A 302 redirect is a server-side instruction that temporarily sends visitors and search engines from one URL to a different URL, signaling that the move is not permanent and the original URL should remain indexed.
Unlike a 301 redirect, a 302 generally does not pass full ranking authority to the destination URL, since search engines treat it as a temporary situation rather than a permanent consolidation of two pages into one.
Using a 302 redirect when a change is actually permanent is a common technical SEO mistake, since it can prevent proper consolidation of ranking signals and confuse search engines about which URL should ultimately be indexed.
Correct redirect type usage is checked as part of our Technical SEO service.