Configure domain redirection

Configure domain redirect

What is a domain redirect?

A domain redirect is when a domain or subdomain automatically redirects visitors to another URL. For example, redirecting www.yourdomain.com to yourdomain.com or redirecting an old domain to a new one.

Redirect types

301 Redirect (Permanent):

• Indicates to search engines that the domain moved permanently
• Transfers SEO and ranking to the destination domain
• Recommended for permanent domain changes

302 Redirect (Temporary):

• Indicates the redirect is temporary
• Doesn't completely transfer SEO
• Useful for maintenance or temporary changes

Method 1: Redirect from cPanel

Step 1: Access cPanel

• Log in to your cPanel
• Look for the Domains section

Step 2: Open Redirects

• Look for and click on Redirects

Step 3: Configure the redirect

• Type: Select Permanent (301) or Temporary (302)
• Redirects to: Enter the destination URL (e.g., https://newdomain.com)
• www. Redirection: Select if you want to redirect with or without www
• Wild Card Redirect: Enable if you want to redirect all subdomains
• Click Add

Image 1: Configure redirect in cPanel.

Method 2: Redirect with .htaccess (Apache)

If your server uses Apache, you can create redirects by editing the .htaccess file:

Step 1: Access File Manager

• In cPanel, look for File Manager
• Navigate to your domain's root folder (usually public_html)

Step 2: Create or edit .htaccess

• If it doesn't exist, create a file called .htaccess
• If it exists, edit it

Step 3: Add redirect rules

Simple 301 redirect:

Redirect 301 / https://newdomain.com

Full domain redirect:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?olddomain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Redirect www to non-www:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [R=301,L]

Redirect non-www to www:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

Method 3: Redirect with Nginx

If your server uses Nginx, edit the site configuration file:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name olddomain.com www.olddomain.com;
    return 301 https://newdomain.com$request_uri;
}

Or to redirect www to non-www:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name www.yourdomain.com;
    return 301 https://yourdomain.com$request_uri;
}

After editing, reload Nginx:

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Method 4: Redirect with DNS (CNAME)

For simple redirects, you can use a CNAME record pointing to another domain, although this is not a real HTTP redirect and may not work for all cases.

Verify that redirect works

Option 1: From browser

• Open your browser
• Enter the domain you configured to redirect
• You should be automatically redirected to the destination domain
• Verify that the URL changes in the address bar

Option 2: Use online tools

• httpstatus.io - Verifies HTTP status code
• redirect-checker.org - Verifies redirects

Option 3: Use curl from terminal

curl -I https://olddomain.com

You should see something like:

HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://newdomain.com

Common issues

Redirect doesn't work

• Verify that configuration is saved correctly
• Wait a few minutes for changes to apply
• Clear browser cache
• Verify there are no syntax errors in .htaccess

Error 500 after configuring .htaccess

• Review .htaccess file syntax
• Verify there are no conflicts with other rules
• Try commenting out new rules to verify
• Restore a backup if necessary

Redirect loop

• Verify that the destination domain doesn't redirect back
• Review conditions in redirect rules
• Remove conflicting rules

Tips

• ✅ Use 301 redirect for permanent changes (better for SEO)
• ✅ Verify that redirect works before relying on it
• ✅ Keep a backup of .htaccess before editing it
• ✅ Test the redirect from different browsers
• ✅ Verify that the destination domain is working correctly

Need help?

If you're having trouble configuring a redirect or need help with configuration, open a ticket from the billing.baires.host panel or contact us for support.

You can also reach us through our social media:

• Instagram: @baires_host
• Discord (active support): https://discord.gg/dzjauatAFN
• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/baires.host