Point All Your Domains to the Main One

If you have registered several Domains, which are not working independently and want to tie them all to the main one, this article is for you.

For example, your main site may be registered at

yourawesomesite.com

But have also available yourawesomesite.net, yourawesomesite.info and even ursite.us.

Incorrect Approach

You may be trying to set them all up in your account and realize there’s no additional option for it.

This is not the right approach, you can’t tie several domains to point to a single site.

Solution

You must make a redirect at DNS level. This is managed on the Domain provider panel (where you registered it).

You must find the field for editing this on the administration panel of your provider. It may be called DNS zone, panel, area, or something similar. You may have to click on the specific Domain to open its options.

Note that the Domain redirect may also be called forward or forwarding.

In GoDaddy it will look like this:

  Click on “Manage” on the “Forwarding” row

This window will pop on GoDaddy after clicking on “Manage forwarding”

or this (in Dreamhost):

Enter your main Domain on the “Redirect to URL” field

Unless you have just registered the Domain, the redirect shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to take effect.

You will have to repeat this step with all the Domains you want to set a redirect.

FAQ

The domains I have are very different from the main one, can I still redirect them?

Of course, you can redirect whatever domain you own (source) to whatever URL you want (final).

Is there a limit on how many domains I can redirect?

No, you can redirect as many Domains as you own. Note that maintaining a long list of Domains may be costly though.

What about mirroring?

You can also mirror your site but it’s a bit more complex and may have a tax on SEO.

What about other types of redirect?

You can also set another script for the redirect, but the most appropriate and convenient is the 301 (Moved Permanently) set at Domain level (as explained above in this article).

How is email associated with these Domains affected?

Email is not affected on any of the Domains (source/final).

For more information, also checkout:

• How to Use Your Own Website Domain - Part 1
  

• How to Use Your Own Website Domain - Part 2
  

• Verify That Your Domain Was Properly Pointed
  

For further questions or comments, please contact us.