TL;DR: Old newsletter/blog links live forever in sent emails. When you move platforms, redirect your old domain to the new one using Domain-Forward.com (free plan). Path forwarding keeps deep links working. Keep it running permanently.
You switched your newsletter from Substack to ConvertKit. Or moved your blog from Medium to Ghost. Or migrated from WordPress.com to your own hosting. The new platform is great.
But here’s the problem: every newsletter you ever sent still contains links to the old URL. Every tweet sharing an old blog post still points there. Every Google result still references the old address.
If those links go to a dead page, you’re losing subscribers who are actively trying to read your content.
The Link Problem After Migration
Old links exist in:
- Sent newsletters — every email you ever sent links to the old domain/platform
- Social media posts — years of content sharing on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
- Google search results — takes months to fully re-index
- Other sites’ backlinks — guest post references, directories, partners
- Bookmarks — loyal readers who bookmarked specific articles
- RSS readers — subscribers still following your old feed URL
These links don’t update themselves. They point to wherever they were set at the time of publishing.
Platform Migration Scenarios
Scenario 1: Custom domain, same domain on new platform
Old: blog.yourdomain.com on Ghost
New: blog.yourdomain.com on WordPress
If still using the same domain, just update DNS to the new platform’s servers. No redirect needed.
Scenario 2: Custom domain, moving to a new domain
Old: olddomain.com on Substack (custom domain)
New: newdomain.com on Ghost
Redirect olddomain.com → newdomain.com with path forwarding. This is the most common migration scenario.
Scenario 3: Platform subdomain, moving to custom domain
Old: yourname.substack.com
New: yourdomain.com
You can’t redirect yourname.substack.com (Substack controls it). But you can ensure your custom domain works going forward and set up article redirects on Substack if they offer the feature.
Setup: Redirecting an Old Custom Domain
Step 1: Sign up at Domain-Forward.com
Free, no credit card.
Step 2: Add your redirect
- Source:
olddomain.com(add both root andwww) - Destination:
https://newdomain.com - Type: 301 permanent
- Path forwarding: Enable if URL structures match
Step 3: Update DNS on the OLD domain
| Record Type | Host | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | @ (root) | 138.68.125.144 |
| CNAME | www | edge.domain-forward.com |
Step 4: Wait and test
DNS propagation: 1-4 hours. SSL provisioned automatically. Test old post URLs with our redirect tester tool.
Path Forwarding Matters
Without path forwarding:
olddomain.com/how-to-start-a-podcast→newdomain.com(reader lands on homepage, can’t find the article)
With path forwarding:
olddomain.com/how-to-start-a-podcast→newdomain.com/how-to-start-a-podcast✓
If your new platform uses the same URL slugs (most do when importing content), path forwarding gives readers exactly the article they were looking for.
Post-Migration Checklist
- ✅ Set up domain redirect with path forwarding
- ✅ Submit Google Search Console Change of Address (if applicable)
- ✅ Update profile links on social platforms
- ✅ Update email signature with new URL
- ✅ Keep old domain registered and redirecting permanently
- ✅ Monitor analytics to confirm traffic is flowing
Keep the Redirect Running Forever
Newsletters live in inboxes forever. A subscriber from 2022 might click a link in your old email in 2028. If the redirect is gone, that’s a lost reader.
Domain-Forward.com’s free plan makes this cost-free. Keep the old domain registered, keep the redirect active. It’s set-and-forget.
Create your free account, redirect your old blog domain with path forwarding enabled, and never lose a reader to a dead link again. Email stays working — MX records are untouched.