302 redirect
A temporary HTTP redirect that is not cached by default, which is why link platforms use it for links that count clicks and route traffic.
Updated August 14, 2026
A 302 is the HTTP status code 302 Found, a redirect that says the destination applies to this request only. Unlike a permanent redirect it is not cached unless the response explicitly says so, so every click comes back to the redirector. That round trip is what makes a short link useful: it is the moment when the click is recorded and when targeting rules, splits and rotation choose where this particular visitor goes.
Its stricter sibling is 307 Temporary Redirect. The difference is historical: clients were widely observed changing a POST into a GET when following a 302, and 307 was defined to forbid that, preserving the method and body. For ordinary link clicks, which are GET requests, the two behave identically; for redirecting API calls, use 307.
The misconception worth clearing up is that a 302 wastes search value. It does not apply here — a marketing short link is a routing device, not a moved page. When a page has genuinely and permanently moved, use a 301 instead.