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If you want to redirect one domain to another properly using Cloudflare, this guide shows the recommended modern best practice using Cloudflare Redirect Rules.
This is one of the most common scenarios website owners face. Sometimes a business changes its name and moves to a new domain. Sometimes multiple domains are consolidated into one main website. In other situations, an older domain still receives traffic from Google, backlinks, bookmarks, or previous customers, so redirecting it properly becomes important for both SEO and user experience.
In this example, we will redirect both
including both HTTP and HTTPS traffic to
This method is considered modern best practice because it is SEO friendly, preserves URL paths and query strings, works globally through Cloudflare’s edge network, and does not require any hosting server purely for redirects.
Many older tutorials still rely on Page Rules, registrar forwarding, cPanel redirects, Apache .htaccess files, or NGINX configuration. While those methods still work, they are often harder to maintain and depend on a hosting server being online purely to perform redirects.
Cloudflare Redirect Rules are cleaner because the redirect happens directly at Cloudflare’s edge before traffic reaches any server. This reduces unnecessary hosting requirements and improves efficiency.
It also helps avoid common SEO problems caused by redirect chains and inconsistent domain handling.
For example, this is considered poor practice:
A direct redirect is much better:
This preserves SEO value properly and provides a cleaner experience for visitors.
In Cloudflare, open the DNS section and create the following records:
The IP address itself is only a placeholder. Since Cloudflare handles the redirect before the request reaches any origin server, the actual destination IP does not matter.
The important part is ensuring the DNS records exist and are proxied through Cloudflare.
Open:
Give the rule a name such as:
Under “If incoming requests match”, choose:
Then create the following conditions:
Cloudflare will automatically generate an expression similar to:
Under the redirect action settings, choose:
For the destination URL, use:
Then set:
and enable:
With this configuration, all of the following:
will redirect directly to:
while preserving paths and query strings.
Examples:
The dynamic redirect expression:
ensures visitors land on the equivalent page at the new domain rather than always being redirected to the homepage.
Without this, all requests would redirect only to:
which can break backlinks, reduce SEO effectiveness, and create a poor user experience.
This setup works extremely well for website migrations, rebranding projects, parked domains, business acquisitions, country-specific domains, and SEO consolidation.
Compared to older redirect methods, Cloudflare Redirect Rules provide a cleaner, faster, and more scalable solution while reducing dependency on traditional hosting infrastructure.
This is one of the most common scenarios website owners face. Sometimes a business changes its name and moves to a new domain. Sometimes multiple domains are consolidated into one main website. In other situations, an older domain still receives traffic from Google, backlinks, bookmarks, or previous customers, so redirecting it properly becomes important for both SEO and user experience.
In this example, we will redirect both
olddomain.tld and www.olddomain.tldincluding both HTTP and HTTPS traffic to
https://www.newdomain.tldThis method is considered modern best practice because it is SEO friendly, preserves URL paths and query strings, works globally through Cloudflare’s edge network, and does not require any hosting server purely for redirects.
Why Cloudflare Redirect Rules Are Recommended
Many older tutorials still rely on Page Rules, registrar forwarding, cPanel redirects, Apache .htaccess files, or NGINX configuration. While those methods still work, they are often harder to maintain and depend on a hosting server being online purely to perform redirects.
Cloudflare Redirect Rules are cleaner because the redirect happens directly at Cloudflare’s edge before traffic reaches any server. This reduces unnecessary hosting requirements and improves efficiency.
It also helps avoid common SEO problems caused by redirect chains and inconsistent domain handling.
For example, this is considered poor practice:
Code:
http://olddomain.tld
→ https://olddomain.tld
→ https://www.olddomain.tld
→ https://www.newdomain.tldA direct redirect is much better:
Code:
http://olddomain.tld/about
→ https://www.newdomain.tld/aboutThis preserves SEO value properly and provides a cleaner experience for visitors.
Step 1 — Add DNS Records
In Cloudflare, open the DNS section and create the following records:
Code:
Type: A
Name: @
IPv4 address: 192.0.2.1
Proxy status: Proxied (Orange Cloud)
Type: A
Name: www
IPv4 address: 192.0.2.1
Proxy status: Proxied (Orange Cloud)The IP address itself is only a placeholder. Since Cloudflare handles the redirect before the request reaches any origin server, the actual destination IP does not matter.
The important part is ensuring the DNS records exist and are proxied through Cloudflare.
Step 2 — Create the Redirect Rule
Open:
Code:
Cloudflare → Rules → Redirect Rules → Create RuleGive the rule a name such as:
Code:
Forward to newdomain.tldUnder “If incoming requests match”, choose:
Code:
Custom filter expressionThen create the following conditions:
Code:
Hostname equals olddomain.tld
OR
Hostname equals www.olddomain.tldCloudflare will automatically generate an expression similar to:
Code:
(http.host eq “olddomain.tld”) or (http.host eq “www.olddomain.tld”)Step 3 — Configure the Redirect
Under the redirect action settings, choose:
Code:
Type: DynamicFor the destination URL, use:
Code:
concat(“https://www.newdomain.tld”, http.request.uri.path)Then set:
Code:
Status code: 301 - Permanent Redirectand enable:
Code:
Preserve query stringHow This Works
With this configuration, all of the following:
Code:
http://olddomain.tld
https://olddomain.tld
http://www.olddomain.tld
https://www.olddomain.tldwill redirect directly to:
Code:
https://www.newdomain.tldwhile preserving paths and query strings.
Examples:
Code:
https://olddomain.tld/about
→ https://www.newdomain.tld/about
https://www.olddomain.tld/contact?ref=google
→ https://www.newdomain.tld/contact?ref=googleWhy Dynamic Redirect Matters
The dynamic redirect expression:
Code:
concat(“https://www.newdomain.tld”, http.request.uri.path)ensures visitors land on the equivalent page at the new domain rather than always being redirected to the homepage.
Without this, all requests would redirect only to:
Code:
https://www.newdomain.tldwhich can break backlinks, reduce SEO effectiveness, and create a poor user experience.
Final Thoughts
This setup works extremely well for website migrations, rebranding projects, parked domains, business acquisitions, country-specific domains, and SEO consolidation.
Compared to older redirect methods, Cloudflare Redirect Rules provide a cleaner, faster, and more scalable solution while reducing dependency on traditional hosting infrastructure.