In our test in November 2026, GoDaddy forwarded the homepage and nothing else, so every deeper URL ended on a 404 page. The forward also only works on GoDaddy's own nameservers, and it locks the domain's main A record for as long as it's active.
If old links to the domain have to keep working, point it at redirect.pizza with path forwarding instead. Both setups are below, with a test for each.
Key takeaways
- Forwarding only works on GoDaddy's nameservers. If your domain uses others, GoDaddy switches them, and the records at your old DNS provider stop being used.
- Test a deeper URL before you rely on a forward. In our test, only the homepage followed.
- An active forward locks the @ A record. You have to delete the forward before you can change it.
- GoDaddy adds HTTPS to forwarded domains on its nameservers.
- redirect.pizza works with the DNS you already have: one A record and one CNAME, with path forwarding and automatic HTTPS.
Setting up forwarding in GoDaddy
GoDaddy sets up forwarding from the domain's DNS settings, for domains registered at GoDaddy. Its own support docs describe these steps:
- 1
Sign in to your GoDaddy Domain Portfolio and open the domain's settings.
- 2
Go to DNS, then Forwarding, and add a forward.
- 3
Choose the domain itself or a subdomain. For a subdomain, GoDaddy creates or updates the DNS record for you.
- 4
Pick
http://orhttps://for the destination and enter the destination URL. - 5
Choose the forwarding type: Permanent (301), Temporary (302) or Forward with masking.
- 6
Save. Domains with Domain Protection ask for a verification code first.
Permanent (301) is the default and the right choice for a domain that moved for good. To forward the www version as well, the www CNAME record has to point to @. GoDaddy says most changes take effect within an hour and can take up to 48 hours.
Test the forward on four addresses
Open each one in a private window, so a cached redirect can't hide the result:
http://example.comhttps://example.comhttps://www.example.com- a deeper URL with a query string, such as
https://example.com/pricing?ref=test
Each one should end on the right page of the destination. Our redirect checker requests them from our network, so your own browser's cache plays no part.
When we ran this test in November 2026 on a domain forwarded by GoDaddy, the homepage forwarded over HTTPS. Every deeper URL, on the apex and on www, over HTTP and HTTPS, returned a 404 Not Found. GoDaddy's support docs don't say how forwarding handles paths, so test your own domain before old links depend on it.
Where GoDaddy forwarding gets in your way
Your DNS has to live at GoDaddy
GoDaddy forwarding only works when the domain uses GoDaddy's nameservers. If it uses others, setting up a forward switches it to GoDaddy's.
For a domain whose DNS runs at Cloudflare, Amazon Route 53, Azure DNS or your own servers, that switch moves the entire zone. Mail (MX), SPF and verification records, other subdomains: whatever isn't recreated in GoDaddy's DNS stops working. Not sure where your DNS lives? Look up the domain's nameservers. GoDaddy's end in domaincontrol.com.
The @ A record gets locked
Adding a forward updates the domain's @ A record and locks it. To point the apex anywhere else, you have to delete the forward first. That includes moving the domain to redirect.pizza (step 2 below).
Deeper URLs don't follow
A domain with a history has links pointing past its homepage: old blog posts, product pages, campaign URLs in print. In our test those addresses ended on a 404 instead of the destination. For visitors that's a dead end. For search engines, links to those URLs stop passing value to the new site. More on that in how 404 errors affect SEO.
A forward that only matches the root passes every homepage test. So don't stop at the homepage. Take the deepest URL you can find in an old newsletter. If that one lands on the right page, path handling works.
Michel Bardelmeijer, Tech Lead at redirect.pizza
When to use redirect.pizza instead
For a spare domain that only has to reach one page, GoDaddy's forwarding does the job. Think of the .net you bought so nobody else would. Once the domain has a history, these make the difference:
- Your DNS stays where it is. Cloudflare, Route 53, Azure DNS or your own servers keep the zone. You change one A record and one CNAME, and mail and other records stay untouched.
- Old URLs land on matching pages. Path forwarding sends example.com/pricing to the same path on the destination, and query string forwarding keeps campaign parameters. A root redirect catches everything else, so nobody hits a 404.
- Many domains, one place. Import and export, the API, a Terraform provider and an MCP server are on every plan, whichever registrar holds each domain.
