TL;DR: Use a 302 redirect when the move is temporary — site under construction, maintenance window, or seasonal campaign. Set one up with Domain-Forward.com (free plan) in 5 minutes. Remove it when your original page is ready.
Not every redirect is permanent. Sometimes you need to temporarily send visitors somewhere else — while you redesign your site, during a planned outage, for a limited-time campaign, or as an emergency measure.
A 302 temporary redirect tells search engines: “This page will be back. Don’t transfer SEO. Keep the original page in your index.” This is critical — using a 301 when you meant 302 can cause Google to drop your original page from search results.
When to Use a Temporary Redirect
Site under construction
Your new website isn’t ready, but you have the domain. Redirect to:
- A “coming soon” page on another platform
- Your social media profiles
- A Google Form to collect email signups
- A temporary landing page on Carrd or Notion
Scheduled maintenance
Your site needs downtime for a migration or major update. Redirect to a status page or alternative URL during the window.
Seasonal or campaign redirects
blackfriday.yourbrand.com should redirect to your sale page in November, then stop (or redirect to the main site) in December.
Emergency redirect
Your site is hacked, your hosting is down, or you’re under investigation. Temporarily redirect to a safe landing page while you resolve the issue.
A/B testing with different domains
Testing whether newbrand.com converts better than oldbrand.com before committing to a full migration.
How to Set Up a 302 Temporary Redirect
Step 1: Sign up at Domain-Forward.com
Free, no credit card.
Step 2: Add your redirect
- Source:
yourdomain.com(add both root andwww) - Destination: Your temporary landing page URL
- Type: 302 (temporary) ← Important: choose 302, not 301
Step 3: Update DNS
| Record Type | Host | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | @ (root) | 138.68.125.144 |
| CNAME | www | edge.domain-forward.com |
Step 4: Wait for propagation
DNS propagation: 1-4 hours. SSL certificate provisioned automatically. Verify with our redirect tester tool.
How to Remove the Temporary Redirect
When your site is ready:
Option A: Revert DNS (recommended)
Change your DNS records back to point at your actual hosting:
| Record Type | Host | Previous Value | New Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | @ | 138.68.125.144 | Your hosting IP |
| CNAME | www | edge.domain-forward.com | Your hosting target |
Then delete the redirect rule in Domain Forward.
Option B: Switch to permanent
If you decided the move IS permanent (e.g., you’re not going back to the old site after all), change the redirect type from 302 to 301 in Domain-Forward.com. No DNS changes needed.
301 vs 302: Quick Decision Guide
| Scenario | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Company rebrand to new domain | 301 | Permanent — transfer SEO |
| Site under construction | 302 | Temporary — you’re coming back |
| Domain acquired, retiring it | 301 | Permanent — you won’t use it again |
| Holiday sale landing page | 302 | Temporary — sale ends |
| Emergency outage redirect | 302 | Temporary — site will be restored |
| Multiple domains to one site | 301 | Permanent — these are secondary domains |
| Testing new domain before committing | 302 | Temporary — might revert |
| Old blog links after migration | 301 | Permanent — old paths won’t exist again |
Read more about redirect types and their SEO implications.
Don’t Use 301 When You Mean 302
This mistake is common and costly. If you 301 redirect your domain “temporarily” while rebuilding, Google may:
- Drop your original pages from the index
- Transfer all ranking signals to the temporary destination
- Take weeks to re-index your original pages when you remove the redirect
If you’re coming back, use 302. It tells search engines to leave your original pages alone.
Set Up a Temporary Redirect in 5 Minutes
Your site isn’t ready but your domain shouldn’t show a blank page. Redirect temporarily to wherever makes sense, then remove it when you’re live.
Create your free account, select 302 as the redirect type, update DNS. When your site is ready, revert DNS and delete the rule. Email stays working throughout — MX records are never touched.