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Guide, checked November 2026

Network Solutions web forwarding, with and without HTTPS

Network Solutions has two kinds of forwarding. The standard one answers on http:// only. Secure Domain Forwarding adds a certificate and HTTPS for a monthly fee. This page covers both, a two line test, and the alternatives when you have more than a couple of domains.

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olddomain.com on standard forwardingResult
  • http://olddomain.comRedirect to new siteWorks
  • https://olddomain.comNo certificateFails
  • Secure Forwarding add on$2.99 a monthPaid

Short version

If anyone might follow an https:// link to the old domain, standard forwarding is not enough. Secure Domain Forwarding fixes that inside Network Solutions for $2.99 a month, or $19.49 for the first year and $29.99 a year after that (prices listed on 10 November 2026). With several domains, or when old pages need to land on matching new pages, compare that with Cloudflare, which is free if you move nameservers, and with SiteDetour, which covers five domains for $12 a month.

Written by the SiteDetour team. Checked against the Network Solutions help article "What is Secure Domain Forwarding?" on 10 November 2026.

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Set up Secure Domain Forwarding

No hosting plan needed. Network Solutions asks you to allow 24 to 48 hours for the change to reach everyone.

  1. Add the product

    Buy Secure Domain Forwarding from the Marketplace, the Domain details page or the Domain list. If the domain already uses standard Web Forwarding, remove that first.

  2. Open the domain

    Go to Domains, choose the domain and click Manage. Under Domain connections, click Manage again. Click Activate if the product is not switched on yet.

  3. Add the forward

    Click + Add Web Forwarding. Set the source to Standard URL and enter the address the domain should go to.

  4. Choose the method

    Pick Permanent 307/308. Secure forwarding uses 307 and 308 where the standard product uses 301 and 302.

  5. Apply and save

    Click Apply, then Save. The certificate comes from Let’s Encrypt and is part of the product.

A 308 is a permanent redirect, and Google treats it the same as a 301. The practical difference is for form posts and API calls, which keep their method on a 308.

Standard, secure, and hosted

Taken from the Network Solutions help article, next to a hosted redirect on SiteDetour.

Standard Web ForwardingHTTPS forwarding and an SSL certificate are not included
  • http://olddomain.comworks:redirect to new site
  • https://olddomain.comfails:certificate error
Secure Domain ForwardingPaid add on with a Let’s Encrypt certificate
  • https://olddomain.comworks:307 or 308 to new site
Through SiteDetourCertificate issued and renewed for every domain
  • https://olddomain.comworks:301 to new site
http:// requests
Network Solutions forwardingRedirected
SiteDetourRedirected
https:// requests
Network Solutions forwardingStandard: not included. Secure Domain Forwarding: included, with a Let’s Encrypt certificate.
SiteDetourCertificate issued and renewed for every domain
Redirect types
Network Solutions forwardingStandard: 301, 302. Secure: 307, 308.
SiteDetour301, 302, 307
Destinations
Network Solutions forwardingPath rules are not mentioned in the help article
SiteDetourRules per path, with path and query forwarding
Hosting plan needed
Network Solutions forwardingNo
SiteDetourNo
Traffic reports
Network Solutions forwardingNot mentioned in the help article
SiteDetourHits, countries, referrers and devices, live
Cost
Network Solutions forwardingStandard: included. Secure: $2.99 a month, or $19.49 the first year and $29.99 after.
SiteDetourFrom $12 a month for 5 domains

Test both halves before you trust it

Run these from any terminal. Replace olddomain.com with yours.

Terminal
$ curl -sI http://olddomain.com | head -3HTTP/1.1 301 Moved PermanentlyLocation: https://www.newsite.com/$ curl -sI https://olddomain.com | head -3curl: (60) SSL: no alternative certificate subject namematches target host name 'olddomain.com'

On standard forwarding the first command prints a redirect and the second fails, as shown. Once Secure Domain Forwarding is live, both should print a redirect, with 308 where this example shows 301. If you have no terminal handy, paste the address into the free redirect checker and read the chain.

Typed addresses usually recover, because browsers fall back to http:// when the secure attempt fails. Links, bookmarks and printed QR codes that contain https:// do not. Those visitors see the warning page and most of them leave.

Three ways to cover https://

All three work. They differ in what you have to move and what you get back.

  • Secure Domain Forwarding

    Stays inside your Network Solutions account and needs no hosting plan. It is a paid add on, and each forward is set up by hand in that domain’s settings.

    Fits: one or two domains you want to keep entirely at Network Solutions.

  • Cloudflare, free

    Move the domain’s nameservers to Cloudflare, add proxied A records to 192.0.2.1 for @ and www, and create a Redirect Rule. Cloudflare issues the certificate and can keep the path and query string. Each domain is its own zone with its own rule.

    Fits: a few domains and someone at home in the Cloudflare dashboard.

  • SiteDetour

    Leave the domain registered at Network Solutions. Add it in SiteDetour, copy the A record and CNAME it shows you into the domain’s DNS, and click Acquire SSL certificate. Path rules, CSV import, hit reports and team roles sit in one screen for every domain you own.

    Fits: many domains, non technical colleagues, or redirects you have to report on.

Move a Network Solutions forward to SiteDetour

About ten minutes per domain, most of it waiting for DNS.

  1. Create the redirect

    In SiteDetour, open Redirects and click Create New. Enter olddomain.com as the domain, set the destination, and tick Include www subdomain.

  2. Copy the DNS values

    Click View DNS Instructions. The panel lists the A records for the bare domain and the CNAME target for subdomains. Keep it open.

  3. Swap the records at Network Solutions

    Remove the Web Forwarding entry. Then, in the domain’s DNS settings, add the records from the panel for the bare domain and for www.

  4. Issue the certificate

    Back in SiteDetour, click Acquire SSL certificate once DNS has updated. Subdomains usually update within five minutes. Bare domains can take up to 24 hours, depending on the old TTL.

  5. Run the test again

    Both curl commands should now print a 301. Renewals happen on their own after that.

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Questions that come up

Does Network Solutions web forwarding support HTTPS?
Only the paid version. The help article says of standard forwarding that HTTPS forwarding is not included and an SSL certificate is not included. Secure Domain Forwarding includes both, with a certificate from Let’s Encrypt.
How much does Secure Domain Forwarding cost?
On 10 November 2026 the help article listed $2.99 a month, or $19.49 for the first year and $29.99 a year on renewal. It also says pricing is subject to change, so check your account before you buy.
Is a 308 redirect as good as a 301 for search?
Yes. Google documents 301 and 308 as permanent redirects and treats both as a signal that the new address is the one to index. What still matters is that each old page lands on its matching new page.
Can I keep the domain at Network Solutions and redirect it somewhere else?
Yes. The registration stays where it is. You change the domain’s A record and www CNAME to point at a redirect host, and the host answers on http:// and https:// with its own certificate. SiteDetour works this way.
How long does Network Solutions forwarding take to start?
Network Solutions says to allow 24 to 48 hours for changes to update across the web. It is often faster, but do not schedule a launch around the short end of that range.
Do I have to keep paying for the old domain?
Yes, for as long as the redirect should work. If the registration lapses the redirect stops, and anyone can register the name and receive your old traffic. Most teams leave redirected domains on auto renew for years.

If anyone might follow an https:// link to the old domain, standard forwarding is not enough. Secure Domain Forwarding fixes that for $2.99 a month.

Redirect your first domain in about ten minutes

Add the domain, copy the DNS records, and the certificate is issued for you. 14 days free, no credit card.

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