Parked (Alias) Domains

A parked domain — also called an alias — is a second domain name that displays your existing website. This article explains when to use a parked domain and how to add and manage one in cPanel. Please contact Exact Hosting Support if you're unsure if your hosting account has Alias enabled.

What a parked (alias) domain is

A parked domain points an additional domain name at a website you already host, so visitors see the same site no matter which address they type. It does not create a separate website.

Use a parked domain when you want to:

• Protect your brand by owning several spellings or extensions (for example, yourbusiness.com, yourbusiness.net, and your-business.com) that all show the same site.
• Redirect a recently acquired or rebranded domain to your current site.

A parked domain is different from:

• An addon domain, which hosts a separate website under its own name. See Managing Addon Domains.
• A subdomain, which is a section of an existing domain. See Creating Subdomains.

Note: In newer versions of cPanel, parked domains are called Aliases.

Before you begin

• A registered domain to park. You must own the domain, registered with Exact Hosting or elsewhere.
• The domain pointed to Exact Hosting. Its nameservers or DNS must point here. See Pointing Your Domain to Your Exact Hosting Account.
• cPanel access.

Step 1: Open the Aliases tool

1. Sign in to cPanel.
2. In the Domains section, select Aliases (or Parked Domains in older versions). [SME CONFIRM: tool name in the current theme.]

Step 2: Add the parked domain

1. In the Create a New Alias field, enter the domain you want to park — without www or http.
2. Select Add Domain (or Add Alias).

The domain now displays your main website.

Step 3: Optionally redirect the alias

By default, a parked domain shows your main site at its own address. If you would rather have it forward to your main domain (so the address bar changes to your primary domain), set up a redirect.

1. In the Aliases tool, find your parked domain.
2. Select Manage Redirection.
3. Enter the destination URL and save.

Step 4: Manage or remove an alias

Return to the Aliases tool to see all parked domains on your account. From there you can remove an alias you no longer need.

Note: Removing an alias stops that domain from showing your site. The domain itself is unaffected and remains registered.

Next steps

• Host a separate site instead. See Managing Addon Domains.
• Secure the parked domain. Confirm your free SSL covers it — see Your Free SSL Certificate (AutoSSL).

Questions? Contact Exact Hosting Support.