How to redirect a domain
Before learning how to redirect a domain, we should know the relevance of redirecting a domain. So let’s get acquainted with what is URL redirect.
What is URL redirect?
Directing URL means simply shifting to another online address. The domain can remain the same or can change. When the domain name changes then your users are redirected to the new domain. So whenever they try to access the URL which was associated with the old domain. URL redirecting is mostly required when you want a better URL to represent your business. There is a second term to it also i.e. domain forwarding. But when the visitors are forwarded to any other website that domain name is not displayed. So in domain forwarding, only the domain name gets affected.
Types of URL Redirects
URL directs are of 3 types but not all of them are very readily applicable-
1. 301 Redirect-
It is a permanent kind of redirect. It is a special kind of redirect that takes place on both the browser as well as on the server level. It is the most readily applicable and one of the most powerful redirects. With the help of this redirect, you can transfer the complete SEO authority of your current URL. So it indirectly helps the URL to be recognized more easily by the search engines and then indexes it accordingly. This makes this redirect, favorite for all the SEO executives.
2. 302 Redirect-
This redirect is a temporary kind of redirect. 302 Redirect is mostly used when you need to move back to your old URL. Imagine a situation when your website is being redesigned so you would not want the visitors to come upon that website. A 302 Redirect will help you in redirecting to a different domain and you can work on your website simultaneously. This redirect also helps you when you are not able to decide between two versions of a single page. But such situations do not occur very frequently, so 302 redirect is very rarely used.
3. Meta Refresh Redirect-
Meta Refresh is a very particular kind of redirect. This is that redirect when you receive a message like “The original URL is no longer available so are now redirected. If not redirected in 5 seconds, then click here”. It is a very common experience and has a very different functioning from other redirects. It works by informing the browser before redirecting to the new page. You as a redirector can set a timer for the timing after which the browser will be automatically redirected to the new page. Although search engines always get confused between a Meta Refresh redirect and 301 redirect when the timing is around one to 2 seconds. Also sometimes, users get irritated while waiting for the redirect.
Process of redirecting a domain
Your hosting provider helps you in redirecting a URL but you as a website owner can also set up a redirect on your own. So here are ways in which you can redirect-
a. Setting up a redirect in cPanel-
cPanel has a “Redirects” icon inside the “Domains” section. To get to it, you need to sign inside your cPanel account and then visit the Domains section and then click on the Redirects. Inside the subsection of Redirects, there are two types of redirects available.
Both of them are available in the names of- Permanent (301 Redirect) and Temporary (302 Redirect).
After this, you need to select the domain for which you need the redirection. If you need to redirect all the domains, then you can easily select “All public domains” for that. Then fill in all the other details like which page you want to redirect to and its URL.
Once you are finished with all these steps, you have successfully redirected your current domain to the page you want to.
b. Setting up a redirect in WordPress-
WordPress provides the easiest way to redirect by the use of a plugin. Setting up plugins is the easiest feature of WordPress which needs no expertise. For redirecting you need to select the concerned plugin from the left side of the screen.
First, you need to install the plugin and then activate it. As in WordPress each of the plugins has its own set of instructions so work accordingly. It will appear in the list of your installed plugins. Then you just need to fill in all the information simply along with the new URL you want to redirect to.
