Quick answer: change the web response, not the mail records
To send visitors from an old website to a new one, set a server-side HTTP redirect on the old web hostname while it still reaches a service you control. Choose a permanent 301 only when the move is lasting; use a temporary 302 for a planned short detour. Test the old HTTPS hostname and each important path before calling the move complete.
A DNS A or CNAME change points a name at a server; it does not, by itself, tell the browser to change URLs. A web redirect does not require changing MX records. Keep mail routing untouched unless a separately approved mail move needs it. This guide applies only when your accepted Novasean service includes the old domain’s DirectAdmin-hosted website and you are authorised to change its redirects.
Confirm which service can answer for the old domain
Check the exact old hostname, including whether visitors use www, and the new destination. The old hostname must still resolve to a web service able to send the redirect. If its DNS already points to another provider, changing a rule in a Novasean DirectAdmin account will not affect the response visitors receive. A domain registration or DNS-only service does not establish that Novasean controls the web response.
Open the new destination directly over HTTPS. Confirm its intended page exists, the hostname has a valid certificate and the content is suitable for visitors from the old URL. Then test the old hostname over HTTPS before the redirect: a browser checks its certificate before it can read any HTTP redirect. An expired or wrong-name certificate on the old site needs its own fix; the redirect cannot make that warning disappear.
Map old pages to useful new pages
Write down the old URLs people actually use and their closest new replacements. For example, https://old.example.org/services/ should lead to a relevant service page, not automatically to an unrelated new homepage. A whole-domain rule is suitable only if the destination has matching paths and you have tested them. If the path structure changed, map important pages individually; genuinely removed content may need a proper 404 or 410 rather than a misleading redirect.
Keep the old domain and hosting response available during testing. Record who owns each redirect layer: DirectAdmin, the site’s CMS, a reverse proxy or a CDN. A second rule at another layer can create a chain or loop. If you are changing only web hosting while keeping the same public URLs, a redirect may not be needed at all; follow the migration redirect-check guide for that case.
Set one rule in the authorised DirectAdmin account
- At DirectAdmin User level, select the old domain whose website still answers visitor requests. If your account exposes Site Redirection or Redirects, open that control. The label and available options depend on the server and skin; if it is absent, ask the responsible operator rather than editing an unverified server rule.
- Enter the old path and the full destination HTTPS URL. Review whether the control redirects exactly that path or a wider prefix. Do not assume that it preserves the remainder of every URL; test the result on representative paths.
- Select
301for a lasting move or302for a temporary detour, if the choice is available. DirectAdmin documents redirect types, but an individual account may expose different controls. Save one intended rule and record its previous state so you can reverse it.
DirectAdmin’s separate Force Redirect setting controls www/non-www behaviour, with related HTTPS options. It is not a generic “send this old domain to another website” setting. Do not combine it with a new cross-domain rule without checking the resulting chain.
Verify HTTP status, destination, HTTPS and mail
From a browser session that is not signed in, request the old homepage and several important old paths, both with and without www where those names are in use. Inspect the first HTTP status and Location header, follow the full chain and check the final page. A good permanent rule returns 301 from the intended old URL to a relevant working HTTPS destination. A chain that returns to a previous URL is a loop; a chain that lands on an unrelated homepage or 404 is also wrong for that page.
For a read-only header check, an authorised operator can run curl -sS -o /dev/null -D - https://old.example.org/services/, replacing the documentation-only hostname and path with the actual old URL. This shows the first response without silently following it. Use a browser or inspect each subsequent Location separately to confirm the final result. A HEAD request can behave differently from a normal page GET, so test the visitor journey too.
Finally, send and receive a test message for any mail service that still uses the old domain, and confirm its MX records stayed as agreed. The redirect changes web traffic; a simultaneous DNS or mail-routing change is a separate action and should have its own verification.
Undo the new rule if visitors reach the wrong place
If a representative URL loops, redirects to the wrong site, loses a required path or presents a certificate warning, stop widening the rule. Remove or revert only the new redirect, restore the previous working web response if needed and recheck the affected URLs. Keep a small record of old URL, observed status, Location, final URL and the rule changed. Use the redirect-loop guide when two layers appear to send visitors back and forth.
If the old hostname is no longer served by the DirectAdmin account, or another platform owns the first response, give support the exact old and intended URLs plus redacted response headers and timestamps. Do not send passwords, access tokens or private message content. Novasean can investigate only the web service included in the accepted Order; it cannot change another provider’s redirect on your behalf.
Frequently asked questions
Will a 301 redirect move my email? No. It is an HTTP web response. Mail delivery is controlled separately by mail routing and MX records; verify those if any DNS change accompanies the website move.
Should I choose 301 or 302? Use 301 when the old page has permanently moved to its relevant new URL. Use 302 for a genuinely temporary detour. Google treats permanent redirects as a signal towards the new canonical URL, but neither status guarantees immediate indexing or a Google position.
Can I cancel the old hosting immediately? Not while it is still the service answering for the old URLs. Keep it available until the redirect and important paths have been verified and a replacement redirect owner is confirmed.
Will a redirect fix an HTTPS certificate warning on the old domain? No. TLS validation happens before the browser receives the HTTP redirect. Check the old hostname’s served certificate separately.
Sources and technical references
Related guides
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