What is a domain pointer?

A domain pointer (also called a domain alias or parked domain) makes one domain display the exact same content as another domain without creating duplicate files. Both domains show identical content from the same website folder.

Domain pointer example

If your primary domain is business.co.za, you can create a domain pointer for business.com. Visitors to either domain see the same website content.

  • business.co.za → shows your website
  • business.com → shows the exact same website

Both domains use the same files, databases, and email accounts from the primary domain.

Domain pointer vs domain redirect

Domain pointers and redirects serve different purposes:

Feature Domain Pointer Domain Redirect
URL in browser Stays as typed (business.com) Changes to target (business.co.za)
Behaviour Shows content, keeps URL Forwards to new URL
SEO impact Can cause duplicate content issues Preserves SEO (301 redirect)
Best for Alternative spellings, domain variations Permanent domain changes, www setup

See our domain pointers vs redirects comparison for detailed differences.

When to use domain pointers

Good uses for domain pointers

  • Alternative domains: Own both .co.za and .com of your business name
  • Typo domains: Register common misspellings (busines.co.za → business.co.za)
  • Temporary access: Provide an alternative URL while DNS propagates
  • Brand protection: Register similar domains to prevent cybersquatting

When to use redirects instead

  • SEO consolidation: Direct all traffic to one canonical domain for better search rankings
  • Domain migration: Moving from old domain to new domain permanently
  • www setup: Force www.domain.co.za or non-www domain.co.za (use redirect for SEO benefits)

Step 1: Add the domain pointer in DirectAdmin

  1. Log in to DirectAdmin
  2. Go to Domain Setup
  3. Click Domain Pointers or Parked Domains
  4. Click Create Domain Pointer

Configure the domain pointer

Fill in the domain pointer form:

  • From (Pointer Domain): The domain you want to point (e.g., business.com)
  • To (Target Domain): The domain to display (e.g., business.co.za)
  • Alias: Check to make it a true alias (both domains work identically)

Click Add to create the pointer. The domain pointer activates immediately.

Step 2: Configure DNS nameservers

For the pointer to work, the alias domain must point to 0724 Hosting nameservers.

If registered with 0724 Hosting

If you registered the pointer domain through 0724 Hosting, nameservers are already configured.

If registered elsewhere

  1. Log in to your domain registrar
  2. Find the nameserver settings for the pointer domain
  3. Update nameservers to:
    • ns1.practiwebs.co.za
    • ns2.practiwebs.co.za
  4. Save changes

DNS propagation takes 1–24 hours. During this time, the pointer domain may not work correctly.

Step 3: Verify the domain pointer

  1. Wait at least 2–4 hours for DNS propagation
  2. Open your web browser
  3. Visit the pointer domain (e.g., https://business.com)
  4. You should see the same content as the target domain
  5. Check the URL bar - it should remain as the pointer domain (not redirect)

Managing domain pointers

Viewing all domain pointers

  1. Go to Domain Setup → Domain Pointers
  2. You will see a list of all pointer domains and their targets

Modifying a domain pointer

To change which domain a pointer targets:

  1. Delete the existing pointer
  2. Create a new pointer with the updated target

DirectAdmin does not support direct editing of existing pointers.

Deleting a domain pointer

  1. Go to Domain Pointers
  2. Find the pointer you want to remove
  3. Click Delete
  4. Confirm deletion

Deleting a pointer does not delete any files (it only removes the alias relationship).

SSL certificates for domain pointers

Domain pointers require their own SSL certificates for HTTPS to work.

Requesting SSL for a pointer domain

  1. Go to SSL Certificates in DirectAdmin
  2. Select the pointer domain from the dropdown
  3. Request a Let's Encrypt certificate
  4. The pointer domain will work with HTTPS

Without SSL, visitors to https://pointerdomain.com will see certificate errors.

