Your site’s code can have a very big effect on your relationship with the search engines. Server codes in particular can steer search engine spiders in the right direction, or drive them away. There are several areas where the room for error is great. One of these is the use of 302 codes.

Temporary redirect codes, known as 302s, are used when you need to temporarily pass page traffic on to a different page. They come in handy whenever you need to take a page down for repairs, or are in the middle of a site move. The trouble is, site owners frequently forget to replace 302 temporary redirects with 301 permanent redirects, and this can cause issues for search engine optimisation.

The history

The problem with 302 codes has a bit of history, and some of it revolves around the two ways 302 redirects can be implemented. The code can be implemented from within a site, transferring users from one page to another. The code can also be implemented from outside a site, directing users from one domain to another. This second use has caused the most problems.

In the early 2000s, black-hat internet operators discovered that they could effectively hijack wholesome-seeming pages by using a 302 temporary redirect code. Many pages had their rankings effectively destroyed before the problem subsided.

The way that the search engines handle 302 redirects is sketchy, presenting another problem. When encountering a 302 code, the search engines have the option of showing the original URL or the new one. The hijacking problem made the search engines lean toward showing original URLs, so that users can see what’s going on. However, legitimate redirects often direct a clunky URL to a nice short one, meaning that it’s better for the user to see the redirected URL. Search engines aren’t uniform in choosing one or the other.

Why, exactly, are 302 redirects such a problem?

The 302 temporary redirect code is not something that just got conjured up in the night to create problems for innocent little SEO pros. The code has a genuine purpose, namely to temporarily redirect a browser to a new page. This might prompt the question, if you can use a 302 redirect for its original purpose then what exactly causes the problem over time?

There are a couple of ways in which the permanent use of 302 temporary redirects causes problems.  If the 302 code is being used while you shift domains, there’s a chance that the search engines could treat it as a page hijack. Not a good thing. If you’re using them internally, problems arise with the way your URL is displayed in the search engine results pages. The search engines have difficulties determining the correct address for the page.

The best thing to do is only use 302s for their intended purpose, a temporary one. Sorting out code is a technical job and can be hard to do yourself. If you’re concerned about how your site’s code affects your SEO, talk to us at SEO Consult.

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