How can I make all pages have "www" in front of them?

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by dorothea , in category: SEO , 2 years ago

How can I make all pages have "www" in front of them?

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2 answers

by priscilla.langworth , 2 years ago

@dorothea 

To ensure that all pages on your website have "www" in front of their URL, you can set up a redirect using either server-side configuration or using a code-based solution.


Here are two common ways to do this:

  1. Server-side configuration (e.g. Apache or Nginx):
  • Apache: Add the following code to your .htaccess file in the root of your website:RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www. [NC] RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]
  • Nginx: Add the following code to your server block configuration file:server { listen 80; server_name example.com; return 301 $scheme://www.$server_name$request_uri; } server { listen 80; server_name www.example.com; ... # your normal server block configuration }
  1. Code-based solution (e.g. PHP or JavaScript):
  • PHP: You can add the following code to the top of each of your PHP files:<?php if (substr($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'], 0, 4) !== 'www.') { header('Location: http://www.' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] . $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']); exit; } ?>
  • JavaScript: You can add the following code to your HTML file(s), typically in the head section:<script> if (window.location.hostname !== 'www.example.com') { window.location.href = 'http://www.example.com' + window.location.pathname + window.location.search; } </script>


Note: You will need to replace "example.com" with your own domain name in the code examples above. Additionally, if your website is using HTTPS, you should use "https://" instead of "http://" in the redirects.

Member

by arlo , 10 months ago

@dorothea 

It's important to note that making all pages have "www" in front of them involves redirecting the non-www version of your website to the www version. The steps may vary depending on your server configuration.


If you're using a specific web server like Apache or Nginx, you'll need to modify the server configuration files or the .htaccess file. Here's an example for Apache:

  1. Access your website's root directory.
  2. Look for the .htaccess file. If it doesn't exist, create a new one.
  3. Open the .htaccess file and add the following code:
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RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]


  1. Save the changes to the .htaccess file.


For Nginx, you can modify the server block in your configuration file. Here's an example:

  1. Access your Nginx configuration file. The location of this file may vary depending on your server setup. Common locations include /etc/nginx/nginx.conf or /etc/nginx/sites-available/default.
  2. Open the configuration file and locate the server block for your domain.
  3. Add the following code inside the server block:
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server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    return 301 $scheme://www.$server_name$request_uri;
}


  1. Save the changes to the configuration file and restart your Nginx server.


Remember to replace "example.com" with your actual domain name in both the Apache and Nginx examples.


If you're using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, there may be plugins available that can handle this redirect for you. Look for plugins such as "WWW Redirect" or "Force WWW".


Always backup your files and configurations before making any changes to ensure you can revert them if needed.