Glossary
301 vs 302
Permanent and temporary redirects. The difference decides whether browsers cache the hop, which decides whether you can count it or change it later.
A 301 tells the browser the resource has moved for good. Browsers are allowed to remember that and skip asking next time, and they do. It is the right answer when a page genuinely moved and you want search engines to transfer the ranking.
A 302 (or 307, which is the stricter modern equivalent) says the redirect is temporary. The browser asks the server every time, which is what makes a click countable and what lets you repoint the link later.
For short links the choice is not close. A 301 on a marketing link means a repeat visitor never hits your server again: they are not counted, and if you change the destination they still go to the old one, sometimes for months.
