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URL Forwarding (URL Redirects) - How to set it up

URL forwarding (also called a redirect) sends visitors from one address (Source) to another (Destination URL). It’s useful when you want your domain to point to an existing website, landing page, or a different domain.

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Step 1: Log in to Atom

  1. Sign in to your Atom account.

  2. Go to Domain Manager under My Domains. (link)

Step 2: Open the domain you want to update

  1. Find the domain in your list.

  2. Click the domain name to open its settings.


URL Redirects is located at the bottom section.


Step 3 : Enter values

  1. In Source, enter the domain or subdomain you want to redirect.

    • Examples: example.com or blog.example.com

  2. In Destination URL, enter the full URL you want to send visitors to.

    • Examples: https://www.example.com or https://www.example.com/sale

  3. In Type, choose 301 (Permanent) or 302 (Temporary).

    What to enter in each field

    Source

    Use the exact hostname people will type.

    • ✅ example.com

    • ✅ www.example.com

    • ✅ blog.example.com

    • ❌ Don’t include http:// or https:// in Source

    • ❌ Don’t include a path like /page in Source (unless your system explicitly supports path-based sources)

    Destination URL

    Use the full destination, including https://:

    • ✅ https://www.example.com

    • ✅ https://www.example.com/sale

    • ✅ https://example.net/new-home

    Type (301 vs 302)

    • 301 (Permanent): Use when the redirect is meant to stay long-term (best for SEO).

      • Example: example.com → https://www.example.com

    • 302 (Temporary): Use when it’s short-term and you expect to change/remove it.

      • Example: a weekend promo redirecting to a campaign page

⚠️ Very important: DNS must include an A record for redirects to work

A redirect only works if the Source hostname resolves to an IP address in DNS.

To make URL Redirects work, your root domain (also called apex, shown as @) must have this A record:

  • Host/Name: @ (or leave blank, depending on the DNS UI)

  • Type: A

  • Value: 52.20.84.62

If this A record is missing, the domain may not resolve, and the browser can’t reach the redirect service—so the redirect will not happen.

If you deleted this A record, please add it back.
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Here's the link to Atom DNS how-to


Common redirect setups (examples)

1) Redirect non-www to www (most common)

  • Source: example.com
    ​Destination URL: https://www.example.com
    ​Type: 301 (Permanent)

(You may also want a separate redirect the other way, depending on how your site is set up.)
​

2) Redirect a subdomain to a page

  • Source: blog.example.com
    ​Destination URL: https://www.example.com/blog
    ​Type: 301 (Permanent)
    ​

3) Temporary promo redirect

  • Source: example.com
    ​Destination URL: https://www.example.com/holiday-sale
    ​Type: 302 (Temporary)
    ​

Notes / gotchas

  • Redirects can take a little time to be visible due to caching.

  • URL forwarding does not “connect” your domain to a site the same way DNS does. It simply sends visitors elsewhere.

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