Forwarding Vs. Pointing - What's the real story?

Domain Forwarding allows you to access your website via your domain name without changing the domain name server information.  However, once you hit your website, your URL address defaults back to your point2agent.com URL address, losing much of the effectiveness of your own domain name.  
 
Pointing your domain name is what we call the process to update where your domain name is hosted.  When we point your domain name to your website we begin hosting your domain name.  There are marketing advantages to pointing your domain name rather than simply redirecting/forwarding it. One major advantage is that your domain is more likely to be recognized by search engines. Search engines will not index websites that have a redirection.

In addition, when you modify your domain name servers to our servers, pointing your domain name to us, your website is branded with your domain name. All email correspondence from your website will show your domain name as your website address rather than the point2agent.com address.

Further to this, once you have a domain name associated with your Point2 website, domain associated email services can be setup.  All our memberships allow you to set up branded email accounts, specific to each membership level. Professional and Premium members also have the opportunity to create third level domains, also known as aliases (i.e. 123mainstreet.yourdomain.com) using domain names on our servers, as well as POP3 email addresses.

Overview:

•  Forwarding is ineffective for marketing your site

•  Your website is not branded properly when forwarding a domain name

•  Pointing is easy, free and we can help you take care of it

•  Pointing will ensure that your website is branded and indexable by search engines

If you are currently forwarding your domain name and decide to point it instead, contact Support by logging into your own Point2 website and clicking the Contact Support link.

What about Masking my domain?

Just like mentioned above with forwarding, masking is not recommended.  Domain masking works in the same manner as domain forwarding. However, it allows your domain name to remain within the address bar of the browser even when the visitor has been transported to your website.

There are disadvantages to masking a domain rather than pointing it directly to your website. A few of the key disadvantages are that you may not be able to login to your website through your domain name, you will not be able to create domain aliases, or use the domain pointing and domain associated email features available with the Professional and Premium memberships. Also, most domain registrars charge for domain masking.  If that isn't enough reason not to mask your domain name, websites with a domain name masking do poorly in search engines because of the way masking works.  When your domain name is masking to your website it makes it appear to search engines as if there is no content on that page.  Since search engines love rich content on websites they have no content visible for the search engine to index on your site.