The "Redirect Fully Qualified Domain" recipe ensures that all user requests made to the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) version of your domain — such as example.com. (note the trailing dot) — are automatically redirected to the standard root format, eg. example.com. This approach prevents unnecessary duplication of content and enhances the user experience by presenting a single, consistent version of your site’s URL structure.

Not sure if your site needs this redirect? Open a Web browser and type your domain name with a trailing dot (e.g., example.com.). You might be surprised to find that your site loads correctly, even with the trailing dot. However, this seemingly minor difference can have significant implications for your site’s SEO performance and technical efficiency.

Using both the FQDN and the root domain format can create several challenges. When two versions of the same content are accessible (e.g., at "example.com." and "example.com"), search engines may interpret them as separate pages, leading to duplicate content issues. There are few chances that this really causes SEO issues, but it is better to avoid it. Redirecting the FQDN version to the root domain helps consolidate your site’s content under a single URL, improving SEO and ensuring that search engines index your site correctly.

There are also technical reasons for implementing this redirect. Serving content across both FQDN and root domain versions can result in duplicate caching of the same resources, which wastes server resources and increases cache storage costs. In some cases, this setup could even lead to cache poisoning, as the same resources could be stored multiple times with different variations, creating potential vulnerabilities. By implementing a straightforward redirect from the FQDN to the root domain, this recipe mitigates these issues, ensuring efficient caching and optimal site performance.

Redirecting FQDN traffic to the root domain is a simple yet effective solution for managing content duplication, improving SEO, and maintaining a streamlined and secure site structure.

How to install this recipe on my website with redirection.io?

Installing this recipe on your website requires the following steps:

  1. Enter the Domain: Input the domain or sub-domain for which the FQDN version should be redirected. Do not include the protocol (i.e., https:// or http://) — simply enter "example.com".
  2. Click "Install on My Website": Confirm the installation. This will generate the necessary rules in "Draft" mode to redirect the FQDN version to the root domain.
  3. Review the Created Rule: Ensure the redirect rule accurately captures the intended behavior, with requests to "example.com." properly routing to "example.com".
  4. Publish on your website: Once published, all FQDN-based requests will automatically redirect to the root version, maintaining a clean and consistent URL structure for users and search engines alike.