Redirect a Domain Name

There are many types of website builder packages and free website services available online. One thing they tend to have in common is that you’re likely to be given an address to your website that includes the name of the service you’re using. For example, the link to your site could be something like:

http://homepage.mac.com/terry.artist/

Or:

http://terryartist.blogspot.com

How do you turn URLs like those into a professional address like: www.TerryArtist.com?

Simple – just redirect a domain name. Here’s how:

1. Register a domain name at www.FineWebsitesRegistry.com

It’s important to give some thought to your domain name before you choose one. Click here for guidelines about how to choose a domain name.

(If you’ve already registered a domain name somewhere else, the following instructions will be similar to the process you’ll need to go through in your domain registry account.)

2. Once you have your domain name, log into your www.FineWebsitesRegistry.com account (click on ‘My Account’ from the ‘Home’ page).

3. Click on ‘Domains’ in the left menu.

4. Click on the box to the left of the domain name that you want to redirect to your website.  Then click on ‘Forward’ in the menu above where your domain name appears.

5. A box will open up with the tab set to ‘Forwarding’. Click on the box to the left of ‘Enable Forwarding’. In the box under ‘Foward to:’ paste in the link to the front page of your website. In this example that would be:  http://homepage.mac.com/terry.artist/

We suggest that you copy and paste that link so there’s no possibility of error. If you must type it, make sure to get it EXACTLY right.

6. Click on the round circle to the left of ‘301 Moved Permanently’.

7. Click on ‘OK’.

The page should refresh, giving you a message saying that your change has been submitted and will take effect shortly. It can take up to 48 hours for your new domain name to go to the page your redirected it to.

Go to your domain name to test it. Once it has resolved and takes you to the front page of your site, you’re done. You now can send people to your site using your domain name instead of the link giving to you by your site builder program.

If, after a couple of days, your domain name is not taking you to your site, log back into your domain registery account and repeat this process. If that doesn’t work, locate the ‘Product and Technical Support’ phone number near the top of the page when you log in, and call for help in getting your domain name forwarded. It’s very unlikely you’ll need to do that.