Redirect Types Explained
Choosing the right HTTP status code is critical for SEO. It tells search engines (like Google) and browsers how to handle the redirected content.
301 Moved Permanently
This is the standard redirect for SEO. It passes 95-99% of "link juice" (ranking power) to the new URL. Browsers will cache this redirect aggressively.
Use When:
- • Migrating a domain permanently
- • Merging two websites
- • Fixing a typo in a URL structure
- • Switching from HTTP to HTTPS
Avoid When:
- • Running a temporary promotion
- • A/B Testing pages
- • Geo-targeting (unless permanent)
- • You might revert the change soon
302 Found / 307 Temporary
These codes tell search engines "the content has moved for now, but keep checking the original URL." New rankings will likely not be passed to the destination.
Why 302 vs 307?
Technically, 302 allows the method to change from POST to GET (ambiguous). 307 guarantees the method remains the same. For most link processing, they are treated identically by Google. UrlEdge defaults to 302 for compatibility as it is the most widely supported.
308 Permanent Redirect
The modern version of 301. It guarantees that the HTTP method (POST, PUT, etc.) is preserved during redirection.
Advanced Response Types
IFrame Masking
Show the destination content while keeping your custom domain in the browser address bar. Great for affiliate links where you want to hide the ugly tracking URL.
Edge Proxy
Fetch content from the destination server and serve it as if it's hosted on your domain. Unlike IFrame, this is invisible to the user and works with most sites.
Custom HTML / JSON
Directly serve raw HTML or JSON from the edge without redirecting anywhere. Useful for maintenance pages (`503`), verifying domain ownership files, or simple API mocks.