3 replies to this topic

[billzo]

Chris, on 05 December 2011 - 09:39 PM, said:

Would you recommend any domain registration service? I've heard about namecheap, but saw some bad reviews online.

Yes, I recommend Namecheap.  I have been using Namecheap for over 5 years now with no problems.  If you use the coupon code WGSPECIAL, you can get Whoisguard privacy protection for only $0.99 (will hide your address, phone number, and other personal information on your domain registration).  You may find other coupons online for discounts on new registrations.  

http://www.retailmen...w/namecheap.com

Chris, on 05 December 2011 - 09:39 PM, said:

Do you have a recommended way of having multiple domains point to one site? Would adding rewrite instructions to htaccess be the best method?

Multiple domains pointing to one site?  Yes.  Many domain name registrars--Namecheap included--have what is called "URL forwarding" (or "URL directing").  If you have two domains, such as domain1.com and domain2.com, you can forward (redirect) domain2.com to domain1.com.  If a visitor types in domain2.com, they will automatically be redirected to domain1.com.

http://www.namecheap...ng-for-a-domain

If you want multiple domains hosting the exact same content, you can do that, too.  You could use a simple rewrite directive using htaccess to rewrite requests for domain2.com to point to domain1.com's folder.  So if someone types in domain2.com, your server will then show then domain1.com's content.  If someone types in domain1.com, they will also see domain1.com's content.  That will give you multiple domain names showing the exact same site.  It's pretty easy to do this.

If you do that, the search engines will typically eliminate one site from the search engine rankings in their duplicate content filtering.  There will be no SEO advantage.

Let me know if you have any other questions and be sure to check my signature line for some money saving discounts on A Small Orange hosting if you have not already signed up!

[NyteOwl]

I've had good luck with Baremetal (baremetal.com) and Tera-Byte (tera-byte.com). Neither are the cheapest but the service I've received has been excellent.

[IBBoard]

I use Namecheap for my .coms as well, but 123-reg.co.uk for my .uk domains. Both are cheap and neither try to force much on you (IIRC 123-reg don't add anything, and Namecheap might try offering you WhoisGuard on the first purchase). GoDaddy seem to have a worse rep for a convoluted purchasing system where they try to flog you all sorts of extras you don't need, before ending up with terrible customer service. In general, I've not needed to us NameCheap's customer services, which is how it should be with a domain