SEO DirectAdmin

How to Redirect a Domain or Page in DirectAdmin

Whether you're rebranding a domain or renaming a page, a proper redirect protects your search rankings and your visitors.

Moved to a new domain? Renamed a page? A proper 301 redirect tells both browsers and search engines that the change is permanent, so rankings and bookmarks transfer instead of breaking.

1. Redirecting an entire domain

Under Domain Setup, edit the old domain and switch its type to Pointer/Alias pointing to the new domain, or use the Domain Pointers tool to set it up as a redirect.

2. Redirecting to HTTPS

If you've just installed an SSL certificate, enable the "Force HTTPS" option under Domain Setup so all HTTP traffic is automatically sent to HTTPS.

3. Redirecting a single page

For page-level redirects, open File Manager, locate your .htaccess file in the domain's public_html folder, and add a line such as: Redirect 301 /old-page.html /new-page.html

Key takeaway: Always use a 301 (permanent) redirect rather than a 302 (temporary) one for anything you don't plan to reverse — search engines transfer ranking value far more reliably with a 301.

4. Redirecting www to non-www (or vice versa)

Pick one version as your canonical address and redirect the other to it consistently — mixing both confuses search engines and can split your SEO value between two URLs.

5. Testing your redirects

After setting one up, open the old URL in a private browser window and confirm it lands on the new page with a single redirect hop, not several chained ones.

6. Update internal links

A redirect fixes broken visits, but it's still worth updating your own internal links and navigation menus to point directly at the new URL over time.