause ranking drops or even deindexing. This guide covers everything about domain redirects.
Redirect Fundamentals
What Is a Redirect
A redirect is the server telling the browser “the page you want has moved — go to this new address instead.” Both users and search engine crawlers automatically follow redirects.
Core Difference: 301 vs 302
301 (Permanent Redirect): Page permanently moved. Passes ~90-99% link equity. Search engines update index to new URL. Browsers cache the redirect.
302 (Temporary Redirect): Page temporarily moved. Theoretically doesn’t pass link equity. Search engines keep old URL indexed. Browsers don’t cache.
Selection Rules
Use 301 for: Permanent domain changes, site mergers, permanent URL restructuring, pointing multiple domains to primary.
Use 302 for: A/B testing, temporary maintenance pages, geo-based content, temporary promotional redirects.
Common Redirect Scenarios
www/non-www Unification
Choose one version as primary; 301 the other. Prevents duplicate content SEO issues.
HTTP to HTTPS
301 all HTTP traffic to HTTPS — basic security and SEO requirement.
Multi-Domain Consolidation
301 all secondary domains to the primary domain.
Brand Rename Migration
The most complex scenario. Key steps: create complete old-to-new URL mapping, implement page-by-page 301s (not all to homepage), use Search Console’s address change tool, maintain old domain redirects for 6-12+ months, monitor rankings and traffic.
URL Structure Changes
Create precise 301s for each old URL, update internal links and sitemaps.
Redirect Chains and Loops: Must-Avoid Pitfalls
Redirect Chains (A→B→C→D)
Each hop slows page load, loses link equity, and Google may stop following after 5 hops. Solution: all redirects should point directly to final destination.
Redirect Loops (A→B→A)
Browser shows “too many redirects” error. Common causes: CDN/origin SSL conflicts, plugin conflicts, .htaccess errors.
SEO Weight Transfer
Google confirmed 301s no longer have “weight decay” — theoretically 100% transfer. In practice: exact 1:1 redirects transfer best; many-to-one dilutes weight; cross-domain may transfer slightly less.
For 302s: Google sometimes treats long-standing 302s as 301s, but best practice remains using 301 for permanent changes.
Technical Implementation
Nginx
location = /old-page { return 301 /new-page; }
server { server_name olddomain.com; return 301 $scheme://newdomain.com$request_uri; }
Apache .htaccess
Redirect 301 /old-page https://example.com/new-page
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^olddomain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
Cloudflare Page Rules
Set redirects without server configuration changes via Page Rules > Forwarding URL.
Redirect Audit Checklist
- No redirect chains
- No redirect loops
- 301 for permanent changes, 302 for temporary
- Old URLs redirect to corresponding new URLs (not all to homepage)
- Sitemap excludes redirected URLs
- Internal links updated to new URLs
- Search engines have crawled and updated index
Conclusion
Domain redirects seem simple but have profound SEO impact. Core rules: 301 for permanent changes, 302 for temporary, avoid chains and loops, implement precise page-by-page redirects. During rebranding or domain migration, redirects are the most critical technical tool for protecting SEO assets. Regularly audit redirect configurations to ensure you’re not wasting valuable link equity.