Do 301 and 308 both pass link equity?

Yes. Both are permanent redirects, so search engines transfer nearly all of the old URL's ranking signals to the destination in either case. For SEO purposes they are equivalent.

Why choose 308 over 301?

Choose a 308 when the request method must be preserved, such as a permanently moved endpoint that accepts POST. A 301 may convert a POST to a GET; a 308 guarantees it stays a POST.

Is 308 safe to use for normal page redirects?

Yes, support is broad in modern browsers and crawlers. For plain page moves a 301 is still the conventional choice, but a 308 works and behaves identically for SEO.

301 vs 308

301 vs 308 redirect

A 301 and a 308 are the permanent half of the redirect family. Both tell search engines the move is for good and both carry ranking signals to the new URL. They are the permanent equivalents of the 302 and 307 pair.

The one practical difference is the same one that separates 302 from 307: whether the request method survives the redirect.

At a glance

Aspect	301	308
Meaning	Moved Permanently	Permanent Redirect
Permanence	Permanent	Permanent
Passes ranking signals	Yes, nearly all of it	Yes, nearly all of it
Preserves HTTP method	Not guaranteed; may change POST to GET	Guaranteed; method is preserved
Browser support	Universal, understood everywhere	Broad, but slightly newer
Typical use	Standard permanent page moves	Permanent moves that must keep POST data

When to use a 301

A 301 is the standard, universally understood permanent redirect. For moving pages, switching to HTTPS, or consolidating URLs, it is the default and every client and crawler handles it without surprises.

Since most permanent redirects involve GET requests, the method-change caveat almost never bites, which is why the 301 remains the everyday workhorse.

When to use a 308

Use a 308 when a permanent redirect must preserve the request method and body, for example permanently moving an API endpoint that receives POST requests.

A 308 gives you the SEO behaviour of a 301 with the method-preservation guarantee of a 307, so the payload is never silently dropped.

Frequently asked questions

Do 301 and 308 both pass link equity?: Yes. Both are permanent redirects, so search engines transfer nearly all of the old URL's ranking signals to the destination in either case. For SEO purposes they are equivalent.
Why choose 308 over 301?: Choose a 308 when the request method must be preserved, such as a permanently moved endpoint that accepts POST. A 301 may convert a POST to a GET; a 308 guarantees it stays a POST.
Is 308 safe to use for normal page redirects?: Yes, support is broad in modern browsers and crawlers. For plain page moves a 301 is still the conventional choice, but a 308 works and behaves identically for SEO.