What is URL GeoRedirect Types?

The Four HTTP Redirect Status Codes

HTTP defines four primary redirect status codes, each with distinct behavior for browsers and search engines:

• 301 (Moved Permanently) — The resource has permanently moved to a new URL. Browsers cache this redirect. Search engines transfer 90–99% of link equity (PageRank) to the new URL and eventually de-index the old URL.
• 302 (Found / Temporary Redirect) — The resource is temporarily at a different URL. Browsers do not cache aggressively. Search engines keep the original URL indexed and do not transfer link equity.
• 307 (Temporary Redirect) — Identical to 302 but strictly preserves the HTTP method (POST stays POST). Introduced in HTTP/1.1 to fix ambiguity in how browsers handled 302 with POST requests.
• 308 (Permanent Redirect) — Identical to 301 but strictly preserves the HTTP method. The permanent counterpart to 307.

Which Redirect Type for Geo-Targeting?

For geo redirects, always use 302 (or 307). This is critical. A 301 redirect tells search engines that the original URL no longer exists and should be replaced in the index — which is not what you want for geo-targeting. Your original URL still exists; you are simply routing certain visitors to a different version. Using 301 for geo redirects can cause Google to de-index your primary page entirely.

GeoSwap exclusively uses 302 redirects for all geo-targeting rules. This ensures your canonical URLs remain indexed while visitors from specific locations are routed to the appropriate page.

Which Redirect Type for Site Migrations?

For permanent URL changes — domain migrations, URL structure changes, or content consolidation — use 301 redirects. The 301 tells search engines to transfer link equity to the new URL and update their index. This is the standard for site migrations, old-to-new URL mapping, and merging duplicate content pages.

Redirect Chains and SEO Impact

A redirect chain occurs when one redirect points to another redirect, which may point to yet another. For example: URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C. Each hop in the chain loses a small percentage of link equity and adds latency. Google follows up to 5 redirect hops before giving up, but best practice is to keep chains to a single hop. Redirect chains are especially common after multiple site migrations where old redirects are never cleaned up.

Detecting and Fixing Redirect Issues

Common redirect problems include chains (A to B to C), loops (A to B back to A), and broken redirects (destination returns 404). These issues waste crawl budget, dilute link equity, and create poor user experiences. Regular audits are essential for any site with more than a handful of redirects.

Why It Matters

Choosing the wrong redirect type can destroy your search rankings overnight. Using 301 instead of 302 for geo-targeting can de-index your primary pages. Using 302 instead of 301 for a site migration means search engines never transfer link equity to your new URLs. GeoSwap handles this automatically — 302 for all geo-targeting rules, with redirect management tools that detect chains, loops, and broken links across your entire site. The platform's SEO safety warnings alert you before any rule is deployed that could harm your search rankings.