302 Found

A temporary redirect: the resource is briefly at a different URL, but the original should keep being used. Search engines keep indexing the original URL.

What it means

302 Found sends the client to the Location URL for now, while signalling the move is temporary. Historically many clients changed the request method to GET on a 302 regardless of the original method — if you need to preserve the method use 307; if you specifically want to switch to GET after a POST, use 303.

HTTP RESPONSE

HTTP/1.1 302 Found
Location: /maintenance
Cache-Control: no-store

Why it matters

It keeps the original URL as the canonical, indexed resource during a temporary diversion (A/B test, maintenance, geolocation).
Choosing 302 vs 307 vs 303 controls whether the method is preserved after the redirect.

Common mistakes

Using 302 for a permanent move, which fails to pass ranking signals to the new URL.
Relying on 302 to preserve a POST method — use 307 for that.

How WebInspect checks this

WebInspect shows each redirect's status and Location and flags temporary redirects that look like they should be permanent.