How to Redirect www to non-www

1. Decide: www or non-www as canonical. Most pick non-www (shorter, more modern)
2. Ensure DNS has A records for both: example.com and www.example.com
3. SSL cert must cover both. Let's Encrypt: certbot -d example.com -d www.example.com
4. In nginx create a separate server block for www with return 301
5. In Apache — RewriteRule in .htaccess or vhost
6. Verify: curl -I https://www.example.com → HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently, Location: https://example.com
7. Check with Enterno Redirects Checker — should be HTTP→HTTPS→non-www chain, no loops
8. Update canonical, sitemap.xml, robots.txt on the target domain

• 302 instead of 301 — search engines do not transfer link equity
• Double hop HTTP→HTTPS→www→non-www — 1-5% ranking loss from the chain
• SSL cert only on one variant — the other returns ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID
• DNS missing record for www — Server not found on attempt
• Redirect loop (A→B→A) from a wrong RewriteCond condition

To redirect www to non-www, use a 301 redirect in your web server configuration or .htaccess file. For Apache, add RewriteEngine On and RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.*)$ followed by RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://%1/$1 [R=301,L]. For Nginx, include server { listen 80; server_name www.example.com; return 301 http://example.com$request_uri; } in your server block.

A redirect from www to non-www is crucial for maintaining a consistent domain presence and ensuring optimal SEO performance. Search engines treat www and non-www as separate entities, which can lead to duplicate content issues and diluted link equity. By implementing a 301 redirect, you inform search engines that the non-www version should be the authoritative version of your site. This practice not only consolidates traffic but also enhances your site's credibility.

Moreover, user experience plays a significant role here. Users may type either version of your domain into their browsers. By redirecting one version to another, you ensure that visitors always land on the correct site, thus reducing bounce rates and improving engagement metrics.

To implement this effectively, you need to understand the server environment your website is hosted on. Here, I will outline the steps for both Apache and Nginx, the two most commonly used web servers.

1. Redirecting www to non-www on Apache

For Apache servers, you typically use the .htaccess file to configure redirects. This file is located in the root directory of your website. If you do not have an .htaccess file, you can create one. Ensure that your server has the mod_rewrite module enabled, as this is necessary for the redirect to work.

Here’s how to set it up:

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

In this configuration:

• RewriteEngine On enables the runtime rewriting engine.
• RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.*)$ checks if the HTTP host starts with www.
• RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://%1/$1 [R=301,L] redirects the request to the non-www version while preserving the requested URI.

2. Redirecting www to non-www on Nginx

If you are using Nginx, the process is slightly different. Nginx configurations are typically found in the /etc/nginx/sites-available/ directory. You will need to edit the configuration file for your domain.

Here is a basic example of how to set up the redirect:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name www.example.com;
    return 301 http://example.com$request_uri;
}

In this setup:

• listen 80; specifies that the server is listening on port 80 for HTTP traffic.
• server_name www.example.com; defines the server block for the www version.
• return 301 http://example.com$request_uri; issues a permanent redirect to the non-www version while preserving the requested URI.

3. Testing Your Redirect

After configuring the redirect, it is essential to test it to ensure it works correctly. You can use tools like HTTP Status Checker or simply enter the www version of your domain in a web browser to see if it redirects to the non-www version.

Additionally, you can use command-line tools such as curl to verify the redirect:

curl -I http://www.example.com

This command will return the HTTP headers, and you should see a 301 Moved Permanently status along with the new location pointing to the non-www version.

4. Updating Internal Links

After implementing the redirect, ensure that all internal links on your site point to the non-www version. This consistency aids search engines in indexing your site correctly and helps users navigate without confusion.

In summary, redirecting from www to non-www is a crucial step in managing your website's SEO and user experience. By following the guidelines above, you can seamlessly implement this redirect and maintain a strong online presence.