{"id":455,"date":"2026-05-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gaugehosting.com\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/how-to-choose-between-www-and-a-non-www-domain\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T09:00:00","slug":"how-to-choose-between-www-and-a-non-www-domain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gaugehosting.com\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/how-to-choose-between-www-and-a-non-www-domain\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose Between www and a Non-www Domain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A domain can often be reached with or without the <code>www<\/code> prefix. The important issue is consistent configuration, not a universal requirement to use one format.<\/p>\n<h2>Choose One Preferred Hostname<\/h2>\n<p>Select the primary hostname and permanently redirect the alternate version to it. Internal links, canonical URLs, sitemaps, and marketing materials should consistently use the preferred hostname.<\/p>\n<h2>Verify<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Both hostnames resolve.<\/li>\n<li>The certificate covers the needed hostnames.<\/li>\n<li>The alternate redirects correctly.<\/li>\n<li>Canonical URLs use the preferred hostname.<\/li>\n<li>Cookies and application settings behave correctly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Changing the hostname of an established site requires careful redirects and monitoring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A domain can often be reached with or without the www prefix. The important issue is consistent configuration, not a universal requirement to use one format. Choose One Preferred Hostname Select the primary hostname and permanently redirect the alternate version to it. Internal links, canonical URLs, sitemaps, and marketing materials should consistently use the preferred [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-hosting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Choose Between www and a Non-www Domain - Web Hosting Guides, Tutorials &amp; Tips | GaugeHosting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gaugehosting.com\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/how-to-choose-between-www-and-a-non-www-domain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Choose Between www and a Non-www Domain - Web Hosting Guides, Tutorials &amp; Tips | GaugeHosting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A domain can often be reached with or without the www prefix. 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