How can I fix the issue of a trailing slash causing a redirect to the Webflow subdomain instead of my domain?
TL;DR
- Set your www.customdomain.com as the default in Webflow Hosting settings to ensure consistent redirects.
- Check canonical tags on each page and replace any references to your Webflow subdomain with your custom domain.
- Disable Webflow subdomain indexing in SEO settings and clear browser or CDN cache to avoid lingering redirect issues.
A trailing slash redirecting to your Webflow subdomain instead of your custom domain typically indicates an issue with your domain settings or how Webflow is handling canonical URLs and redirects.
1. Check Domain Settings in Webflow
- Go to Project Settings > Hosting.
- Under Custom Domains, ensure your primary domain (with or without “www”) is correctly set.
- Click the "Make default" link next to your preferred domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com).
- This ensures Webflow always redirects all traffic to your custom domain, even when trailing slashes or alternate formats are used.
2. Use the "www" Version as Primary
- Webflow best practices suggest using the www version (e.g., www.yourdomain.com) as the default.
- If you use a non-www domain, some automatic redirects may not behave consistently due to DNS constraints.
- Update the A records to include only the www domain in Webflow unless you have a specific reason to use the root domain as default.
3. Configure Canonical URLs
- In the Page Settings for each individual page, ensure you're not overriding the canonical URL incorrectly.
- Click the gear icon (⚙️) next to each page, scroll to SEO Settings, and check the Canonical Tag field.
- If it's pointing to your Webflow subdomain (e.g., yourproject.webflow.io), replace it with your custom domain URL.
4. Disable Webflow Subdomain Indexing
- Webflow does not allow the complete disabling of the webflow.io subdomain, but you can prevent it from appearing in search.
- In Project Settings > SEO, use the “Disable Webflow subdomain indexing” option to tell search engines to ignore the subdomain.
5. Clear Browser and CDN Cache
- After applying changes, sometimes cached redirects or DNS entries can persist.
- Clear your browser cache, or use an incognito window to test.
- If you moved domains recently, propagation delays or CDN-level caching (e.g., Cloudflare) may cause outdated behavior.
Summary
Set your preferred custom domain as the default in Webflow hosting settings, ideally using the www version, and ensure any canonical tags or redirects reference your custom domain—not the Webflow subdomain. This fixes issues where trailing slashes or alternate URL formats cause unintended redirection to the Webflow.io domain.