What is domain forwarding?

Domain forwarding — available only to Yahoo! Domains and Business Email customers — lets you point your domain name to another home page or web site location. Forwarding is handy when you have a web site built elsewhere and you want to give people an easy-to-remember domain name to reach your site.

Here's an example. You can forward:
http://www.widgetdesigns.com/    http://geocities.yahoo.com/widgetdesigns/

So when people type http://www.widgetdesigns.com/ in their browsers, they'll seehttp://geocities.yahoo.com/widgetdesigns.

Note: Advanced users may also take advantage of advanced DNS settings (A records, MX records, and CNAME).

How do I set an MX record?

You can set MX records from the Advanced DNS Settings area of the Domain Control Panel.

Important note: If you replace Yahoo!'s default MX records or create an additional MX record for your domain name zone files with a higher priority than the Yahoo! mail servers (in other words, a priority lower than 50), the email services provided in the plan you purchased will no longer function. All email addressed to your domain will be handled by the server you specify in the MX record.

To access the Domain Control Panel:

1. Sign in to your Business Control Panel. (If you have not yet signed in with your Yahoo! ID and password, you'll be prompted to do so here.)
2. Once signed in, you will see modules for each of your domain names on the "Manage My Services" page. Select the "Domain Control Panel" link that corresponds to the domain whose record you wish to edit.

To set MX records:

1. Click the "Manage Advanced DNS Settings" link.
2. Click the "Change MX Records" button.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Enter a host name for your mail server in an available field and set its priority. (Note:When email is sent to your domain, the name server will attempt to deliver it first to the mail server with the lowest priority number.)
   • Replace the Yahoo! mail server record with the mail server address you wish to use.
4. Click the "Submit" button.

You'll return to the "Advanced DNS Settings" page, and your new MX record will appear in the MX records list. While your changes will appear in the name servers within minutes, please be aware that it can take up to 72 hours for new records to propagate to all name servers on the Internet.

Tip: If you made a mistake and would like to restore the MX record for Yahoo! mail, click the "Reset to Defaults" button.

How do I set an A record?

You can create A records from the Advanced DNS Settings area of the Domain Control Panel.

Please note: Any changes that you make to your advanced DNS settings can interrupt your service. If you are not an advanced user, we strongly recommend that you not change these settings.

To access the Domain Control Panel:

1. Sign in to your Business Control Panel. (If you have not yet signed in with your Yahoo! ID and password, you'll be prompted to do so here.)
2. Once signed in, you will see modules for each of your domain names on the "Manage My Services" page. Select the "Domain Control Panel" link that corresponds to the domain whose record you wish to edit.

To create an A record:

1. Click the "Manage Advanced DNS Settings" link.
2. Click the "Add Record" button.
3. In the "Source" field, enter a prefix to define the host name (the prefix for host.yourdomainname.com, for example, is host).
4. Enter a destination IP address in the "Destination" field.
5. Click the "Submit" button.
6. Confirm your choice by clicking "Submit" again.

You'll return to the "Advanced DNS Settings" page, and your new A record will appear in the A and CNAME records list. While your changes will appear in the name servers within minutes, please be aware that it can take up to 72 hours for new records to propagate to all name servers on the Internet.

Note: Yahoo! allows you to create multiple A records for the same host name. You might create multiple records for a strategy commonly referred to as "round robin." If you don't wish to create round robin A records, delete the extra records.

How do I set a CNAME record?

You can create, delete, and edit CNAME records from the Advanced DNS Settings area of your Domain Control Panel.

Please note: Any changes that you make to your advanced DNS settings can interrupt your service. If you are not an advanced user, we strongly recommend that you not change these settings.

To access the Domain Control Panel:

1. Sign in to your Business Control Panel. (If you have not yet signed in with your Yahoo! ID and password, you'll be prompted to do so here.)
2. Once signed in, you will see modules for each of your domain names on the "Manage My Services" page. Select the "Domain Control Panel" link that corresponds to the domain whose record you wish to edit.

To create a CNAME record:

1. Click the "Manage Advanced DNS Settings" link.
2. Click the "Add Record" button.
3. Enter the host name you wish to use into the "Source" field. (For example, if you wish to create a CNAME record called info.yourdomain.com for info.yourotherdomain.com, then you would enter "info" as the host name.)
4. Enter the URL to which you wish to direct the CNAME record in the "Destination" field.
5. Click the "Submit" button.
6. Confirm your choice by clicking "Submit" again.

You'll return to the "Advanced DNS Settings" page, and your new CNAME record will appear in the A and CNAME records list. While your changes will appear in the name servers within minutes, please be aware that it can take up to 72 hours for new records to propagate to all name servers on the Internet.

Note: The CNAME record can point only to domain names or host names. If you need to point to specific files or subdirectories, use domain forwarding instead. Note that domain forwarding is limited to domain names (example: http://yourdomainname.com) and "www" host names (example: http://www.yourdomainname.com).

What are advanced DNS records?

