SiteDetour Quickstart: your first redirect in 5 minutes

Overview

This quickstart takes you from a fresh account to a live HTTPS redirect in five minutes. We assume you already own a domain and can edit its DNS records.

1. Sign up

Head to sitedetour.com/register. You can use email + password or Google OAuth. After verifying your email, a SiteDetour organization is provisioned for you automatically.

2. Create a redirect record

From the dashboard, click Redirects in the sidebar, then Create New. Fill in:

• Domain: the source hostname you're redirecting from (e.g. old.example.com).
• Default Base Path: the fall-through target URL (https://www.newsite.com).
• Leave the Request Path and Query Parameters forwarding toggles on if you want the incoming path/querystring appended to the target.

Click Save.

3. Point DNS

Click View DNS Instructions on the redirect editor. Add the A records (naked domain) or CNAME (subdomain) shown in the panel to your DNS provider. Always use the values from the panel — they are authoritative for your account.

Propagation is usually under 5 minutes for subdomains, up to 24 hours for apex. Refresh the DNS panel; the DNS Not Pointed status flips to DNS Pointed when SiteDetour's resolver sees your change.

4. Acquire SSL

Click Acquire SSL certificate. SiteDetour issues a certificate via automated domain validation. When it completes, the HTTPS Not Enabled indicator clears.

5. Verify

Test from a command line:

curl -I https://old.example.com/

You should see a 301 or 302 with a Location: header pointing at your target. You can also drop the source URL into the free URL Redirect Checker to see the full hop chain.

What to do next

• Add more paths with different targets — see the path selection algorithm.
• Create your first Smart QR / short URL.
• Invite your team from the Organization page.