Can I use additional domain names with my Web hosting account?

We provide a free domain name with every Web hosting account, but you can also use additional domain names that point to the same Web site files and e-mail mailboxes.

We call these extra domain names "domain name aliases". It's simply an additional domain name that lets people access your existing Web site files and e-mail addresses, without having to pay for a separate Web hosting account.

On this page:

Why would I use a domain name alias?

Common uses for extra domain names are:

  • to cover all the various versions of your domain name (example.com, example.net, example.org, etc.);
  • to make sure people who mistype your domain name can still reach you (making sure that both example-theater.com and example-theatre.com work, for example);
  • to provide domain names for each product or service your company offers; and
  • to make sure that a domain name you're phasing out still continues working for a couple of years.

You don't need to pay any extra monthly fee for additional domain names, and you can have as many additional domain names as you want — there's no limit. The only cost is our annual "domain name registration only" fee if you buy the domain name from us, which includes registration and renewal of the domain name. (There’s no charge at all if you register the domain name through another company, although doing that means we won’t be able to provide support for problems with the domain name.)

Domain name aliases with Web sites

As an example, let's say you have an existing Web site at www.example.com. You could add an extra domain name called a-second-domain.com and have us set it up as a domain name alias for example.com.

If you do that, people visiting either of these two addresses will see the exact same pages:

www.example.com
www.a-second-domain.com

The visitor's Web browser address bar will continue to show whichever address he or she typed; the visitor won't even know about the other domain name unless you display it on the page somewhere. (Compare this to a domain name redirect, in which the visitor's address bar changes to show the "main" Web hosting domain name.)

Domain name aliases with e-mail addresses

Domain name aliases work for e-mail, too. If you currently use the e-mail address address@example.com, any messages sent to address@a-second-domain.com will also reach you.

In fact, mail sent to any address @a-second-domain.com will be handled exactly as if it had been sent to the same address @example.com.

In addition, you can set up your e-mail program or Webmail to use either domain name as the "From" address.

Setting up domain name aliases

To add a domain alias, just sign up for a "Domain Name Only" plan if you haven't already done so. Then:

  • Login to the “My Account” control panel (having trouble?)
  • Click Domain Name Features
  • Choose the Domain Name Alias option and follow the instructions.

The alias will usually be working within 30 minutes.

By the way, if you don't see "Domain Name Features", make sure you're logged in as the domain name you want to redirect. If you're logged in under a different domain name, you may need to click Logout, then login under the correct domain name.

A note about Microsoft FrontPage

If you're using Microsoft's FrontPage software to manage your Web site files, some special FrontPage features (such as hit counters and feedback forms) won't work properly if the Web site is accessed through an "alias" domain name. If you use FrontPage, you should consider using a domain name redirect instead of a domain name alias, or use the hit counter and feedback form scripts that we provide instead.