A domain is the online address of your website. Your domain name is what people type in the browser URL bar to be able to find your website and visit it. By creating your account with rankingCoach we ask you to add your domain name (website) so we can access it the same as your customers.

This allows us to check your website and suggest what improvements can be made in order to get better results.

rankingCoach helps optimize your website to be more visible online. However, in order to optimize your website, rankingCoach needs to be able to scan it to determine its current SEO status. To enable rankingCoach to analyze your website, rankingCoach will ask you in the very first step of the onboarding process to enter your business’s website.

In other words, to enter your business’s website in rankingCoach simply means you have to enter the URL of your website. Make sure to enter the root URL, the one leading to your home page.

In the case, you enter a non-existing website, or if you do not have it, you will be unable to proceed to the next step and use rankingCoach for your business.

If you have multiple websites or your website is in different languages, you need to add the URL corresponding to the language and market you want to optimize. Keep in mind that one website means one project in your rankingCoach account. If you need to manage multiple websites, you will have to create additional projects in your account, and your subscription will be charged accordingly.

In order for rankingCoach and your visitors to be able to find your website, make sure your domain is active and valid. If your domain is not valid this will prevent rankingCoach from scanning your website and helping you determine what needs to be changed in order to get better results. Also, if we cannot access your website we then will not be able to validate the tasks you’ve been working on, and your visitors will not be able to check your website.

When setting up your website and domain make sure to check:

HTTPS and redirects can impact rankings with Google so you want to make sure this has been set up in the best possible way.

Having HTTPS in your URL gives a sense of security, confidentiality and trustworthiness to your website visitors.

HTTP or unsecured connection has been seen as a “negative” signal to Google over the last years due to its lack of security. Moreover, many users abandon their purchases if they realize their data was sent over an insecure connection.

If you already have an HTTPS domain, do not forget to enter the full URL, including “https://”, when you enter your domain name in rankingCoach.

Redirects are a way of sending your visitors to a URL they did not specifically request because the content they are looking for was moved to that URL.

If your domain used to be “mycompany.org”, but you moved your website to “mycompany.com”, you still want the people using the .org URL to find your website or you might lose customers.

By setting up a proper redirection, you will make sure that the user entering an old domain in their browser bar will automatically be brought to a new and active domain.

There are several types of redirection: temporary ones and permanent ones.

If you have one or several domains redirecting to your main domain, make sure you enter the URL of your main domain in rankingCoach. If you have entered the wrong URL when setting up your rankingCoach account, please check this article for more information or get in touch with our support team.

A secure and active domain is necessary to be able to use rankingCoach and optimize your business. Keep in mind not to use too many redirects, and that your hosting plan is up to date and website accessible.

For any further questions about domain and best practices, please contact our support team, we are happy to help you.

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