Setting Up URL Redirects

Redirects automatically send visitors from one URL to another. This is useful for directing old URLs to new locations, forwarding alias domains to your primary domain, or sending users from a specific page to an external site.

Please note: Screens and options may vary slightly depending on your cPanel version and hosting plan.

When You Would Use This

Use redirects when pages have moved, when consolidating multiple domains to one, or when old URLs need to point to new locations.

Creating a Redirect

1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. In the Domains section, click Redirects.
3. Configure the redirect:

- Type: - Permanent (301) — Tells browsers and search engines the page has moved permanently. Use this for permanent changes. Search engines will transfer ranking to the new URL. - Temporary (302) — Indicates a temporary move. The original URL retains its search engine ranking. - Domain: Select the domain from the dropdown, or choose All Public Domains to apply the redirect to all domains on the account. - Path (/): Enter the path after the domain to redirect from (e.g. /old-page). Leave blank to redirect the entire domain. - Redirects to: Enter the full destination URL (e.g. https://www.yourdomain.com/new-page). - www. redirection: - Only redirect with www. — Only redirects www.yourdomain.com/path. - Redirect with or without www. — Redirects both yourdomain.com/path and www.yourdomain.com/path. - Do Not Redirect www. — Only redirects the non-www version. - Wild Card Redirect — If ticked, all pages under the path will also be redirected. For example, /old-section/anything would redirect to the destination URL.

1. Click Add.

Common Redirect Scenarios

Redirect non-www to www (or vice versa):

1. Set the type to Permanent (301).
2. Select the domain.
3. Leave the path blank.
4. Enter the destination with (or without) www as desired.

Redirect an old page to a new page:

1. Type: Permanent (301).
2. Path: /old-page-name.
3. Destination: https://yourdomain.com/new-page-name.

Redirect an entire domain to another domain:

1. Type: Permanent (301).
2. Select the source domain.
3. Leave the path blank.
4. Destination: https://www.newdomain.com.

Removing a Redirect

On the Redirects page, scroll down to the list of current redirects and click Delete next to the redirect you want to remove.

Tips

• Always use 301 (permanent) redirects for SEO purposes when pages have permanently moved.
• Test your redirects after creating them. Open an incognito/private browser window to avoid cached results.
• Redirect chains (A redirects to B, which redirects to C) slow down page loading and harm SEO. Always redirect directly to the final destination.
• For complex redirect rules, you may need to edit the .htaccess file directly.

What Next?

• Understanding .htaccess Files — Advanced redirect rules and URL rewriting.
• Setting Up Domain Aliases — Alternative to redirecting a domain.

Related Articles

• Understanding .htaccess Files
• Setting Up Domain Aliases (Parked Domains)
• Managing DNS Records (Zone Editor)