Meta refresh is an HTML <meta http-equiv="refresh"> tag that tells the browser to reload the page or load another URL after a set number of seconds. As a redirect, it runs on the client side after the HTML has been fetched.
At a glance
- Type
- HTML meta element, client-side redirect
- Affects
- browser, after the page has loaded
- In Google
- instant = permanent, delayed = temporary redirect
Last checked:
How does meta refresh work in SEO?
The content attribute holds the delay in seconds and, for a redirect, a URL. MDN notes that the timer starts after the page has fully loaded. The feature is not deprecated, but MDN discourages short intervals because assistive technology users may not have time to read the page.
Google’s redirect documentation lists meta refresh as a supported redirect method. It treats an instant meta refresh as a permanent redirect and a delayed one as temporary. Google recommends permanent server-side redirects whenever possible, and calls JavaScript redirects a last resort.
If a meta refresh redirect is used because server access is missing, W3C advises a delay of zero and a page that contains only redirect information.
| Type | Permanent or temporary? | Request method | Effect in Google | How reliably Google detects it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 Moved Permanently | permanent | POST may become GET when followed | Signal that the target should become canonical | most reliable (server-side) |
| 308 Permanent Redirect | permanent | preserved | same as 301 | most reliable (server-side) |
| 302 Found | temporary | POST may become GET when followed | not used as a canonical signal for the target; other signals can still get it indexed | most reliable (server-side) |
| 307 Temporary Redirect | temporary | preserved | same as 302 | most reliable (server-side) |
| Meta refresh, instant (0 s) (this term) | permanent | – (redirect inside the HTML, no 3xx status code) | same as 301 | after server-side redirects |
| Meta refresh, delayed (> 0 s) (this term) | temporary | – (redirect inside the HTML, no 3xx status code) | same as 302 | after server-side redirects |
| JavaScript (location) | permanent | – (redirect in the browser) | same as 301, but only if Google renders the page | least reliable: if rendering fails, Google may never see it |
Google orders redirect types by how likely it is to interpret them correctly: server-side redirects first, JavaScript last. Request-method behaviour is defined in RFC 9110 (section 15.4). Sources: Google Search Central: Redirects and Google Search (last updated 2026-04-14); Google Search Central: How to specify a canonical URL (redirects as canonical signal); RFC 9110: HTTP Semantics, 15.4 Redirection 3xx. Last checked: .
Example
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=https://www.example.com/new-page/">
Common mistakes
- A delay of several seconds on a page that moved permanently. Google reads it as temporary.
- A meta refresh used where a server-side 301 is possible.
Sources
- Meta http-equiv attribute – MDNdeveloper.mozilla.org
- Redirects and Google Search – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
- H76: Using meta refresh to create an instant client-side redirect – W3Cw3.org
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