URL forwarding (domain forwarding) sends visitors who type one domain to a different URL. Many registrars offer it as a free feature, for example forwarding yourbrand.net to yourbrand.com.
Types of forwarding:
- 301 (permanent): best for SEO when a domain has moved for good.
- 302/307 (temporary): for short-term redirects.
- Masked/framed forwarding: keeps the original domain in the address bar by loading the target in a frame; generally discouraged because it hurts SEO and breaks on many sites.
Forwarding HTTPS traffic requires a valid certificate for the source domain, so check that your forwarding service supports SSL.
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Related terms
- ccTLD (Country-Code Top-Level Domain)
- A ccTLD is a two-letter top-level domain assigned to a country or territory, such as .uk, .de, .ca or .io, with rules set by its local registry.
- gTLD (Generic Top-Level Domain)
- A gTLD is a generic top-level domain not tied to a country, such as .com, .net, .org, .info, or newer extensions like .app and .store.
- New gTLD
- New gTLDs are the hundreds of extensions introduced by ICANN since 2013, such as .app, .shop, .xyz, .online and .dev, expanding naming options.
- Second-level domain (SLD)
- The second-level domain is the part directly left of the TLD, such as "example" in example.com, and is usually the name you register.