- You can see the traffic. From Basic (Pepperoni), analytics show hits, referrers and countries per redirect.
- Every hostname gets HTTPS. Certificates are issued and renewed automatically, on every plan.
Point a GoDaddy domain at redirect.pizza
Two of the five steps happen at GoDaddy: removing the forward and changing the DNS records.
Step 1: Add the redirect in redirect.pizza
Create a free account, no credit card required. Add the apex and the www hostname as two sources, for example example.com and www.example.com, with your new address as the destination. Turn on path forwarding, so example.com/pricing lands on /pricing at the destination, and query string forwarding to keep campaign parameters. The redirect is a permanent 301 by default.
The hostnames now show a DNS status of "checking". That's expected until step 3 is done.
Step 2: Remove the forward in GoDaddy
Skip this step if the domain has no forward. Otherwise, open the domain's DNS settings in GoDaddy, go to Forwarding and delete the forward. While it's active, GoDaddy keeps the @ A record locked.
Step 3: Change the DNS records at GoDaddy
Open the domain's DNS records in GoDaddy and set these:
Edit the existing @ A record rather than adding a second one, and remove any other A, AAAA or CNAME records for @ and www. MX, TXT and records for other subdomains stay as they are. What these DNS changes do explains each record.
If the nameservers don't end in domaincontrol.com, your DNS isn't managed at GoDaddy. Make the change where it is managed instead, for example in Cloudflare, Amazon Route 53 or Azure DNS.
Does the domain have CAA records? Then they have to allow letsencrypt.org and sectigo.com, or no certificate can be issued.
Step 4: Wait for the green checkmark
Most DNS changes are picked up within an hour, some take up to 24 hours. redirect.pizza keeps checking and shows a green checkmark as soon as the records match. Press the refresh icon next to a record to check right away. The SSL certificate follows a few minutes after verification.
Step 5: Test again
Open the four test addresses again. This time the deeper URL should land on the same path at the destination. Still seeing the old behavior? Your browser may have cached it. Try a private window or the redirect checker, or work through troubleshooting new redirects.
Moving several GoDaddy domains at once? From Pro (Prosciutto e Funghi), automatic DNS applies the records at GoDaddy for you through its API, in bulk if you like. You need a production API key from GoDaddy for that, and any GoDaddy account with at least one active domain can create one.
GoDaddy forwarding not working? Check these first
Frequently asked questions
Both are possible. Permanent (301) is GoDaddy's default and the right choice when a domain moved for good, because it tells search engines to credit the new address. Temporary (302) is meant for short-term moves, such as a holding page. GoDaddy itself warns that leaving a 302 in place too long can hurt your rankings. Forward with masking isn't a redirect at all: it shows the destination inside a frame.
Yes. When you add a forward for a subdomain, GoDaddy creates the DNS record if it doesn't exist yet, or updates it if it does. The same nameserver condition applies as for the main domain. With redirect.pizza, each subdomain gets a CNAME to edge.redirect.pizza. To catch every subdomain with one source, use a wildcard source, available from Pro. It counts as 10 source hostnames.
Usually not. Masking keeps your domain in the address bar by loading the destination in a frame. Many sites refuse to be framed, and visitors then see a blank page. GoDaddy's own advice for that case is to switch to forward only. GoDaddy also notes that search engines don't index the destination's content for a masked domain. If visitors should keep seeing your domain, host the site on it.
Yes. GoDaddy applies HTTPS to every forwarded domain automatically, as long as the domain uses GoDaddy's nameservers. That matters most for .dev and .app domains. Both are on the HSTS preload list, so browsers only reach them over HTTPS. A forward without a certificate never worked there. GoDaddy's certificate covers the domain you forward. The destination needs its own.
Related Reads
- What these DNS changes do
- Path and query string forwarding
- Namecheap URL redirect
- Domain forwarding explained
- 301 vs 302 redirects
- How URL redirects work
Forward the whole domain, not just the homepage
Create a free account, add your GoDaddy domain and turn on path forwarding. Free (Margherita) covers five source hostnames, enough for the apex and www of two domains. Need more hostnames or analytics? Basic, Pro and Business (Quattro Stagioni) come with a 14-day trial, no credit card required.