Redirecting an entire domain to another domain can be accomplished through several methods, depending on your server setup and what level of control you have over your hosting environment. The most reliable and common methods include setting up a 301 redirect via your web server’s configuration files, using a Content Management System (CMS) plugin, or configuring the redirection through your domain registrar. Below, I’ll provide step-by-step instructions for each method as well as some examples.
Steps:
1. Access your website’s root directory through FTP or a File Manager.
2. Edit the `.htaccess` file. If it doesn’t exist, create one.
3. Add the following lines to the file:
This code snippet checks if the HTTP host matches `olddomain.com` or `www.olddomain.com` and redirects all traffic to `newdomain.com` using a 301 redirection.
Steps:
1. Access your Nginx configuration file, usually located at `/etc/nginx/nginx.conf` or `/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf`.
2. Add the following server block or modify it if it already exists:
1. Restart the Nginx server to apply the changes:
\`\`\`bash sudo systemctl restart nginx \`\`\`
Steps:
1. Install and activate the Redirection plugin from the WordPress plugin repository.
2. Navigate to Tools > Redirection.
3. Under “Add new redirection,” enter the source URL (e.g., `olddomain.com/*`) and the target URL (e.g., `newdomain.com/$1`).
4. Click “Add Redirection.”
Many domain registrars offer redirection services that can be set up through their web interface.
Steps:
1. Log in to your domain registrar’s control panel.
2. Look for domain settings or DNS management.
3. Find the option for URL forwarding or redirection.
4. Set up a 301 redirect from `olddomain.com` to `newdomain.com`.
```
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^exampleold\.com$ [OR]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.exampleold\.com$
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://examplenew.com/$1 [R=301,L]
```
```
server {
listen 80;
server_name exampleold.com www.exampleold.com;
return 301 http://examplenew.com$request_uri;
}
```
1. Apache HTTP Server Documentation. Apache.org. [htaccess Redirection](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/howto/htaccess.html).
1. Nginx Documentation. NGINX.org. [Redirecting URLs](https://nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_rewrite_module.html#return).
1. WordPress Plugin Directory. WordPress.org. [Redirection Plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/redirection/) and [Simple 301 Redirects](https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-301-redirects/).
1. Domain Registrar Help Articles. GoDaddy.com. [Forwarding your domain](https://www.godaddy.com/help/forward-my-domain-12123).
By following any of these methods, you can effectively redirect traffic from one domain to another while ensuring that the redirection is search engine optimized with a 301 status code, indicating that the change is permanent.