Built in support to automatically 301 redirect canonical urls

[benfitts]

When creating a new account in WHM you should be able to configure a package to automatically setup 301 redirects.

Canonical urls refers to the following scenario. Which is the best url for a web site?

http://www.example.com
http://example.com

Both are valid urls. But which is best?

The way WHM/CPanel works currently is a CNAME is setup for the www. and non www. This way I can reference a web site using either:

http://www.example.com
http://example.com

Unfortunately this is NOT the correct behavior. This behavior when seen by a search engine like Google can be seen as causing duplicate content. It also can be seen as diluting the value of incoming links because they might be split between people who link using Example Web Page or just example.com

The correct behavior would be to allow the user to 301 redirect one of the above domains to the other.

WHM should allow for the creation of packages that automatically setup 301 redirects. It could be as simple as two checkboxes which read:

301 redirect domain.com to www.domain.com
301 redirect www.domain.com to domain.com

If I select one of those checkboxes for this package then it will automatically setup the proper redirect any time I assign a new account to this WHM package.

Leaving the boxes unchecked would leave configuration as it is currently. Checking one would automatically create the appropriate subdomain in the filesystem and insert the appropriate .htaccess file for the redirect.

Doing this would make CPanel a much more valuable solution for companies and individuals that do SEO web hosting. SEO's know the value in having proper 301 redirects setup and doing this at the WHM level means you can automatically do this when new accounts are created.

Thanks in advance for reading my suggestion.

And if you can't include this can someone point me to a developer I can pay to code an addon to do this?

[cPanelDon]

When creating a new account in WHM you should be able to configure a package to automatically setup 301 redirects.

Canonical urls refers to the following scenario. Which is the best url for a web site?

http://www.example.com
http://example.com

Both are valid urls. But which is best?

The way WHM/CPanel works currently is a CNAME is setup for the www. and non www. This way I can reference a web site using either:

http://www.example.com
http://example.com

Unfortunately this is NOT the correct behavior. This behavior when seen by a search engine like Google can be seen as causing duplicate content. It also can be seen as diluting the value of incoming links because they might be split between people who link using www.example.com or just example.com

The correct behavior would be to allow the user to 301 redirect one of the above domains to the other.

WHM should allow for the creation of packages that automatically setup 301 redirects. It could be as simple as two checkboxes which read:

301 redirect domain.com to www.domain.com
301 redirect www.domain.com to domain.com

If I select one of those checkboxes for this package then it will automatically setup the proper redirect any time I assign a new account to this WHM package.

Leaving the boxes unchecked would leave configuration as it is currently. Checking one would automatically create the appropriate subdomain in the filesystem and insert the appropriate .htaccess file for the redirect.

Doing this would make CPanel a much more valuable solution for companies and individuals that do SEO web hosting. SEO's know the value in having proper 301 redirects setup and doing this at the WHM level means you can automatically do this when new accounts are created.

Thanks in advance for reading my suggestion.

It is possible for users to setup redirects in cPanel via the following menu path:
cPanel: Main >> Domains >> Redirects

Please be aware it is not incorrect behavior to create the "www" sub-domain in the form of a DNS CNAME record that points back to the parent domain name DNS A record; this is normal behavior and standard practice in the web hosting industry. Subjective search engine optimization (SEO) practices do not define correct and incorrect behavior; however, as the server administrator or web site owner you may choose how to setup your individual web sites.

And if you can't include this can someone point me to a developer I can pay to code an addon to do this?

The following area within the Advertising Forums may be used to post job offers: Server Management and Server Repair - cPanel Forums

Moderator Note: The thread is being closed as the feature is implemented in the form of allowing users to setup redirects via cPanel.