How to Set Up go.yourdomain.com as a Branded Redirect Link
To set up go.yourdomain.com, add a CNAME record for the go subdomain in your DNS pointing to the value RedirectIQ provides, then add the subdomain as a custom domain in the dashboard. Once it's connected, you can create redirect rules like go.acme.com/onboarding or go.acme.com/demo the same way you would for any other domain. No server required.
What a go link is
Go links are short, memorable redirects structured as go.company.com/something. The pattern originated as an internal shortcut system at large tech companies - engineers would type go/docs or go/calendar in a browser configured to resolve go as a local hostname. Modern teams adapt this as go.company.com/something to make it work over the public internet.
The use cases split into two categories. Internal: go.acme.com/handbook for the employee wiki, go.acme.com/expenses for the expense system, go.acme.com/1on1 for recurring meeting agendas. External: go.acme.com/demo for the sales booking page, go.acme.com/careers for the jobs board, go.acme.com/partner for co-marketing pages.
Both cases share the same benefit: the URL is easy to say out loud or type from memory, and you can update where it points without telling everyone a new link.
Setting it up: DNS record and redirect rules
There are two parts to the setup.
DNS record. In your DNS provider, add a CNAME record with the name go and the value provided in your RedirectIQ dashboard. If your DNS is on Cloudflare, set the record to DNS only (grey cloud) rather than proxied - proxied mode breaks the SSL provisioning.
Custom domain. In RedirectIQ, go to Domains and add go.yourdomain.com. The dashboard shows the exact records to add and automatically detects when propagation is complete. SSL is provisioned once the CNAME is verified - nothing to configure manually.
Redirect rules. Create rules the same way you would for your main domain. Set the match path (/demo), the destination URL, and whether it's a 301 permanent or 302 temporary redirect. Rules are scoped to the domain they're created under, so go.acme.com rules are separate from acme.com rules.
The setup takes about five minutes of active work, plus DNS propagation time (typically 5-30 minutes, occasionally longer depending on your registrar).
Where registrar subdomain forwarding falls short
Most domain registrars offer some form of "URL forwarding" for subdomains. It sounds like what you need, but it fails in predictable ways.
Some registrars only support forwarding the apex domain (yourdomain.com) and not arbitrary subdomains. Others serve the redirect over HTTP only, which means browsers flag the link as insecure before the user ever reaches the destination. A third pattern uses an iframe, so the address bar never actually updates to show where the user ended up.
These aren't edge cases you can work around. HTTPS failure alone makes registrar forwarding unusable for anything shared publicly. The CNAME approach works because the redirect runs through a service that handles SSL certificate provisioning and renewal properly - the source subdomain gets its own certificate, not borrowed from somewhere else.
All your go links, one domain
RedirectIQ treats go.yourdomain.com the same as any other custom domain. Add the CNAME record, verify it in the dashboard, and your whole team can create and update go links without touching DNS again. Redirect destinations update instantly - change where go.acme.com/demo points in the dashboard and it takes effect globally within seconds.