Google Apps Question, Bought a domain name through google apps.

How to point my google pages to my actual domain name?

[sadelb]

How can I do this. Lets say I bought www.example.com. When I publish the pages I create, it goes to http://www.example.com-a.googlepages.com/. I dont want it to go there. I want it to go straight to www.example.com. Eventually I will also like to have my website created professionally. It cant be professional if it always goes to http://www.example.com-a.googlepages.com/. How can I change this. I bought my domain name through google and enom. Can somebody give me step by step instructions on fixing this. Thank you for your time.

Ben

[sadelb]

ok I figured out how to fix this problem but now I have another problem. www.example.com and example.com go to different sites. I want example.com to be the same as www.example.com. How can I fix this. Thanks.

[callivert]

you do this through a funny file called .htaccess (no, there's nothing before the dot in the name).
google "htaccess redirect" or "redirect non www to www" or or "301 redirect" or "domain name canonicalization" or something along those lines.
also, make sure you set the canonical domain in google webmaster tools.

[jtara]

you do this through a funny file called .htaccess

But does Google Pages support .htaccess?

If enom provides URL forwarding service (usually offered as part of a Registrar's DNS service, though, technically, it isn't a DNS service - it uses a web server that sends redirects) you can use that to forward non-www to www (or vice-versa).

If your registrar does not provide a forwarding service, you can still set an A record for both non-www and www to the same address. But then you will potentially suffer a duplicate content penalty in Google and other search engines. (Probably fixable using Google Webmaster Tools, so that Google knows that they aren't really duplicates.)

It cant be professional if it always goes to http://www.example.com-a.googlepages.com

IMO, it can't be professional if you are using Google Pages for hosting. Get a real web site that gives you real control - they are cheap.

[sadelb]

the main point of all of this was to be able to use google apps with my website. I decided to buy my domain name through google when registering with google apps. They used the third party enom when doing this. I hope I am not restricted to leave google by buying it from them. Does anybody have any tips on google apps. I love gmail service and thought it would be great to have everything go through google apps. I dont want my domain name to be tied with them though. I personally dont mind using google pages to set up my website. So far it looks pretty good and for the business I am starting it doesnt have to be very complex right now. Maybe in the near future I would hire someobody to make it more professional. I just hope I am not restricted by buying the domain through google when registering for google apps. Thanks. :)

[jtara]

Google Apps, Google domain names, and Google Pages are all completely independent. None is required for the use of any of the others.

Your domain registration is just a domain registration - you can use your domain with any hosting service.