Email and domain pointers

Email behaviour with pointers

Domain pointers share email settings with the target domain:

  • Email sent to info@business.com (pointer) arrives at info@business.co.za (target)
  • You only create email accounts for the target domain
  • The pointer domain uses the target domain's MX records

Creating separate email for pointer domain

If you want the pointer domain to have independent email accounts:

www and non-www with domain pointers

Domain pointers automatically handle www and non-www versions:

  • Pointing business.com to business.co.za also points www.business.com to business.co.za
  • Both business.com and www.business.com show the target domain's content

SEO note: Search engines may treat www and non-www as duplicate content. Use redirects (not pointers) to consolidate to one canonical URL for better SEO.

SEO considerations for domain pointers

Duplicate content risk

Search engines may see pointer domains as duplicate content, which can dilute search rankings. To prevent this:

  • Use canonical tags in your HTML to specify the preferred domain
  • Or use 301 redirects instead of pointers (better for SEO)
  • Submit only the primary domain to Google Search Console

Canonical URL setup

Add this to your website's HTML <head> section:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://business.co.za/" />

This tells search engines that business.co.za is the preferred version, even if accessed via business.com.

Common domain pointer use cases

Alternative TLD ownership

Owning both .co.za and .com versions of your brand:

  • Primary domain: business.co.za
  • Pointer: business.com → business.co.za
  • Users typing either domain see your website

Brand protection

Register common misspellings or variations:

  • Primary domain: mybusiness.co.za
  • Pointers: my-business.co.za, mybusines.co.za
  • Prevents competitors from registering similar domains

Temporary access during migration

Provide an alternative URL while DNS propagates:

  • Primary domain: newdomain.co.za (DNS not yet propagated)
  • Pointer: temp-access.co.za (with working DNS)
  • Use temp domain to access site during DNS changeover

Troubleshooting domain pointers

Pointer domain not working

If the pointer domain does not load:

  • Verify nameservers point to ns1/ns2.practiwebs.co.za
  • Wait for DNS propagation (up to 24 hours)
  • Check the pointer exists in DirectAdmin → Domain Pointers
  • Ensure the target domain is working correctly
  • Clear your browser cache and try again

Pointer domain shows different content

If the pointer shows unexpected content:

  • Verify the pointer target is set correctly in DirectAdmin
  • Check you did not accidentally create an addon domain instead of a pointer
  • Wait for DNS propagation to complete

SSL certificate errors on pointer domain

If HTTPS shows certificate warnings:

  • Request a Let's Encrypt certificate specifically for the pointer domain
  • Verify the certificate was generated successfully
  • Wait a few minutes for certificate activation
  • Clear browser cache and SSL state

Cannot create domain pointer

If DirectAdmin prevents pointer creation:

  • Verify the domain is not already added as an addon domain or subdomain
  • Check the domain name is valid (letters, numbers, hyphens only)
  • Ensure you own or control the domain you are trying to point
  • Contact support if the issue persists

Domain pointer limits

Most 0724 Hosting plans include unlimited domain pointers. Check your hosting plan details in the client area if you encounter pointer creation limits.

Best practices for domain pointers

  • Use sparingly: Consider redirects for SEO benefits
  • Set up canonical URLs: Prevent duplicate content penalties
  • Enable SSL for all pointers: Request Let's Encrypt certificates
  • Document pointer purpose: Note why each pointer was created
  • Choose one primary domain: Market and brand only the main domain
  • Monitor traffic: Check which domains visitors use most
  • Review regularly: Remove unused pointers to reduce management overhead

When to use pointers vs addon domains

Scenario Solution
Same website, alternative domain Domain Pointer
Completely different website Addon Domain
Redirect to primary domain (SEO) Domain Redirect
Section of main website Subdomain

Getting help with domain pointers

If you need assistance creating domain pointers, troubleshooting DNS issues, or deciding between pointers and redirects, contact 0724 Hosting support. We can help with domain configuration, SEO planning, and multi-domain management.