A parked domain is a registered domain name that does not have its own website. The term is used in two senses:

• Domain parked with the registrar: the domain is not yet linked to a hosting account, so the registrar displays a default ‘parking page’ on it;
• The parked domain (alias) on the hosting account: the domain points to an existing website and displays the same content as the main domain. This article explains this configuration.

What can it be used for?

• Brand protection: the company also registers versions of its name with different domain extensions (such as .com and .hu) or common misspellings, and all of them redirect to the same website.
• Domain transfer: when a website moves to a new domain, its old domain is not lost; visitors will still be able to find it there.
• Future project: a reserved domain will continue to display the existing page until the new website is ready.

Before you set it up

The domain must point to the hosting account: its name servers or A record must be the same as those of the main domain. Until this is set up, the domain will be listed on the hosting account in vain; the browser will not display the website.

Configuring cPanel on a hosting account

1. Log in to cPanel and, in the ‘Domains’ section, open the ‘Domains’ menu item.
2. Click on the ‘Create A New Domain’ button.
3. Enter the domain you wish to park.
4. Leave the ‘Share document root’ option ticked: this will make the domain an alias of the main domain and use the same root directory. (If you untick this option, a separate, independent add-on domain with its own directory will be created.)
5. Click the Submit button.

Of our cPanel hosting plans, the cP Start 10 and cP Basic 50 allow 10 and 50 parked domains respectively, whilst the larger plans offer an unlimited number.

Setting up KeyHelp on a web hosting account

Web hosting plans do not include a separate quota for parked domains: additional domains count towards the total number of domains allowed in the plan (the Web Free plan allows one domain). Add the domain under the ‘Domains’ menu item, then when editing the domain, specify the same directory as the one used by the main domain as the target directory, or set up an external redirect to the main domain using a 301 (permanent) redirect code. Parked domains are not available in static hosting plans.

Display or redirection?

If the parked domain displays the same content, search engines will see the same page at two different addresses. From a search engine optimisation perspective, it is therefore generally better to redirect additional domains to the main domain using a 301 redirect; you can set this up in cPanel by following the instructions in the article on domain redirection.

How do you check this?

• Open the parked domain with the https:// prefix: the browser should not display a certificate error. The certificate must also cover the parked domain; in cPanel, this is handled by AutoSSL, whilst on KeyHelp web hosting, the Let’s Encrypt configuration for the domain ensures this.
• When setting up a redirect, check that the main domain appears in the address bar and that the URL pointing to a subpage directs to the correct location.

Do I have to pay extra?

There is no charge for setting up a parked domain within your hosting plan, up to the plan limit; however, the registration and renewal fees for the domain name itself are still payable, even if you are simply parking it.

For a more detailed overview, see our blog: What is a parked domain? Everything you need to know about domain parking.