301 vs. 307 Redirects

In web development ‑ and in the simplest form ‑ we use redirects to send visitors from the place they have requested, to another (or another place, on another website). The most common types of redirect are 301 and 307.

301 Redirect

A 301 redirect ‑ a "permanent redirect" ‑ is used when a page has been permanently moved to a new location. This type of redirect informs visitors (and notably: search engines) that the old page is no longer valid and that they should index the new page instead. It also passes on some of the old page's ranking power to the new page, which helps to maintain or improve its search engine ranking.

307 Redirect

A 307 redirect ‑ a "temporary redirect" ‑ is similar to a 302, but it tells visitors that the change is only temporary and that the request method should not be changed when the redirection is followed. The most common use for a 307 would be during maintenance or a short‑term change such as a competition or temporary rebrand.

The Difference

Essentially when a search engine crawler comes across a 301, it should ‑ in theory ‑ replace the URL it visited, with the new one. When it arrives at a 307, it will remember the original URL rather than the one it has been redirected to.