So, you’ve registered a domain. You could always build a website or set up a custom email address with it, but let’s say you’re not quite ready to use it this way. One of the easiest things to do with domains is “redirect” them.
Do you have a Facebook page? Or maybe a Twitter or Instagram account? If you do, you may have had a hard time telling your friends how to find you. “W, w, w dot Facebook dot com slash spell your first name dot spell your last name one two three four.” You might get through half of that before you give up and say, “Just go on Facebook and search for me!”
But what if you could just say “(Your name) dot com” and have it go straight to your Facebook page. Wouldn’t that be cool?
Websites and domains aren’t “stuck” together permanently
It’s easy to think of a website and domain as one in the same, but that isn’t always the case. True, when you type in “www.google.com” you’re always going to go to Google’s search page, but if they really wanted to, Google could point “www.google.com” at any other page they wanted.
The same thing is the case when you register a domain. Don’t think of the domain as your house, think of it as the signpost that directs people to your house. Once you own that signpost, you can point, or “redirect” it to different websites. So yes, it is possible to point your domain to your Facebook page. Better yet, if you ever get tired of Facebook, you can change it to lead people to something else. You might point a domain to your LinkedIn account or online resume. Maybe you have a small business you’d like to start promoting. Domains aren’t locked into any one site, you’re free to change them whenever you want.
Now, you may have tried registering (your name).com and found that it was already taken, especially if you’re just going by your first name. Fortunately, there are now many more ways to end your domain than dot com (called top-level domains, or domain extensions). Try (your name).SOCIAL, (your name).ROCKS, (your name).NEWS, (your name).GURU, (your name).SITE, (your name).WORKS, or any one of hundreds of other possibilities. You can get started by searching for any domain you want, we’ll even list several different domain extensions if the one you want isn’t available.
So, you want to point your domain somewhere else, now what?
The beauty of redirecting domains is how quick and easy it is to do. Just sign in to your account and go to “My Dashboard.” Find the “Manage Domains” link and go to that. Click on the domain you would like to redirect and go to “Host Options” on the next page. In the first two fields (www and @), change the Record Type to “URL Redirect” and type in the address you’d like to point to in the next box. Hit save, and the domain should be redirected to the new address shortly.
Who to ask for help?
As easy as redirecting can be, it never hurts to ask for help, that’s why we offer several ways to get it. You can go to our Help Center, to search for answers, get instant answers from the Help tab you should see on the right side of our homepage, or call us at (425)-274-4500.
What to ask?
Ask specifically how to “redirect” your domain to a different site. Be sure to have the following information on hand:
- Which domain you want to redirect
- The address of the website you want to redirect it to