DNS tells a browser where to connect; forwarding tells it to request a different URL. Pointing one domain at another hostname with a CNAME does not create a website redirect. A forwarding service or web host must handle the HTTP response.
Before you begin
- Distinguish website connection from redirection.
- Check HTTPS at the source domain.
- Handle email separately.
Know which result you want
If you want a domain to display a website hosted on a platform, connect it using that platform’s domain instructions. If you want visitors sent to another address and the browser URL to change, you need a redirect.
These goals are related but different. A server receiving a request for an extra domain must recognise that hostname. Simply copying the primary domain’s IP address can lead to an unknown-site page instead of the redirect you intended.
Plan the destination and path behaviour
Decide whether all visits should go to one landing page or whether page paths should be preserved. Sending an old product path to the same path on a new site only works if that destination exists and is appropriate.
Also decide how query strings should be handled using the forwarding service’s supported settings. Test a real example rather than checking only the homepage. A poorly chosen rule can send visitors to an unrelated or missing page.
Check the forwarding service
Before relying on a secondary domain, confirm the service can handle the complete journey.
- It accepts the source hostname.
- It provides valid HTTPS for the source address when needed.
- It sends the intended redirect response and destination.
- It avoids redirect loops.
- Its path and query-string handling match your plan.
Keep email out of the assumption
Website forwarding does not forward email. If people may write to the secondary domain, configure it with an email provider separately. MX records and mailbox or alias arrangements are the relevant pieces for incoming mail.
NameUK registration does not include a promise of a built-in forwarding service. You can keep the name registered with NameUK and use a suitable web service for redirects. Budget the domain’s ongoing renewal even if its only job is to send visitors to your main site.
Prepared with AI-assisted drafting and illustration, then checked against the linked sources and NameUK’s current service. The artwork is conceptual; setup values must come from your own provider.
Further readingMDN: redirections in HTTP ↗Cloudflare: DNS CNAME records ↗NameUK registration and renewal prices ↗Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
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