Fix · Domains and DNS

www and non-www open different things or one gives an error

Not checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

example.com works but www.example.com does not
Google shows two versions of my site

Most likely cause

Each name needs its own DNS record, and the site should choose one main address and send the other to it.

Check first (about two minutes)

Type both addresses in a private window: what does each do?

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows domain names and DNS settings and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
www and non-www open different things or one gives an error

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
Each name needs its own DNS record, and the site should choose one main address and send the other to it.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Check DNS for the main name and for www, and the domain settings on the host.
2. Choose one main address with me (usually without or with www) and set the other to permanently redirect to it, keeping the path.
3. Update the site's canonical address and sitemap to the chosen one.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- Both addresses end on the same main address with a padlock, in one redirect.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not make two copies of the site.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Check DNS for the main name and for www, and the domain settings on the host.
Choose one main address with me (usually without or with www) and set the other to permanently redirect to it, keeping the path.
Update the site's canonical address and sitemap to the chosen one.

Do not do this

Do not set up redirects in three places at once.
Do not make two copies of the site.

Try another entry