Redirects for content migrated into Passle

When you move content from an old blog or content management system (CMS) to Passle, the URLs for that content will change. A common question is: What happens to the links that your audience already uses?

Redirects are important in this situation.

What Are Redirects and Why Do They Matter?

When content is moved from an existing website or platform into Passle, the original URLs no longer point to the correct location. However, your audience may still access those old links via:

• Bookmarks
• Links shared in emails or on social platforms
• Search engine results that have already indexed the old URLs

Once your content has been imported into Passle, each legacy article is matched to its new Passle post. This allows you to:

• Keep existing links functional
• Automatically redirect visitors from old URLs to the new Passle versions

Redirects ensure a smooth visitor experience, prevent broken links, and help maintain your content’s visibility and SEO value by seamlessly directing users to the correct Passle post.
 

Domain Handling Categories

Before setting up redirects, it is important to establish who is providing hosting for the original domain. Redirect responsibilities depend on this ownership.

1. Clients Retaining Control of Their Domain

If a client keeps their original domain under their own control, they are responsible for creating and managing redirects.

In this scenario, there are two ways to determine the correct redirect destinations:

• Passle Redirect Helper (Recommended)

The Passle redirect helper is the simplest and most user-friendly option. It allows clients to resolve legacy URLs to their new Passle destinations without requiring API integration. This option is generally recommended, particularly for non-technical teams.

• Passle Redirect API

Alternatively, more technical web teams may prefer to use the Passle Redirect API. This enables programmatic lookup of new Passle URLs and integration into existing redirect systems.

2. Clients Pointing Their Domain to Passle

If a client points their domain to Passle using CNAME records, redirect management is handled by Passle.

Passle will manage your redirects using implicit redirects. When a matching destination is identified, visitors are automatically redirected to the appropriate Passle post.

This approach requires no manual redirect configuration once the domain is pointing to Passle.

Important Timing Considerations 
All DNS and redirect changes must be completed before the old site is deactivated. Failing to align these changes may result in broken links, downtime, or lost traffic. Please ensure you plan the redirect route, coordinate timing across all involved parties and keep your legacy provider, Passle, and your internal IT or web team fully informed.

•  

  If you choose to point your domain to Passle, CNAME records must be configured correctly. The setup process involves the following steps:

  • Provide Domains to Passle
     The client supplies the domains that will be used with Passle. These domains are registered and configured within the Passle system.
  • Set up the SSL record
    The client sets up the SSL record so that Passle can create a certificate. Passle creates the record and adds it to the load balancer.
  • Update CName records
    Client can point their the cname record at Passle. 

  Once these records are in place and have propagated, Passle will handle hosting and redirects for the domain automatically.

• The Redirect API endpoint allows you to submit an old URL as the remoteId parameter. The API then returns the corresponding new Passle URL, which you can use to configure redirects within your own system.

  Please note:

  • The Redirect API does not support multilingual content.
  • If you are importing content written in multiple languages, the Passle Enterprise (enterprise@passle.net) team can assist with alternative solutions.

• If updating every URL in your legacy system is not practical, Passle provides a redirect helper link to ensure seamless visitor experiences and avoid broken links while protecting SEO.

  Instead of linking directly to the old article, you can replace old links with a Passle redirect helper URL. This way, Passle will automatically redirect visitors to the correct new Passle post, even if the original content was hosted outside of Passle.

  To use the redirect helper, update links to the following format:

  https://clientweb.passle.net/redirect/externalUrlRedirect?remoteId=[your-old-post-URL]

  Please note that while using Redirect Helper, you can also use your domain instead of clientweb.passle.net.