Here is a quick post on how to create Addon domains in Cpanel.  Addon domains is the process of hosting more websites on the same hosting account.  For SEO purposes, you will not be able to interlink them as they’ll all be on the same IP – but addon domains will greatly reduce your hosting costs.

First you need to find a hosting account that allows addon domains…even better if they allow unlimited addon domain and unlimited bandwidth! I use Just Host and examples are from my just host account.

1) Find your hosting account, try Just Host for unlimited addon domains.

2) Go into the cpanel and click on addon domains.

3) Add your domain and create a password for your FTP.

This has now created the addon domain in a folder within public_html/ – now to add wordpress to this addon domain.

Next go back to Fantastico and go into the WordPress Installation options.

You now need to select the folder (addon domain) where you want the new WP install to go:

Addon Domains and SEO

By default creating addon domains will produce duplicate content – your addon domain will be able to be accessed through multiple urls.

Your add domain: addondomain.com

Duplicates:

addondomain.mainhostingdomain.com

www.mainhostingdomain.com/addondomain/

etc.

Please also not that a simple redirect plugin will not fix these to create 301 redirects, you will need to jump into your .htaccess file and do some coding…this will be part 2 on this blog post for those in need. Installing a good theme like Thesis will solve some of those duplicates, along with adding the rel= canonical tag to the pages.  I have just created a couple of new affiliate sites using this addon domain technique but haven’t got around to doing the 301′s.  I’ve noticed that using a good theme like Thesis and ensuring the canonical tags are in place, it’s enough to stop the duplicate pages being indexed.

If this post is unclear in anyway try this video:

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