How do I set up domain forwarding?

Setting Up Domain Forwarding

Domain forwarding allows you to redirect visitors from one domain to another. This is useful when you have multiple domains for your brand, are migrating to a new domain, or want to create simple redirects to specific pages. This guide covers how to set up domain forwarding on your dotCanada.com hosting account.

Types of Domain Forwarding

Before setting up forwarding, understand the different types:

• 301 Permanent Redirect: Tells search engines the move is permanent and transfers most SEO value to the new domain
• 302 Temporary Redirect: Indicates a temporary redirection, preserving the original domain's SEO value
• Frame/Masked Forwarding: Displays the destination website while keeping the original URL in the browser address bar

Setting Up Domain Forwarding in cPanel

If you host both domains on your dotCanada.com cPanel account:

1. Log in to your cPanel account at https://{hostname}.mysecureservers.com:2087
2. In the search box at the top, type "Redirects" or navigate to the DOMAINS section
3. Click on Redirects
4. Select the type of redirect:
   • Permanent (301) - Recommended for permanent domain changes
   • Temporary (302) - For temporary redirection
5. Choose the domain to redirect from in the dropdown menu
6. In the next field, you can leave it blank to redirect the entire domain, or enter a specific path (e.g., "blog" to redirect only yourdomain.com/blog)
7. Enter the destination URL in the "redirects to" field (e.g., "https://newdomain.com" or "https://newdomain.com/specific-page")
8. Choose whether to redirect with or without the "www" prefix
9. Click Add

Setting Up Domain Forwarding via DNS (for domains not hosted on dotCanada.com)

If your domain is registered with dotCanada.com but not hosted with us:

1. Log in to the WHMCS Client Area at https://clients.dotcanada.com/login
2. Go to Domains > My Domains
3. Click on the domain you want to forward
4. Click on Manage DNS or DNS Management
5. Look for "Forwarding" or "URL Redirect" options
6. Enter the destination website
7. Choose the redirect type (301 or 302)
8. Save changes

Setting Up Domain Forwarding via .htaccess

For more advanced configurations, you can use .htaccess files:

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to File Manager
3. Navigate to the root directory of the domain you want to redirect (usually public_html)
4. Look for an existing .htaccess file or create a new one
5. Add one of the following code snippets:

Redirect an entire domain to another domain (301 Permanent):

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

Redirect a specific page:

Redirect 301 /old-page.html https://yourdomain.com/new-page.html

Redirect while preserving the path:

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

Forwarding Email Domains

If you need to forward email for a domain:

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Search for "Forwarders" or navigate to the EMAIL section
3. Click on Forwarders
4. Click Add Domain Forwarder
5. Select the domain you want to forward emails from
6. Enter the domain you want to forward emails to
7. Click Add Domain Forwarder

If you need assistance with setting up domain forwarding, please contact our support team.