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Manually Forwarding or Masking Your Domain Name

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Last Updated: April 28, 2015 11:36 AM

Domain name forwarding lets you automatically direct your domain name's visitors to a different website.

Masking prevents visitors from seeing your domain name forwarding by keeping your domain name in the Web browser's address bar.

Let's look at this example of how you can configure forwarding.

Forwarding coolexample.COM to coolexample.NET
Forwarding Option Visitor Goes To Site Visitor Sees Address Bar Displays
Forwarding
Disabled		 coolexample
.COM		 coolexample
.COM		 coolexample
.COM
Forwarding
w/o Masking		 coolexample
.COM		 coolexample
.NET		 coolexample
.NET
Forwarding
w/ Masking		 coolexample
.COM		 coolexample
.NET		 coolexample
.COM

To forward or mask your domain name, you must use our nameservers. For more information, see Setting Nameservers for Your Domain Names.

For your domain name to forward, its A record must be pointed to 50.63.202.1.

If you want your visitors to be able to go to your domain name with or without the www prefix, you need to forward your domain name to use www.

To Forward or Mask Your Domain Name

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Select the domain names you want to forward.

    NOTE: You cannot forward or mask .tk, .dk or .ch domain names.

  4. Click Forward, and then select Forwarding Domains.
  5. Click Add Forwarding.
  6. Select http:// or https:// as your Forward to option. For more information, see HTTP vs. HTTPS.
  7. Enter the URL you want to forward your domain name to.
  8. Select your Redirect type
    • 301 (Permanent) — Redirects to the site you specified in the Forward To field using a "301 Moved Permanently" HTTP response. The HTTP 301 response code tells user-agents (including search engines) that the location has permanently moved.
    • 302 (Temporary) — Redirects to the site you specified in the Forward To field using a "302 Found" HTTP response. The HTTP 302 response code tells user-agents (including search engines) that the location has temporarily moved.
  9. Select your Forward settings
    • Forward only — Forwards the domain without masking.
    • Forward with Masking — Prevents the forwarded domain name URL from displaying in the browser's address bar, and lets you enter Meta Tags for search engine crawlers in the following fields:
      • Title — Displays at the top of the browser window and in search results.
      • Description — A short description of your website to display in search engine results.
      • Keyword — A list of comma-separated keywords that describes the content and purpose of your website.

      Masking is incompatible with some sites that use https://, i.e. SSL certificates.

    • To automatically update your nameservers to accommodate your forwarding changes, check Update my DNS setting to support this change.
  10. Click Add, and then click Save.

To Forward Your Domain Name Without Masking

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Select the domain names you want to forward.
  4. Next to Forwarding, click Manage.
  5. Click Update Forwarding.
  6. Select Forward Only from the Forward Settings menu.
  7. Click Edit.

NOTE: Forwarded domain names can take up to 24-48 hours to activate.

To Remove Masking From Your Domain Name

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Select the domain names to modify.
  4. Click Forward, and then select Forwarding Domains.
  5. Click Update Forwarding.
  6. From the Forward settings pull down menu select the option for Forward Only.
  7. Click Edit.
  8. Click Save.

To Manage Your Forwarding Subdomains

In the Domain Manager, you can add subdomains and forward them to URLs. You can also edit or delete forwarded subdomains.

Subdomains are extensions of your domain name that you can forward to URLs or point to IP addresses and directories in your hosting account. For example, if your domain name is coolexample.com, you can add subdomain.coolexample.com and point it to a specific website in a subdirectory of your hosting account.

Adding a Forwarded Subdomain

Use these instructions to add a subdomain that forwards to a separate URL.

To Add a Forwarded Subdomain

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Select the domain name you want to add a subdomain to.
  4. Click Forward, and then select Manage Subdomains.
  5. Click Add Subdomain Forwarding.
  6. Enter your subdomain name.

    Note: The value entered can include a period (.) but not as the first or last character. Consecutive periods (...) are not allowed. The entire value cannot exceed 25 characters.

  7. Select http:// or https:// as your Forward to option. For more information, see HTTP vs. HTTPS.
  8. Enter the URL you want to forward your domain name to.
  9. Select your Redirect type
    • 301 (Permanent) — Redirects to the site you specified in the Forward To field using a "301 Moved Permanently" HTTP response. The HTTP 301 response code tells user-agents (including search engines) that the location has permanently moved.
    • 302 (Temporary) — Redirects to the site you specified in the Forward To field using a "302 Found" HTTP response. The HTTP 302 response code tells user-agents (including search engines) that the location has temporarily moved.
  10. Select your Forward settings
    • Forward only — Forwards the domain without masking.
    • Forward with Masking — Prevents the forwarded domain name URL from displaying in the browser's address bar, and lets you enter Meta Tags for search engine crawlers in the following fields:
      • Title — Displays at the top of the browser window and in search results
      • Description — A short description of your website to display in search engine results
      • Keyword — A list of comma-separated keywords that describes the content and purpose of your website

      Masking is incompatible with some sites that use https://, i.e. SSL certificates.

  11. Click Add, and then click Save.

Editing a Forwarded Subdomain

Use these instructions to edit an existing subdomain that forwards to a URL.

To Edit a Forwarded Subdomain

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Click the domain name you want to edit.
  4. In the Forwarding section, click Manage next to the subdomain to edit.
  5. Edit the subdomain's information, and then click Save.

Deleting a Forwarded Subdomain

Use these instructions to delete an existing subdomain that forwards to a URL.

To Delete a Forwarded Subdomain

  1. Log in to your Account Manager.
  2. Next to Domains, click Manage.
  3. Click the domain name you want to edit.
  4. In the Forwarding section, for the subdomain you want to delete, click edit.
  5. Click the Delete icon, and then click Save.

NOTE: Forwarded subdomain names can take up to 24-48 hours to activate.