How to create a website mirror through Reg.ru

How to Create a Website Mirror on a Second Domain Through Reg.ru

To create a website mirror on a second domain through Reg.ru, you need to bind the new domain to the existing hosting, configure DNS records, and create a 301 redirect to merge mirrors in search engines. The process includes adding the domain to your personal account, setting up IP addresses, and configuring the .htaccess file for proper traffic redirection.

Table of Contents

• Preparation for Creating a Mirror
• Binding the Second Domain to Hosting
• Configuring DNS Records
• Creating a 301 Redirect
• Setting Up the Main Mirror
• Testing and Verification

Preparation for Creating a Mirror

Before creating a website mirror, ensure you have met the following requirements:

1. New domain registered - the second domain must be registered in the Reg.ru system
2. Access to hosting - you must have access to the hosting control panel
3. Backups - it is recommended to create a backup of the original website
4. Availability check - ensure the new domain is available for binding

Important: A website mirror is an identical copy of your website available under a different domain name, but with shared files and database.

Binding the Second Domain to Hosting

To bind the second domain to hosting, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Reg.ru personal account
2. Go to the “Hosting” section and select the desired hosting account
3. In the menu, select “Domains” → “Add Domain”
4. Enter the new domain in the appropriate field
5. Click “Add”

After adding the domain, the system will automatically create an alias for your website. Your website will now be accessible under both domain names.

According to the instructions from Reg.ru, to bind a domain to hosting without changing DNS servers, you need to add two A records with the website’s IP address.

Configuring DNS Records

Proper DNS configuration is a critical step in creating a mirror:

1. In your Reg.ru personal account, go to the “Domain Management” section
2. Select the desired domain and open “DNS Settings”
3. Add the following records:

Information about your website’s IP address is available in the website IP address guide.

Note: DNS records may take several hours to update, so be prepared for some delay before the changes take effect.

Creating a 301 Redirect

A 301 redirect is necessary to merge mirrors in search engines. To set up the redirect:

1. Connect to your hosting via FTP or file manager
2. Find the .htaccess file in the website’s root directory
3. Add the following lines to the beginning of the file:

# Mirror merging
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.your-domain\.ru$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://your-domain.ru/$1 [L,R=301]

4. Replace your-domain.ru with your actual domain name
5. Save the file

As specified in the instructions from Reg.ru, setting up a 301 redirect from the main mirror to the alternative is a mandatory step for proper website merging.

Setting Up the Main Mirror

To ensure search engines know which mirror to consider as the main one, you need to perform additional configurations:

1. In the robots.txt file, add an indication of the main mirror:

Host: your-domain.ru

2. In Yandex.Webmaster:

   • Add both domains as websites
   • Specify the main mirror in the settings
   • Perform verification

3. In Google Search Console:

   • Add both sites
   • Set the primary domain
   • Verify ownership of both resources

Tip: The main mirror configuration should be completed immediately after creating the mirror to avoid content duplication in search results.

Testing and Verification

After completing all configurations, you need to verify that the mirror is working properly:

1. Availability check:

   • Navigate to both domain names
   • Ensure the website opens correctly
   • Check all pages and functionality

2. Redirect verification:

   • Enter an address with www in your browser
   • Ensure redirection to the domain without www occurs
   • Check the server response code (should be 301)

3. Search engine verification:

   • Use services like site:domain.ru
   • Check indexing of both domains
   • Monitor positions for several weeks

As noted in general mirror creation principles, after some time, search engine crawlers will notice the appearance of the second site and will perform reindexing, “merging” the mirrors.

Sources

1. How to merge websites | Reg.ru
2. Aliases | Reg.ru
3. How to bind a domain to hosting | Reg.ru
4. Configuring resource records in your personal account | Reg.ru
5. How to create a website mirror — general principles
6. How to Create a Website Mirror with a Different Domain | SSL-TEAM
7. Website mirror: what it is, how to find and configure

Conclusion

Creating a website mirror on a second domain through Reg.ru is a multi-stage process requiring careful attention to detail. Key points for successful implementation:

1. Proper domain binding - both domains should be correctly bound to the same hosting
2. Precise DNS configuration - errors in DNS records can lead to website unavailability
3. Mandatory 301 redirect setup - this is critically important for SEO and mirror merging
4. Gradual testing - test each configuration step before moving to the next
5. Result monitoring - monitor indexing and search engine positions

By following all instructions, your website will work correctly as a mirror, preserving all functions and avoiding content duplication in search results.