DO NOT USE URL FORWARDING THAT'S "MASKED", "CLOAKED" OR "STEALTH".

I (Ron Hutton), have just finished the transfer of my "crazy name" domain from GoDaddy to Dotster and their "Masked Forwarding" which previously worked on my Software SuperSite IS NOT WORKING on the SoftShops. Neither is it working any longer on my SuperSite where it previously was working. Every thing is fine until you go to buy something. I have not found a domain registrar with masked forwarding that plays nicely with PayPal.

So, if you currently have "masked" forwarding turned on, log in to your domain registrar and turn it off.

I apologize for any confusion on this topic. Something has changed recently so that nobody's masked forwarding works well with PayPal's payment process.

Show Your Visitors What They Want to See Right Away...
So you've got your IP address, your URL that uses your IP address and your "Crazy Name" domain, and you're wondering "Where the heck do I send my visitors?!" Here's the answer...

REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the very large number of different domain registrars available, we cannot offer specific instructions for every registrar. However, the details provided below have been confirmed through actual experience.

Here's the concept...

The URL forwarding that you set up with your domain registrar is nothing more than a traffic switch that redirects incoming traffic using your "crazy name" domain and points it to your SoftShop's IP address (formatted as an URL). Here's a graphic illustration that might help you visualize the traffic flow...

That's all there is to it. URL forwarding is simply a traffic switch. However, not all domain name registrars have the exact same features and services available.

Forwarding options generally include...

1) Simple Forwarding: this simply redirects traffic. There’s no masking or cloaking of domain names. A visitor types in http://www.squishy-shop.com , gets automatically redirected to http://208.76.213.95 and the IP address / URL is what they see in their browser’s address bar. Give it a try...

CLICK HERE ==> http://www.squishy-shop.com

2) Cloaked Forwarding: this may also be referred to as "Stealth Forwarding" or "Masked Forwarding". When you use this service your visitor will continue to see http://www.squishy-shop.com in their web browser's address bar even though you’ve redirected them to http://208.76.213.95.

As noted at the top of this page, WE DO NOT RECOMMEND USING CLOAKED (MASKED) FORWARDING. This will make it nearly impossible for your visitors to pay you for the products on your SoftShop.

Setting up URL forwarding is simple. Log in to the control panel of your domain name registrar's site and point your domain name at the IP address for your IBSoftShop (http:// may or may not be required). It should look something like "208.76.213.95" or "http://208.76.213.95" (your IP address will be different). Not all registrars are the same, so make sure you read their instructions carefully.

NOTE: If we're still in the process of setting up your SoftShop, do not be alarmed if your forwarded crazy name domain gives you a "Page Not Found" or the generic SoftShop marker page. This is normal and will change when the SoftShops go live.

BACK TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION...

"Where the heck do I send my visitors?!"

One thing that we encourage is for you to send your visitors directly to the product sales page for the product that you're promoting. This is easier with some domain registrars than others, and I'll discuss this in more detail in a minute, but ideally here's what you'll want to do...

FIRST: Sending your visitors to the DeadEasy Ebook Creator sales page:
(using Ron Hutton's SoftShop as an example)

URL to the DeadEasy Sales Page Using the IP Address:
http://208.76.213.95/deadeasy-ebook-software.htm
THIS WILL ALWAYS, ALWAYS WORK because the link is going directly to the page without any redirection.

URL to the DeadEasy Sales Page Using Ron's "Crazy Name" Domain:
http://www.squishy-shop.com/deadeasy-ebook-software.htm
Does this link go to the DeadEasy sales page? It should, but when the page loads you'll no longer see "squishy-shop.com" in the URL. Try replacing Ron's "crazy name" with your own and if it works, great. If it doesn't, keep reading and you'll find out why it doesn't work.

SECOND: Sending your visitors to the SuperLinker sales page:
(using Ron Hutton's SoftShop as an example)

URL to the SuperLinker Sales Page Using the IP Address:
http://208.76.213.95/superlinker-software.htm
Again, THIS WILL ALWAYS, ALWAYS WORK because the link is going directly to the page without any redirection.

URL to the SuperLinker Sales Page Using Ron's "Crazy Name" Domain:
http://www.squishy-shop.com/superlinker-software.htm
Does it work with yours?

"Crazy name" not working if you try to point traffic directly to a sales page?

Some domain registrars offer a special feature that allows you to use your crazy name and point it to any page on the destination site. Therefore, you can set up URL forwarding and send traffic to...

• http://www.squishy-shop.com/this-page.htm
• http://www.squishy-shop.com/that-page.htm
• http://www.squishy-shop.com/or-any-other-page.htm

URL FORWARDING at DOTSTER:

This is the How-To for Dotster's URL forwarding set up...

1. Go to http://www.dotster.com and at the top of the page you'll see a link titled "MY ACCOUNT". Click that link, enter your login name and password on the next page, and click the "Login" button.
   
   
2. On the summary page that lists your domain names, click on your "crazy name" and you'll go to the details page for this domain.
   
   
3. Scroll down the page to "Other Services" and click on the "Manage" link for URL Forwarding.
   
   
4. On the URL Forwarding details page, enter the following information:
   
   
• Destination = http://208.76.213.95 (this URL / IP address is only an example)
• Title = YourCrazyName.com (you can use what ever you want here)
• Meta Keywords = (this is up to you and it can be blank, but things like "software" "marketing tools" "webmaster tools" "ebook creator" would work too)
• Meta Description = (again, up to you.)
• Welcome Text (leave blank)
• Disable Forwarding (do not check)
• Use Welcome Page (do not check)
• Pass Subdirectories (check)
• Forwarding Type = "URL Forwarding Unmasked"
  
  
5. Click Update and you're done. Remember that URL forwarding may take up to 24 hours to become active.
   
   

URL FORWARDING at GODADDY:

Here's what you'll do at GoDaddy to set up URL forwarding...

1. Go to http://www.godaddy.com and in the upper left-hand corner you'll see a green login area. Enter your login name and password, and click the orange "Login" button.
   
   
2. When you've logged in, that green login box should now say something like "Welcome back, YOURNAME!" and there will be a link immediately below this that says "View My Account". Click that link.
   
   
3. On the next page, look in the middle-left area for a link called "Manager Domains" and click on that link. You'll see a list of the domain names that you have registered with GoDaddy.
   
   
4. Click the checkbox to the left of your crazy name domain and click on the gray "Forward Domains" button above. This will reveal the "Forward Domains" panel on the right side of the page. This is where you'll enter the address of your IBSoftShop.
   
   
5. In the "Forward To:" box, enter YOUR IBSoftShop's address, which will look something like http://208.76.213.95/ (yours will be different).
   
   
6. Click the "Save Changes" button and within a short period of time your "crazy name" domain should be pointed to your IBSoftShop so that when someone uses your crazy name they will go directly to your IBSoftShop.