Every redirect has a few settings that determine how requests are forwarded: the redirect type, whether the path and query string are kept, and whether analytics are recorded. This article explains each of them.
Redirect type
- Permanent (301)
The default and the right choice for permanent domain moves, site migrations and URL consolidation. A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that the page has moved permanently, and the SEO value of the original URL transfers to the destination. - Temporary (302)
Tells browsers and search engines that the page has moved temporarily and the original URL will return. Use it for seasonal campaigns, A/B tests or maintenance pages. Not sure which one to pick? Read 301 vs 302 redirects. - Permanent (308) and temporary (307)
The same as 301 and 302, with one difference: the browser must keep the HTTP method and request body when following the redirect. That matters for POST or PUT requests in API workflows. Only use these when you have a specific reason to. See the MDN documentation on 308 and 307. - Frame
Loads the destination inside an iframe on the source hostname, so the original domain stays in the address bar. We don't recommend it: search engines can't index framed content properly, the URL doesn't update while navigating, and many destinations block framing entirely. You can check whether your destination allows framing with iframetester.com. Available from the Basic plan and up. - Meta refresh
Redirects visitors with an HTML<meta>refresh tag with a zero-second delay, rather than an HTTP status code. Useful when you deliberately don't want a 301 or 302, for example to avoid passing SEO signals. Available from the Basic plan and up.
Path forwarding
With path forwarding enabled, the path of the incoming request is appended to the destination. This is essential during a domain migration, where every page on the old domain should land on the matching page of the new one.
Source: example.com Destination: https://destination.com Path forwarding: on example.com/contact redirects to https://destination.com/contact
Combine it with query string forwarding to keep both the path and the query string.
Query string forwarding
With query string forwarding enabled, the query string of the incoming request is kept on the destination.
Source: example.com Destination: https://destination.com Query string forwarding: on example.com/?page=342 redirects to https://destination.com/?page=342
If the destination already contains query parameters, both sets are merged. Parameters from the incoming request take precedence over those defined on the destination.
Source: example.com Destination: https://destination.com/?ref=redirected Query string forwarding: on example.com/?page=342 redirects to https://destination.com/?page=342&ref=redirected
Tracking
With tracking enabled, we record analytical data for every incoming request. This powers your analytics: hit counts, referrers, countries and more. With tracking disabled, we only store the date and the full URL of the request, so we can count hits for your plan. We never sell or share this data. See our privacy policy for details.