Forwarding a Domain to a Different Domain

You can forward (redirect) your domain to a different address at any time. In this article, we'll show you how to quickly set up domain forwarding using an HTTP redirect and provide valuable, additional information you may need for your specific usage.

Additional Information

In order to set up domain forwarding, your domain cannot already be connected to another service or application, such as MyWebsite, a directory in your webspace, or another managed application. If you need to disconnect any existing connections your domain may have, please see the help article Disconnecting Existing Connection of a Domain.
For technical reasons, domain forwarding set up using the method in this article will result in a concurrent 302 and 301 redirect. If you would like to only create a 301 redirect, which is more beneficial for SEO purposes, please see the article Manually Setting Up a 301 Redirect Using .htaccess.
If you are instead interested in setting up a frame redirect (domain masking), please see the article Forwarding a Domain with a Frame Redirect.

Forward Domain

Guided Steps

Log in to your IONOS account.
Click on the Domain & SSL tile and select the desired domain.
Select the Adjust Destination link on the Details tab.
Click on Domain Forwarding.
Select Your Domain or Arbitrary URL as Type.
Set a forwarding destination.
Your Domain option: A click in this field opens a list with domains in your contract. Select one of the domains.
Arbitrary URL option: Enter an Internet address in the form https://example.com.
Decide on a redirect type.
Option HTTP Redirect: Visitors to your domain are going to see the address of the destination domain in the address line of the Internet browser. This redirect type is recommended over frame redirects for better search engine results.
Option Frame Redirect: Visitors to your domain are not going to see the address line of the destination domain. The browser will retain the original domain's address in the address bar.
When you are finished with your entries, click Save.

Notes

If you would like to automatically forward domain calls with a leading www. as well, activate the option Domain forwarding for the www. Subdomain.
Please note: Frame redirects are not optimal for search engines. Use HTTP redirects instead.

SSL Encryption and Forwarding

SSL encryption is supported for the following instances:

https > https
http > https

When redirecting from https to http, the browser of the website visitor may show error messages. To avoid this, assign SSL encryption to the forwarding destination as well. You can find out how to change this in the article Secure Your Website with SSL Encryption.

DNS Settings and Domain Forwarding

Domain forwarding is automatically set up using DNS entries. Before you check with your browser whether domain forwarding has been successful, clear your Internet browser's cache to remove outdated redirect information.

To view DNS settings for a particular domain redirect:

If you have not yet done so, please log in to your IONOS account.
Click on the Domain & SSL tile and select the desired domain.
Switch to the DNS tab.
In the search field, enter "redirect" and complete the entry by clicking on Search. All DNS entries for the redirect will be displayed.

TXT records for redirects are only required for creation purposes and you can delete them afterwards.

Connecting a Domain to External Services

You can connect your domain to an external web service, social media profile, online shop or blog. The content will then be displayed under your internet address (domain mapping). Please note that for some of these services, the setup must be started in the configuration interface of the corresponding service.

To forward a domain, proceed as follows:

If you have not yet done so, please log in to your IONOS account.
Click on the Domain & SSL tile and select the desired domain.
Select the Adjust Domain Destination on the Details tab.
Click on Connect External Page.
Click on the logo of the desired external service.
Enter the necessary data for the final configuration.

You can find multiple configuration instructions in the Help Center under Domains > Using Domains.