How to remove/apply www redirect

You can configure your domain to automatically redirect between www and non-www versions, ensuring consistent access for your visitors.

Understanding www redirects

There are two main scenarios:

• Force www: Redirect example.com → www.example.com
• Remove www: Redirect www.example.com → example.com

Configuring www redirect in cPanel

Follow these steps to set up www redirects:

Step 1: Access Redirects

1. Log in to your cPanel
2. Navigate to the Domains section
3. Click on Redirects

Step 2: Create redirect

1. Select redirect type: Permanent (301)
2. Choose your domain from the dropdown
3. Configure the redirect based on your preference:

To force www (redirect to www version):

• From: example.com
• To: https://www.example.com
• Check Wild Card Redirect

To remove www (redirect to non-www version):

• From: www.example.com
• To: https://example.com
• Check Wild Card Redirect

Step 3: Apply settings

1. Click Add to create the redirect
2. Test the redirect by visiting both versions

Alternative method: .htaccess

You can also configure redirects using .htaccess file:

To force www:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

To remove www:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

Best practices

• Choose one version: Consistently use either www or non-www
• Use 301 redirects: Permanent redirects preserve SEO value
• Update internal links: Use your preferred version in all internal links
• Set canonical URLs: Specify your preferred version in HTML

SEO considerations

• Avoid duplicate content: Redirects prevent search engines from seeing duplicate pages
• Preserve link juice: 301 redirects pass ranking power to the target URL
• Update Google Search Console: Add both versions and set preferred domain
• Consistency matters: Use the same version across all marketing materials

Testing your redirect

To verify your redirect works correctly:

1. Open a web browser
2. Type the version you're redirecting FROM
3. Press Enter and check if it automatically redirects
4. Use online tools to verify it's a 301 redirect