If you use Plesk to host your website, you’ll sometimes need to do more than point a single domain at a single site. This guide covers the three most common advanced tasks.
Two terms used throughout:
- Nameservers control where a domain’s DNS is managed. DNS is the set of records that tells the internet where your website, email and other services live. You change nameservers at your domain registrar, the company you bought the domain from.
- Propagation is the delay after a nameserver change while the update spreads across the internet. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24-48 hours.
1. Manage only a domain’s DNS in Plesk (domain registered elsewhere)
When to use this: Your domain is registered with another company, and you want to manage its DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT and so on) in Plesk, but you don’t want Plesk to host the website. For example, the site might be on another platform, or you might just want all your DNS in one place.
Before you start: Once the nameservers point to Plesk, Plesk’s DNS records replace the old ones. Make a note of your existing DNS records, especially email (MX) records, and recreate them in Plesk. Otherwise your website or email could stop working.
Steps:
- Log in to your domain registrar and change the domain’s nameservers to your Plesk server’s nameservers. Your hosting provider can tell you what these are.
- In Plesk, add the domain as a website (Websites & Domains → Add Domain). This creates the domain’s DNS zone.
- Remove the website hosting from the domain, so Plesk isn’t trying to serve a site for it. The DNS zone stays in place.
- Open the domain’s DNS Settings in Plesk. You can now add, edit or delete records as needed.
2. Set up a domain alias for a website hosted in Plesk
What is a domain alias? An alias is a second domain name that points to your main website. When someone types the alias into their browser, they see your main site as if they’d typed the main domain. The alias has no pages or files of its own. Aliases are very common. This website has plenty, so try visiting letsgetfiscal.co.uk to see one in action.
Why use one?
- Protecting your brand: Register your name with several endings (.com, .co.uk, .org and so on) so competitors can’t, then alias them all to your main site.
- Catching misspellings: Register common typos of your business name so visitors still find you.
- Handling a rebrand: Set your old domain as an alias of the new one, so existing customers and old links keep working.
- Shortening long addresses: Buy a short domain to print on business cards or signage, while keeping your full company name as your main web address.
Steps:
- For the domain you want to use as the alias, change its nameservers (at its registrar) to point to Plesk.
- In the Plesk control panel, open the domain you want visitors to end up on (your main website) and click Add Domain Alias.
- Enter the alias domain name. Plesk will ask which domain it should be an alias for.
- Review the options shown (such as whether the alias should also handle email, or redirect to the main domain with a 301 redirect), then click Save.
Tip: Add an SSL certificate that covers the alias, otherwise visitors using it may see a browser security warning.
3. Set up domain forwarding in Plesk (domain registered elsewhere)
When to use this: You want a domain to send visitors to a different web address, such as a page on another site, rather than showing your Plesk-hosted website.
Steps:
- Change the domain’s nameservers (at its registrar) to point to Plesk.
- In Plesk, add the domain as a website.
- Remove the website hosting from the domain.
- Open Hosting Settings and change the hosting type to Forwarding.
- Enter the web address you want visitors sent to. If you’re given a choice of redirect type, choose 301 (permanent) unless the change is only temporary.
Alias or forwarding: which should you use?
| Domain alias | Domain forwarding | |
|---|---|---|
| What visitors see | Your main site, with the alias still in the address bar | They’re sent to a new address, and the address bar changes |
| Where the target site must be | Hosted in the same Plesk account | Anywhere on the internet |
| Best for | Extra domains and typos that should show your main site | Sending a domain to a specific page or an external site |
Note: Menu names and options can vary slightly between Plesk versions, so check them against your own control panel.