I want to buy a URL and redirect it to an existing url. Can I do this with any one (like Godaddy.com or www.godaddy.com didn’t work quite right. Does it really matter?
Before anyone asks I want to redirect this new url so that I don’t have to pay hosting fees for something that doesn’t bring me an income. Also, I have a very small site and lots of room with my existing host.
Thanks,
Jennifer
I’m not exactly sure what you are referring to, but I’ll give it a shot. 
Many hosting companies offer plans that include “additional pointers”. This means that you have one paying account, but you could have several URLs that point to the same account. For example, I host with Host Express (http://www.hostexpress.com/services.html). My “WebPro” account lets me have two additional URLs with no additional charge. I use only one extra:
MAIN: http://www.asianoutpost.com
ADDITIONAL: http://www.asiaoutpost.com
(Please forgive the five-year-old, old-and-crusty “Hi, I just got to Taiwan” Web site.)
I think Host Express referes to these as “additional domains”. They can even do more and configure each additional domain to point to a specific sub-directory in your site so that you could have the illusion of different Web sites without the additional cost.
Note: Make sure the host provider of your choice provides “free” additional pointers/domains, and then register your NEW domain name with the same DNS server information as the existing domain name that you want to point to. So, it doesn’t really matter which company you choose to register (“buy”) your domain name with. It can be separate from the company you choose to host your Web site. Just make sure you register your multiple domains with the same DNS server information that is at the host provider of choice … Let me know if this confuses you.
I don’t have experience with how other host providers administer this service.
Hey Jeremy, this is exactly what I was talking about. I’ve just always seen it referred to as a ‘site redirect’ or ‘redirection’. Thanks!
Jennifer
I want to buy one or two urls and redirect/forward and mask them.
Should I set up subdomains OR a new directory for each url containing index.htm and other files?
Is a subdomain the same as just setting up a new directory? If I didn’t word that clearly enough, should I forward to:
OR
mydomain.com/minisitea/index.htm
??
and another question. I’m sure I’ve read this before but can’t be sure now. Do the search engines really care whether I’m hosting multiple sites on one url?
If I submit mydomain.com/minisite-a AND mydomain.com/minisite-b AND mydomain.com and the content is unrelated, would that be considered spam, and would it count against me? What sites/ezines would you recommend to keep on top of this stuff? I’m aware of several, but I also realize that the techno/webgeeks here might know of resources my momgeek pals are not.
i submitted once early last year and got good Google rankings but have noticed that they’ve fallen.
Thanks for any input–Google just gets to overwhelming these days.
Hello?! Is anybody out there??? I think I pretty much know what to do about the domain redirection but what about any search engine tips?
What they dislike is submission of different URLs that point to the same content. You can submit every page inside your site if you want, though that’s what spiders are for (remember to use a robots.txt file and metatags). If the sites are unique, and especially if they are unlinked, but in a subdirectory on your main URL, or in a subdomain, submit them also.
Redirecting or additional domains is also known as domain parking. Many (most?) hosts offer domain parking at low cost. Just have the domain’s DNS info there and a record redirects to another domain name.
My tip for easy/free submission is the Open Directory at dmoz.org … Most the search engines reference it, even the ones you have to pay to register with.
If you want to redirect traffic from the root directory of one domain (e.g. www.pinyin.info/) you shouldn’t need to worry about hosting plans at all. You ought to be able to do this through your domain registrar.
I’ve used www.gandi.net for domain registrations. It’s cheap (11 euros per year) and offers free redirection of a domain, as well as several free e-mail redirections. This doesn’t involve web hosting at all, which I do through a completely different company.
As for what the search engines and directories do, you’re generally better off making subdomains (subdomain.mydomain.com) rather than subdirectories (searchenginewatch.com/
Thanks for the tips!
I’m already using Godaddy.com (US 8.95/year) and have two hosting companies. I just started using ICDsoft.com (HK?) which someone recommended here. Lots of space, for less than NT$2000/year. I think my domain cost me NT$150 for the first year.
Search Engines
you need your search criteria that you submit to search engines to be in your html code in the form of META TAGS. The Meta Tags is what the search engines will look for to match up with the search criteria you submited to them. If it does not match, the search engine will not find your site.
URL Redirect
Sounds like you are using a web host, who will allow some redirects. Normally, when you register a domain name, you provide your name servers. This is your DNS1 and DNS2 which should be the name servers of your host site (data center).
Within the DNS (Domain Name Server), there are “A” records which translates your domain name to an IP address (your webserver) which then may in turn be located over the net. Within your webserver(if you control this), you should be able to set up the server to handle multiple sites and/or handle redirects.
If you have more questions, your service provider or web host should be able to answer all your questions.