301 vs 302 vs 307 Redirects: Which One Your Short Links Should Use
Every short link is really a redirect — a small instruction that tells a browser where to go next. The status code attached to that instruction decides whether browsers cache the destination, whether search engines pass authority to it, and whether you can ever change where the link points. Picking the wrong one can quietly break a campaign. Here is how the common redirect types actually behave, and how to choose.
What a redirect actually is
When someone opens a short link, their browser sends a request to the shortener. Instead of returning a page, the server answers with a 3xx status code and a Location header naming the real destination. The browser then makes a second request to that destination. This two-step hop is invisible to most people — it happens in a few milliseconds — but the status code in step one carries meaning that lasts far longer than the click.
The two questions every redirect answers are: "Is this move permanent or temporary?" and "Should the browser reuse the original request method, or is it allowed to change it?" The four codes below differ only in how they answer those two questions.
301 — Moved Permanently
A 301 says the destination will not change. Browsers and proxies are allowed to cache it aggressively, and search engines treat it as the canonical signal: link authority ("link juice") from the old URL is consolidated into the target. That is exactly what you want when you have permanently moved a page or want a short link to consolidate SEO value into one destination.
The catch is caching. Because a 301 can be cached for a long time — sometimes until the user clears their browser — you should never use it for a link whose destination you might want to change. If you 301 a short link to landing-page-A and later repoint it to landing-page-B, visitors who already clicked may keep landing on A because their browser never re-asks the server.
302 — Found (temporary)
A 302 says "go here for now." Browsers generally do not cache it, so every click re-asks the server where to go. This makes 302 the safe default for marketing short links: you keep full control to repoint the link tomorrow, run A/B splits, rotate seasonal destinations, or expire a campaign.
Historically 302 was ambiguous about whether the request method could change (more on that below), which is why the stricter 307 was introduced. For ordinary GET-based link clicks the distinction rarely matters, but it matters a great deal for forms and APIs.
307 and 308 — the strict versions
A 307 is a temporary redirect that guarantees the HTTP method and body are preserved. If the original request was a POST, the browser will POST again to the new location rather than silently downgrading to a GET. A 308 is the permanent counterpart — like a 301, but with the same method-preserving guarantee.
For plain link sharing you rarely need 307 or 308. They earn their keep when a redirect sits in front of an API or a form submission, where turning a POST into a GET would drop the payload and break the request.
How to choose
Match the code to your intent, not to a habit. Most teams reach for 301 because it "sounds official," then discover months later that they can never change the link. Use this quick mapping:
- Marketing, campaign, and shareable links you may repoint later → 302 (temporary). Keeps control, avoids sticky caching.
- A page that has permanently moved and should pass SEO authority → 301 (permanent).
- A redirect in front of a form or API that uses POST → 307 (temporary) or 308 (permanent) to preserve the method.
- When in doubt for a short link → 302. You can always tighten to 301 later; you cannot easily undo a cached 301.
A note on link analytics
Redirect-based short links are also where click tracking happens. Because the shortener handles step one of the hop, it can record the click — timestamp, referrer, device, and approximate location — before forwarding the visitor on. A permanent, heavily-cached 301 undermines this: if the browser stops asking the server, the server stops counting. This is another reason analytics-driven short links lean on 302 rather than 301.
Put it into practice
Try the URL Shortener
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 302 redirect hurt SEO?
For short links it usually does not matter, because you are not trying to pass page authority through a campaign link. If your goal is specifically to consolidate SEO authority into a destination, use a 301. For everything else, the flexibility of a 302 is worth more than the marginal SEO signal.
Why can I not change where my old short link points?
You most likely used a 301 (permanent) redirect, which browsers cache. Visitors who clicked before the change may be served the old destination from cache. Temporary redirects (302) avoid this because the browser re-checks the destination on every click.
Which redirect does iNNkie use for short links?
iNNkie short links use a temporary redirect so you keep control of the destination and can capture analytics on every click. You can repoint a link at any time from your dashboard without worrying about stale browser caches.