The DNS (Domain Name System) records control the functionality of domain names. Each registered domain name has a DNS record that includes MX, A, and CNAME records and name servers. You can manage the DNS record for your domain name by clicking the "Manage Advanced DNS Settings" link on your Domain Control Panel. On the following page you'll be able to make changes to your MX, A, and CNAME records and name servers.

To access the Domain Control Panel:

1. Sign in to your Business Control Panel. (If you have not yet signed in with your Yahoo! ID and password, you'll be prompted to do so here.)
2. Once signed in, you will see modules for each of your domain names on the "Manage My Services" page. Select the "Domain Control Panel" link that corresponds to the domain whose record you wish to edit.

To access your advanced DNS settings:

1. From your Domain Control Panel, click the "Manage Advanced DNS Settings" link.
2. On the following page you can set up or make changes to your name servers and MX, A, andCNAME records.

Changing DNS records is recommended only for advanced users. Yahoo! does not provide details or troubleshooting hints for DNS records. For more information about DNS records, please see the DNS Resources Directory.

How do I change the name servers for my domain name?

The service you purchased may include such features as domain forwarding, email, and a web site.Replacing Yahoo!'s name servers will render these features inactive. However, changing your name servers will not automatically cancel your service. You will continue to manage your WHOIS contact information through Yahoo!, and Yahoo! will continue to renew your annual domain registration.

Please note: Any changes that you make to your advanced DNS settings can interrupt your service. If you are not an advanced user, we strongly recommend that you not change these settings.

You can change your name servers using the "Change Name Servers" area of your Domain Control Panel.

To access the Domain Control Panel:

1. Sign in to your Business Control Panel. (If you have not yet signed in with your Yahoo! ID and password, you'll be prompted to do so here.)
2. Once signed in, you will see modules for each of your domain names on the "Manage My Services" page. Select the "Domain Control Panel" link that corresponds to the domain whose record you wish to edit.

To change name servers:

1. Click the "Manage Advanced DNS Settings" link on your Domain Control Panel.
2. Click the "Change Name Servers" button.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Enter additional name server host names in the "Additional" fields.
   • Replace the primary and secondary name server host names with those of your new domain name host. (You may not need to enter the IP addresses of the name servers. In most cases, only the host name of the name servers is required.)
4. Click the "Submit" button.

You'll return to the "Advanced DNS Settings" page, and your new name server will appear in the name servers list. While your changes will appear in the name servers within minutes, please be aware that it can take up to 72 hours for new records to propagate to all name servers on the Internet.

You can restore your name servers to their default settings on the "Advanced DNS Settings" page.

To restore name servers to their default settings:

1. Click the "Manage Advanced DNS Settings" link on your Domain Control Panel.
2. In the name servers section, click the "Reset to Default" button.
3. Confirm your choice by clicking "Reset to Default."

You'll return to the "Advanced DNS Settings" page, and your name servers will have been restored to Yahoo!'s default settings. While your changes will appear in the name servers within minutes, please be aware that it can take up to 72 hours for new records to propagate to all name servers on the Internet.

Tip: If you decide to change your name servers, and you currently pay for a service other than Yahoo! Domains, you may want to consider downgrading your plan so as not to pay for services you have rendered inactive.

Submitting Your Site to Search Engines

Search engine marketing, coupled with search engine optimization practices, is a great way to grow your business online. Once you develop your site with search engine friendly content and you have your design in place and your keywords selected, it’s time to submit your site to the search engines themselves.

Search engine submission is the process of registering your site with the search engines, similar to getting your phone number listed in a phone book. Listing your site with the major search engines will help you ensure that your optimization efforts were worthwhile. Although your site may be noticed by search engines on its own, you can ensure that you appear in search results by taking the time to get listed.

Free Submission You can submit to all of the major search engines for free, but that won’t guarantee that they’ll be picked up or appear on any searches. Free submission only guarantees that the search engine knows the site exists. To go the route of free submissions, look for a “Submit Your Site” link on the search engine site and fill out a submission form. It can take up to 12 weeks for your site to be indexed.

Paid Listings and Services Most major search engines accept paid listings, a unique form of online marketing that ensures your site will be listed near the top of search results pages. Paid submissions probably are the most efficient way for site owners to quickly gain visibility, and they're a great long-term advertising method for those looking to generate continuous online sales.

Search engine submission services like Submitnet submit your site to as many search engines as possible. For a fee, the service automatically submits your site to multiple search engines each month. This can help take some of the legwork out of the process for you, but it may not guarantee a quick listing. There are also software programs available that you can use to handle the submission process, like Trellian’s SubmitWolf, Dynamic Software’s Dynamic Submission, and WebTrends’ WebPosition Gold.

Submitting your site to search engines is the easiest way to ensure that they’re aware your site exists and that users can easily find your site. Submitting your site to search engines puts you on the map, but designing and optimizing your site will help make sure people find it. If you take the time to do each part of the process correctly, your chances of successfully growing your business online will increase dramatically.

Helpful Links:

Learn how to submit your site to Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Directory

Learn about paid listings with Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions

Learn how to submit your site to Google

Learn how to submit your site to MSN Search