Understanding HTTP status codes is crucial for website owners, SEO professionals, and anyone working with web development. These codes provide valuable insights into the server’s response to a browser’s request. Among these codes, the 301 and 308 redirects are particularly important for managing website traffic and maintaining SEO. This post delves into the nuances of these two seemingly similar redirection codes, exploring their differences and when to use each one effectively. What’s the difference between HTTP 301 and 308 status codes? Let’s uncover the answer.

What is an HTTP 301 Redirect?

A 301 redirect, known as a “permanent redirect,” signifies a permanent move of a web page from one URL to another. When a browser requests the original URL, the server responds with the 301 status code and the new URL. The browser then automatically redirects to the new location. Search engines interpret this as a signal to transfer the original page’s ranking power to the new URL.

This transfer of “link juice” is crucial for SEO, ensuring that the new page inherits the SEO value accumulated by the old one. For example, if you rebrand your website and change your domain name, you would use 301 redirects to ensure that visitors and search engines find your new site and that your search rankings are preserved.

A key aspect of the 301 redirect is that it typically (but not always) changes the request method from POST to GET. This can have implications for forms and data submission, so it’s important to be aware of this behavior.

What is an HTTP 308 Redirect?

An HTTP 308 redirect, also a “permanent redirect,” shares similarities with the 301. It indicates a permanent move of a web page, and search engines treat it similarly in terms of transferring ranking power. The critical distinction lies in how the 308 handles the request method.

Unlike the 301, the 308 redirect preserves the original request method. This means if a user submits a form using POST, the redirected request to the new URL will also use POST. This consistency is essential for maintaining data integrity and ensuring that forms function correctly after redirection.

The 308 redirect is particularly useful when dealing with sensitive data or actions, such as online payments, where preserving the original request method is paramount for security and proper functionality. This nuance makes the 308 a valuable tool in specific scenarios.

Key Differences Between 301 and 308 Redirects

While both indicate permanent moves, the core difference boils down to how they handle the request method. The 301 may change the method from POST to GET, whereas the 308 guarantees the original method is preserved. This seemingly small difference can have significant implications for website functionality and data handling.

• Request Method: 301 can change POST to GET; 308 preserves the original method.
• SEO Impact: Both transfer link juice, but 308 offers more predictable behavior for POST requests.

Choosing the right redirect depends on the specific situation and the importance of preserving the original request method. For simple page moves, a 301 is usually sufficient. However, when dealing with forms, sensitive data, or actions that rely on specific HTTP methods, the 308 is the preferred choice.

When to Use Which Redirect

Choosing between 301 and 308 depends on your specific needs. For simple website migrations or content moves where forms aren’t involved, a 301 is usually sufficient. However, when dealing with sensitive operations like online transactions or user logins, the 308 is crucial to maintain data integrity and prevent unexpected behavior.

1. Simple page moves: Use 301.
2. Form submissions and sensitive data: Use 308.

Consider the following real-world example: an e-commerce website switching to a new platform. Using 308 redirects for the checkout process ensures that payment information submitted via POST remains secure and correctly processed on the new platform. This prevents potential errors and maintains a smooth user experience.

FAQ: 301 vs. 308 Redirects

Q: Do both redirects affect SEO?

A: Both 301 and 308 redirects signal to search engines that a page has permanently moved, helping to preserve SEO value.

Q: Is one redirect faster than the other?

A: The performance difference between the two is negligible in most cases.

Choosing the right redirect—301 or 308—is vital for ensuring a seamless user experience and preserving your website’s SEO. By understanding the nuances of each, you can make informed decisions that benefit both your users and your search engine rankings. Remember to consider the specific context, especially when dealing with forms or sensitive data, and prioritize the redirect that best suits your needs. This attention to detail can significantly impact your website’s performance and user satisfaction. Explore further resources on our blog, like this guide on internal linking best practices. You can also learn more about redirect best practices from Google’s documentation here and Mozilla’s developer documentation here. By understanding the full implications of these redirects, you can optimize your website for both users and search engines, creating a more robust and effective online presence.

