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GlossaryDNS and technical

Domain forwarding

Domain forwarding is sending visitors who type one domain to a different web address, usually with an HTTP redirect set up at the registrar or web server, so one name can pass its traffic to another site.

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Also called 301 redirect · URL forwarding · domain redirect

Domain forwarding, explained

A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines the move is permanent; a 302 marks it as temporary. Registrars offer forwarding as a setting that points the domain's DNS to their own redirect servers. Masked or framed forwarding keeps the original name in the address bar while showing another site inside a frame, which is weak for search and breaks on sites that block framing. Forwarding the https version of a name works only if the forwarding service holds a valid certificate for it, so test both versions.

Investors use forwarding to send a name to a for-sale lander, and buyers use it to point an old or secondary domain at their main site after an upgrade. Forwarding does not move ownership or email; mail needs its own MX records. Forwarding a domain to a competitor of a trademark owner, or to ad pages built on a brand, creates evidence that can count against you in a dispute.

Example. After buying the exact-match .com, a company sets a 301 redirect so its old, longer domain sends every visitor and link to the new one.

Go deeper How to Sell a Domain Name: A Seller's Guide

Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.

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