TL;DR: Site not ready? Redirect your domain to a temporary page (Google Form, social profile, Linktree) using a 302 redirect via Domain-Forward.com (free plan). No hosting needed. Remove when your site launches.
You have a domain. Your website is being built. Right now, visitors to your domain see either:
- A blank page
- A registrar parking page with competitor ads
- A “server not found” error
None of these are good. But you don’t have hosting yet, and you’re not going to pay for it just to show “coming soon.”
Redirect to something useful. A form to collect emails. A social media page. An existing Notion doc. A Carrd mini-site. Anything is better than nothing — and it requires zero hosting.
Where to Redirect During Construction
| Destination | Best For | URL Example |
|---|---|---|
| Google Form | Collecting email signups | forms.gle/... |
| Linktree | Multiple links (social, contact, etc.) | linktr.ee/yourname |
| Notion | Detailed “about” or FAQ page | notion.site/... |
| Instagram/social | Personal brands | instagram.com/handle |
| Carrd | One-page “coming soon” | yoursite.carrd.co |
| Mailchimp landing page | Email list building | mailchi.mp/... |
Setup (5 Minutes)
Step 1: Create your temporary destination
Pick one from above and set it up. A Google Form with “Enter your email to be notified when we launch” takes 2 minutes.
Step 2: Sign up at Domain-Forward.com
Free, no credit card.
Step 3: Add your redirect
- Source:
yourdomain.com(add both root andwww) - Destination: Your temporary page URL
- Type: 302 (temporary) ← Important: use 302, not 301
Step 4: Update DNS
| Record Type | Host | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | @ (root) | 138.68.125.144 |
| CNAME | www | edge.domain-forward.com |
Step 5: Wait for DNS propagation (1-4 hours)
SSL provisioned automatically. Test with our redirect tester tool.
When Your Site Is Ready: Remove the Redirect
- Update DNS records to point to your actual hosting
- Delete the redirect rule in Domain-Forward.com
- Your site is live at your domain
See the full removal process in our guide on temporary redirects.
Why 302, Not 301
A 302 tells search engines: “This redirect is temporary. The real content is coming to this domain later.”
A 301 says: “This domain has permanently moved to the destination.” Google would index the destination and transfer all signals away from your domain.
During construction, always use 302. When your site launches, search engines will find and index your actual site at the domain.
Don’t Let Your Domain Do Nothing
Every day your domain shows a parking page or error, you’re missing potential customers. A 5-minute redirect gives visitors something useful and lets you start collecting signups before launch.
Create your free account, redirect to a signup form or social profile, and start building your audience today. Switch to your real site when it’s ready. Email already set up on this domain stays working — MX records are separate from web records.