How to Redirect www to non-www
A single canonical domain is SEO rule #1. Pick one (usually non-www) and 301-redirect the other. Setup: nginx — separate server block for www with return 301; Apache — RewriteRule in .htaccess; Cloudflare — Page Rule. You need a cert for both (usually wildcard or SAN).
Below: step-by-step, working examples, common pitfalls, FAQ.
Step-by-Step Setup
- Decide: www or non-www as canonical. Most pick non-www (shorter, more modern)
- Ensure DNS has A records for both:
example.comandwww.example.com - SSL cert must cover both. Let's Encrypt:
certbot -d example.com -d www.example.com - In nginx create a separate server block for www with return 301
- In Apache — RewriteRule in .htaccess or vhost
- Verify:
curl -I https://www.example.com→HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently,Location: https://example.com - Check with Enterno Redirects Checker — should be HTTP→HTTPS→non-www chain, no loops
- Update canonical, sitemap.xml, robots.txt on the target domain
Working Examples
| Scenario | Config / Record |
|---|---|
| nginx minimal | server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name www.example.com;
ssl_certificate /path/fullchain.pem;
return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
} |
| Apache .htaccess | RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [R=301,L] |
| Cloudflare Page Rule | URL: www.example.com/* → Forwarding URL → 301 → https://example.com/$1 |
| Reverse: non-www → www | server_name example.com; return 301 https://www.example.com$request_uri; |
| curl test | curl -ILk https://www.example.com 2>&1 | grep -iE "HTTP|Location" |
Common Pitfalls
- 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 foundon attempt - Redirect loop (A→B→A) from a wrong RewriteCond condition
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Frequently Asked Questions
www or non-www — which is better for SEO?
Doesn't matter — pick ONE canonical and use it consistently. Google and Yandex have long treated both equally.
Do I need a cert on www if the redirect is instant?
Yes. The client first establishes TLS with www.example.com — the cert must be valid. Only then does the server return 301.
Difference between 301 and 308?
301 — permanent, allows method change POST→GET. 308 — same but preserves method. For www→non-www use 301 — universally supported.
How do I test for redirect loops?
<a href="/en/redirects">Enterno Redirects Checker</a> shows the chain and warns on loops. Or <code>curl -I -L</code> (follows redirects) — more than 10 hops = problem.