301 vs 302 Redirects Explained — Which One Should Your Links Use?

Transcript

The full spoken transcript, split by chapter.

0:00Which redirect do you need?

301 or 302? Pick the wrong redirect and browsers will cache your mistake or Google will hand your rankings to a page you didn't mean. In the next two minutes: what each one actually means, how to check any link's redirect in seconds, and which one your short links should use.

0:16301 vs 302, explained

A redirect is just your server saying not here, go there. A 301 means moved permanently. Search engines transfer the page's rankings to the new address, and browsers remember the answer sometimes forever. A 302 means moved temporarily. Nothing transfers, nothing gets memorized every visit asks again. So the rule of thumb: moved for good, 301. Might change, 302.

0:41Check any link's redirect

You can check any link's answer with a redirect checker this one is free on Linkly's site. Paste a link and it walks the whole chain. Here's a classic 301: the www version of our site handing everything to the main domain permanently, rankings and all.

0:57Why short links use 302

Linkly's short links answer with a 302 deliberately. A short link's destination is supposed to be editable: swap the page, fix a typo, retire a campaign. If it were a 301, browsers would remember the old answer and skip you entirely. A 302 keeps every click checking fresh which is also what makes every click countable.

1:18Get started free

So: moved for good, 301. Might change or you want to track and edit it 302, which is exactly what Linkly short links do. The redirect checker is free, and so is Linkly everything you need is just below

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