I’m developing a single web site which serves three different but linked organisations. They have much in common, with only slight differences in places, hence wanting to use the same website.
Let’s say the domains/URLs are url1, url2 and url3, each points to the same webspace with url1 being the primary url, the others being addon domains. The user entering any of the urls, goes to the correct home page. However clicking on a link directs them always to the primary domain, url1. eg. url2 click on ‘services’ goes to url1/services
What I want to achieve is for the user to continue to see the domain they first used, eg. url2/services.
I feel there MAY be a way using htaccess but I’d be interested in any views on this.
I have not had to do this myself yet, but I believe you can accomplish this by installing your 2 additional domains as Add-on domains to your primary domain. Do this within your cPanel account associated with your primary domain.
@Pixelfixer I looked in Plesk and I couldnt find a way to create an add-on domain… just domain aliases. Is it possible to create two domains (that aren’t ‘add-on domains’ or even associated in any way) and just point them to the same file directory and database?
I think domain aliases are what you are after - that’s where you want different domains to point at the same website.
Just a couple of things to consider
one concrete site can operate under multiple domains. We often will set up a new site under a ‘staging’ domain, just something temporary, and then point the live domain at it when needed. After that, both domains will bring the same site up
caching is going to create issues when turned on. Concrete will cache the URLs a site generates (navigation, internal links, etc). So then next visitor that comes along will potentially see URLs to one of the other domains the site operates on.
there’s also a site setting where you set a site’s main domain. Having that in place is good practice, but will always enforce that domain on generated links
from a SEO point of view, it’s a significant negative to have the same site/content operating across multiple domain. Personally I’d be aiming to pick one of the domains and have the other domains redirect through to that one domain. Or, get two of the domains to redirect to the main domain and a particular page.
Many thanks for your comments. I’ve pretty much decided to abondon trying to do this and am just going for a single domain with others redirecting to that one.
As you say, caching is always going to cause problems and mujltiple domains for the same site is something Google doesn’t like.