How to Make One Domain Redirect to Another

Updated on May 5, 2021

I was recently asked this by a friend so I decided to create a little blog post to show others how to do it as well. Godaddy is pretty good at making things a bit difficult for beginners. Don't let their site confuse you, their domain services are actually really awesome.

"When would I need to redirect/forward my domain?"

Domain forwarding is useful when you want people to be redirected to another site.

For example, let's say you have multiple domains and you want to redirect or forward one of the domains to your main website.

For this example, I'll use one of my domains: dobetteronline.com

As you can see, I don't have a website built for that domain and I have it forwarded to this website (shiftweb.com).

So let's dig in on how to forward your domain on Godaddy!

Step #1:

After logging into Godaddy, you should click on your name on the top right to show your options. Click on "My Products" under Account.

Step #2:

Find your domain that is listed and then click the "Manage" button.

Step #3:

You are now in main options area for this particular domain. Scroll down toward the bottom to the "Additional Settings" box. Click on "Manage DNS".

Step #4:

You are now in the DNS management area for this domain. Tread lightly here if you do not know much about DNS management! This area tells your domain exactly what to do (like pointing to your web host or creating MX records for your email).

You want to scroll all the way to the bottom where you'll see the "Forwarding" box on the right. Click on "Add" for the domain.

Troubleshooting:

"What if I don't see the forwarding box?"

If you don't see the Forwarding option box as shown above, that's because your domain is not pointed to Godaddy's default nameservers. If you are not sure why this is, I would be VERY careful here. The nameservers that your domain is pointed to means that is where your domain's DNS records are managed. I would ask a developer for further help here if you're stuck!

Step #5:

Now you're at the last step! Just simply insert the link you want the domain to forward to!

For "Forward Type", if you're not sure what to choose, choose Permanent (301). This just tells search engines it's a permanent redirect. Keep in mind that this change doesn't mean "forever". You are more than welcome to go back and change this redirect at any time!

For the Settings, you have two options:

• Forward Only – If you choose this option, when someone goes to the domain you are redirecting, the visitor will automatically see the domain you have redirected to. In my case, for example, if you go to dobetteronline.com, you'll see that it forwards you to shiftweb.com. Simple as that. I highly recommend this option if you're not sure!
• Forward With Masking – If you choose this option, the visitor will notsee the new domain you have forwarded to. For example, if I had chosen this option for dobetteronline.com, you wouldn't see that it was forwarded to shiftweb.com. It doesn't matter what page you browse on the site, it will only show dobetteronline.com in the browser! It completely masks the links of the real site. Note: I don't typically recommend option because it may confusing to the visitor when they go to this domain! It is very rare that you ever want to do something like this.

Now you're done! Don't forget to hit the Save button!

You did it!

That's it! That was easy, wasn't it?

Give it about 10 minutes and the redirect/forward should be active. You can always double check by visiting the domain name in your browser and see the redirect in action!

If the redirect isn't working right away, give it a little time. Godaddy is pretty quick and I usually see updates in just a couple of minutes, but in rare cases it could take longer. If you don't see the changes, I would check clear your browser's cache or check in incognito mode. If you don't see the changes after 24 hours, contact a developer for further help.

If you found this helpful, please let me know in the comments!

Don't hesitate to comment below for assistance. Good luck!

How to Make One Domain Redirect to Another

Source: https://shiftweb.com/how-to-redirect-your-godaddy-domain-to-another-link/

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