Set Up a Domain Redirect

A domain redirect sends visitors from one address to another. The browser address bar changes to the destination. Use this when you have retired a name, you want www and the bare domain to share one public URL, or a specific page has moved.

That is different from an alias. An alias keeps the name the visitor typed and shows the same files. A redirect visibly sends them away.

The redirect runs on this hosting account. The source name has to resolve here, or the request never reaches us.

Redirect, alias, or addon

Every Beginner and Standard plan includes unlimited addon domains, aliases, and subdomains. The domain name itself is separate: register it with us first if you do not already own it. See Register a domain name.

Before you start

• The source name (the one visitors leave) must already be on this hosting account as the primary domain, an addon, an alias, or a subdomain. Adding a redirect does not register a domain.
• Public DNS for that source name must point at this account. If the domain is with us, that is Domains → the domain → DNS.
• Know the full destination URL, including https://.
• Open cPanel from the portal. Do not guess a hostname.

Add the source name first

If the old domain is not listed in cPanel yet, add it before you create the redirect.

• Own the name and be ready to point its DNS here.
• For a second site of its own, add an addon domain.
• For another name that currently shows the same files, add an alias, then put the redirect on that alias if one URL should be canonical.
• For a branch of a name you already host, add a subdomain.

If the domain is registered with us, open Domains → the domain → DNS in the portal. AtlasDNS is the default. Keep it, then add A records for @ and www that point at this account's shared IP. Copy the IP from cPanel (General Information → Shared IP Address). Prefer cPanel to own the zone? Switch DNS mode to cPanel Hosting and use the Zone Editor only in that mode.

If the domain is registered elsewhere, set these nameservers at that registrar, then open a support ticket so we can put the zone on this hosting account:

ns1.atlasdns.net.au
ns2.atlasdns.net.au
ns3.atlasdns.net.au

Step-by-step DNS: Point your domain at your hosting. Changes are often quick, but they can take a while to show everywhere. See DNS propagation explained.

Do not send the domain to a third-party DNS host.

Create the redirect in cPanel

1. Sign in at /portal, open the hosting service, and click Log in to cPanel.
2. In the Domains section, open Redirects. This is not Addon Domains and it is not Aliases.
3. Under Add Redirect, set Type:

- Permanent (301) when the move is lasting (recommended for a retired domain or a canonical www / non-www URL). Search engines treat this as the new address.
- Temporary (302) when the destination may change, or you are testing.

1. In the https?://(www.)? dropdown, choose the source domain. Pick one name. Do not choose All Public Domains unless you mean to redirect every domain on the account.
2. Leave the / path box empty to send the whole name. To move one path only, type it after the slash (for example old-page for /old-page).
3. In Redirects to, enter the full destination, including the protocol, for example https://mynewdomain.com/ or https://mynewdomain.com/new-page.
4. Choose how www on the source should behave:

- Redirect with or without www. sends both yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com.
- Only redirect with www. leaves the bare name alone.
- Do Not Redirect www. leaves the www name alone.

1. Tick Wild Card Redirect if you want paths to be kept. Then /blog/post on the old name goes to /blog/post on the destination. Leave it clear if every request should land on the exact URL you typed in Redirects to.
2. Click Add.

The new rule appears in Current Redirects on the same page.

Force HTTPS on the same name

To send http://yourdomain.com to https://yourdomain.com (same hostname, not a different domain), you do not need a 301 in Redirects.

1. In cPanel, open Domains.
2. Find the domain in the list.
3. Turn Force HTTPS Redirect on.

AutoSSL (Let's Encrypt) must already have a certificate for that name. Check SSL/TLS Status. See Understanding SSL/TLS and HTTPS.

After it is in place

• Test: open the source URL in a private browser window. You should land on the destination and see that URL in the address bar. Private windows avoid a cached 301 from an earlier try.
• HTTPS on the source: visitors who type https:// on the old name need a certificate there first. Once DNS points at this account, AutoSSL can issue one. If the browser warns about the certificate, wait for SSL/TLS Status to show a valid cert, then test again.
• Email is not redirected. Mailboxes on the old name stay put. To send incoming mail to another address, add a forwarder. Shared hosting email is separate from LochStudios Mail.
• Search engines: a 301 is picked up over time. Bookmarks and old links keep working because the server sends people on.
• WordPress: a redirect does not change the site URL inside WordPress. Install or move the site on the destination name, then redirect the old name. See Install WordPress.

Redirect types

Remove a redirect

1. Return to Redirects.
2. Find the rule in Current Redirects.
3. Click Delete, then confirm.

Removing the redirect does not remove the domain from the account and does not cancel the registration.

If it does not work

• Confirm the source name is listed in Domains on this hosting account.
• Confirm public DNS for that name still points at this account's shared IP. Check Domains → the domain → DNS in the portal.
• Confirm you chose the right source in the dropdown, and that the destination includes https://.
• Try a private window. A 301 can stick in the browser after you change or delete the rule.

If the redirect will not add, visitors still reach the old site after DNS should have updated, or HTTPS on the source name stays unavailable, open a support ticket and we will sort it with you.

Related

• Create an Alias (Parked Domain)
• Add an Addon Domain
• Create a Subdomain
• Edit DNS with the Zone Editor
• Point your domain at your hosting
• Set Up Email Forwarders