Question & Answer :
What’s the difference between HTTP 301 and 308 status codes?

• 301 (Moved Permanently): This and all future requests should be directed to the given URI.
• 308 (Permanent Redirect): The request and all future requests should be repeated using another URI.

They seem to be similar.

An overview of 301, 302 and 307

The RFC 7231, the current reference for semantics and content of the HTTP/1.1 protocol, defines the 301 (Moved Permanently) and 302 (Found) status code, that allows the request method to be changed from POST to GET. This specification also defines the 307 (Temporary Redirect) status code that doesn’t allow the request method to be changed from POST to GET.

See more details below:

6.4.2. 301 Moved Permanently

The 301 (Moved Permanently) status code indicates that the target resource has been assigned a new permanent URI and any future references to this resource ought to use one of the enclosed URIs. […]

Note: For historical reasons, a user agent MAY change the request method from POST to GET for the subsequent request. If this behavior is undesired, the 307 (Temporary Redirect) status code can be used instead.

6.4.3. 302 Found

The 302 (Found) status code indicates that the target resource resides temporarily under a different URI. Since the redirection might be altered on occasion, the client ought to continue to use the effective request URI for future requests. […]

Note: For historical reasons, a user agent MAY change the request method from POST to GET for the subsequent request. If this behavior is undesired, the 307 (Temporary Redirect) status code can be used instead.

6.4.7. 307 Temporary Redirect

The 307 (Temporary Redirect) status code indicates that the target resource resides temporarily under a different URI and the user agent MUST NOT change the request method if it performs an automatic redirection to that URI. Since the redirection can change over time, the client ought to continue using the original effective request URI for future requests. […]

Note: This status code is similar to 302 (Found), except that it does not allow changing the request method from POST to GET. This specification defines no equivalent counterpart for 301 (Moved Permanently) (RFC 7238, however, defines the status code 308 (Permanent Redirect) for this purpose).

Changing the request method from POST to GET

The “historical reasons” in which a user agent may change a request from POST to GET is explained in an Eric Lawrence’s post from the IEInternals blog, dated from 19 August 2011.

The post quotes the definition of the status code 301 from the obsolete RFC 1945, published in May 1996, which defined the HTTP/1.0. The key part from that quote is:

Note: When automatically redirecting a POST request after receiving a 301 status code, some existing user agents will erroneously change it into a GET request.

Then the author continues:

[…] those “user agents” referred to in this remark included the popular browsers of the day, including Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Arguably, this behavior is exactly what most websites wanted — after a successful POST, send the user to a different URL to show them something else. However, the POST-converted-to-GET behavior isn’t what the authors of HTTP had intended.

The need for 308

The RFC 7238 has been created to define the 308 (Permanent Redirect) status code, that is similar to 301 (Moved Permanently) but does not allows the request method to be changed from POST to GET.

The 308 status code is now defined by the RFC 7538 (that obsoleted the RFC 7238).

3. 308 Permanent Redirect

The 308 (Permanent Redirect) status code indicates that the target resource has been assigned a new permanent URI and any future references to this resource ought to use one of the enclosed URIs. Clients with link editing capabilities ought to automatically re-link references to the effective request URI to one or more of the new references sent by the server, where possible. […]

Note: This status code is similar to 301 (Moved Permanently), except that it does not allow changing the request method from POST to GET.

So we have the following:

+-----------+-----------+ | Permanent | Temporary | +------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | Allows changing the request method from POST to GET | 301 | 302 | +------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ | Doesn't allow changing the request method from POST to GET | 308 | 307 | +------------------------------------------------------------+-----------+-----------+ 

Choosing the most suitable status code

Michael Kropat put together a set of decision charts that helps to determine the best status code for each situation. See the following for 2xx and 3xx status codes: