Can You Have Two Domains Pointing to the Same Website

So, you’re probably here because you’re wondering if you can have two domains pointing to the same website. The short and simple answer is yes. There are multiple ways to do this, and they are quite easy. To have two domains pointing to the same website, you can:

• Assign addon domains to the same directory or folder.

• Park or host domains on your web hosting provider to point to the same website.

• Redirect all additional domain names to your main domain name from your domain registrar.

Domain names function as the address of your website on the Internet. Without a domain name, clients and visitors cannot find you.

There are currently over 340 million registered domain names.

Each domain name has to have a domain name extension. Currently, there are over 1500 different domain extensions, and the most popular and used ones right now are .com, used by 52.8% of all websites, .org, used by 4.4% of all websites, and .ru used by 4.2% of all websites. These extensions are classified as TLDs or Top Level Domains.

Domain names are registered with domain registrars, and you can check if the domain you want is available by searching for it in your domain registrar’s search box.

Multiple Domain Names Advantages

• Protects against misspelling
  By having multiple domains for one website, you make sure that customers find your business even if they misspell your name and direct them to your site instead of an error or competitor’s site.

• Helps with business expansion
  If you have started a local business but want to expand it into international markets, having multiple country-specific domains like .uk, .fr, .eu, etc., could help you expand more quickly and easily into the desired countries because these ccTLDs or country-code Top-Level Domains are ranked higher by search engines. Also, 28% of all local searches on Google result in a purchase, so having ccTLDs can significantly impact your revenues.

• Protects against competitors
  By registering more than one domain for one website, you decrease the likelihood of competitors registering similar names to yours. This can greatly benefit you, especially if you have a short, concise domain name that is easily remembered and, therefore, quite sought-after by competitors. By protecting your domain in this way, you prevent competitors from restricting your online reach and make sure that customers find your site when they search for the relevant keywords.

• Enables you to appear in more SERPs
  More domain names mean more ways customers can find you. Also, by having different but relevant keywords in your domain names, you position your website to be able to pop up in multiple search engine result pages or SERPs, which also improves your ranking and visibility.

• Improves market segmentation
  If you have a business that sells multiple types of products or services, having more domains for one website will greatly benefit you because the different domain names will target different customer pools based on the product or service they are searching for. For instance, if your website sells both jeans and skirts, you can have separate domains that point to those pages on your website so that customers would be instantly redirected to the relevant page. Additionally, if the customers are satisfied, this could entice them to check out the other products you offer.

• Can improve SEO
  You can improve your SEO by having multiple domains that rank for distinct relevant keywords. This is an important factor to consider because better SEO can lead to increased website traffic and visibility.

Multiple Domain Names Risks

• Duplicate content
  Despite the point of having multiple domains for one website being to direct users to the same content, search engines might get confused because they will not know which site to rank higher. This can result in penalties like monetary fines, and search engines might end up ranking competitors higher.

• Domain history
  Is one of the domains you buy is an old one that was previously used for ranking other content, you may run the risk of having a domain with low-quality backlinks that link to spam or other undesired content.

• Higher cost
  Having more domains will require more staff, development, maintenance, etc., which comes at a price. Also, it can be quite time-consuming to run multiple domains and can cause you to divert your focus from other things if you do not have an experienced team on your payroll.

Log into your cPanel account. After doing this, find the “domains” icon on the sidebar on the left side. Then, click “assign” from the new menu pops up.

After clicking on “assign,” you’ll have the option to either use a domain that is already associated with your account or assign a new one that is not.

If you go for the second option, i.e., you want to assign a new domain, you have to verify the ownership of the domain.

After choosing between the two, the next step is to choose between an addon or a parked domain.

• Addon: This type of domain operates as its own separate domain and website, independently from your primary domain.

• Parked: This type of domain loads the same website as your primary one.

• Unassigned: This type of domain is linked to your account, but it doesn’t point to any website or folder. You can choose this type of domain if you haven’t decided yet what you want to do with the domain you are adding.

So, after you’ve settled on addon vs. parked and say you’ve chosen addon, the next step is to choose the folder that you want the domain to point to. After choosing the folder, you need to choose a subdomain, which will only serve so that the cPanel can perform the domain assignment. You will still access your domain directly.

After doing this, you need to click on the icon that reads assign domain, assign the domain, or something similar, to complete the process.

If the process was completed successfully, then this domain will appear in the “Domains” tab.

• Keywords
  You will improve your search engine ranking by using the relevant keyword or multiple keywords in your domain name. However, avoid keyword stuffing and use 1-2 keywords in your domain name.

• Website traffic
  Having the right domain name can do wonders for website traffic. By having a short, easy-to-remember, simple to spell, and relevant domain name, you increase the chances of your website popping up in common searches for the products and services you sell.

• Branding
  It is recommended that your domain name is the same as your brand if possible. This way, users will have an easier type remembering your site so that they can come back to it again.

Of course, there are alternatives to using multiple domain names to point to one website. Maybe this approach is too expensive for you, or you worry about the risks it entails concerning SEO and search engine confusion. So, if you do not wish to implement this method, you can use the following instead:

• Subdomains
  A subdomain functions as part of your primary domain, and they are not separate domains but are used to section your content and organize it better. They appear as part of your website and are used to redirect customers to specific content. For example, if your primary name is example.com, you can create a subdomain named shop.example.com to redirect customers to your online store (if you have one).

• Subfolders
  A subfolder or subdirectory is also part of your primary domain and is excellent for sites with diverse content. So, instead of making separate URLs, you can divide your content into categories on your site and put them in subfolders on your domain. This can go a long way in improving your website’s structure and making it easier to navigate and more appealing to customers.

Having two domains pointing to the same website is definitely feasible and can greatly benefit your business. Of course, there are alternative options, like using subdomains or subfolders. However, if you believe having separate domains point to your website is the right move for you, then go for it!

Getting two domains is not as hard as it might sound, and with providers like Verpex, for example, you get one domain for free with any hosting package you choose, which can greatly reduce your overall costs.