Critical issues with Wix webhosting, anybody know if this will work?
March 2, 2017 3:37 AM Subscribe
We recently transferred our domain name to Wix webhosting/webbuilding service and as it turns out, their https:// addresses won't work on their site without the www.
This means the hundreds of existing links going to our current storefront (and the #1 hit on google) goes nowhere. Our website just freezes.
We are actually STUCK with wix for another 60 days due to the rules of ICANN. Does anybody have any ideas about what we could do in the meantime?
So far we've asked google to change our preferred domain name (adding a www), but there are still 100's of other links out on the internet where customers will click trying to get to our site...and get absolutely nothing. Just a blank screen. I doubt more than 1% of those people will bother to add a www or do an additional search for our old website (which still exists, now under a different name.)
We have the option of "pointing" the DNS back over to our old blog site, but their support pages do not recommend this (without explaining why). If we did, would it even solve the https:// problem?
I am incredibly pissed right now. I have no idea what to do.
This means the hundreds of existing links going to our current storefront (and the #1 hit on google) goes nowhere. Our website just freezes.
We are actually STUCK with wix for another 60 days due to the rules of ICANN. Does anybody have any ideas about what we could do in the meantime?
So far we've asked google to change our preferred domain name (adding a www), but there are still 100's of other links out on the internet where customers will click trying to get to our site...and get absolutely nothing. Just a blank screen. I doubt more than 1% of those people will bother to add a www or do an additional search for our old website (which still exists, now under a different name.)
We have the option of "pointing" the DNS back over to our old blog site, but their support pages do not recommend this (without explaining why). If we did, would it even solve the https:// problem?
I am incredibly pissed right now. I have no idea what to do.
Response by poster: @amtho
They refuse to give an ETA and say their engineers are "working on it." Apparently this problem has been happening for over a month if I go by the help ticket requests that are public. It worries me they can't give an ETA, as it usually means something is supremely f*cked on their end and their scared to give an actual answer to customers.
I have sent several messages to them already, and have been dismayed by their non-responses which are keeping me and other customers in the dark. I'm wondering at this point if this is actionable--I know there a bunch of losing our income due to this fiasco, since we can't transfer our domains for another 60 days.
posted by neeta at 4:13 AM on March 2, 2017
They refuse to give an ETA and say their engineers are "working on it." Apparently this problem has been happening for over a month if I go by the help ticket requests that are public. It worries me they can't give an ETA, as it usually means something is supremely f*cked on their end and their scared to give an actual answer to customers.
I have sent several messages to them already, and have been dismayed by their non-responses which are keeping me and other customers in the dark. I'm wondering at this point if this is actionable--I know there a bunch of losing our income due to this fiasco, since we can't transfer our domains for another 60 days.
posted by neeta at 4:13 AM on March 2, 2017
Can you upload a new .htaccess file on the server?
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^mydomain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.mydomain.com/ [R=301,L]
Does the trick with my provider (which is not Wix). I can't claim I fully understand the syntax, nor do I know which details are server specific. Apologies if you are wayyyyy past these basic fixes.
posted by gijsvs at 5:02 AM on March 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^mydomain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.mydomain.com/ [R=301,L]
Does the trick with my provider (which is not Wix). I can't claim I fully understand the syntax, nor do I know which details are server specific. Apologies if you are wayyyyy past these basic fixes.
posted by gijsvs at 5:02 AM on March 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Could you move your site to a different hosting company and get Wix for forward _all_ traffic to your domain name (https, www, all of it) to the new server?
You could test this by making a second "free trial" site (assuming they have this) on Wix, then attempting the forwarding on that one; if it works, go ahead and do it with your main site.
While you're working on the experiment, you can also go ahead and set up your main site (use a new/temporary domain name) on the new host.
(FWIW, I like Pair.com for good general web hosting and they have good phone support -- they may be able to tell you if this is likely to work.)
posted by amtho at 5:22 AM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
You could test this by making a second "free trial" site (assuming they have this) on Wix, then attempting the forwarding on that one; if it works, go ahead and do it with your main site.
While you're working on the experiment, you can also go ahead and set up your main site (use a new/temporary domain name) on the new host.
(FWIW, I like Pair.com for good general web hosting and they have good phone support -- they may be able to tell you if this is likely to work.)
posted by amtho at 5:22 AM on March 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Clarifying the "While you're working on the experiment" thing - just _set up_ the main site on the new host, using a temporary/new domain name (that you never publicize). Don't do the forwarding of the main domain name or mess with your domain name at all until you are sure that it will work, as the result of your small experiment with the temporary site.
posted by amtho at 5:27 AM on March 2, 2017
posted by amtho at 5:27 AM on March 2, 2017
To me it sounds like the SSL certificate was issued using www.yourdomain.com instead of yourdomain.com. I would purchase and install a new SSL certificate using the appropriate yourdomain.com CSR.
posted by axismundi at 8:52 AM on March 2, 2017
posted by axismundi at 8:52 AM on March 2, 2017
Agree with axismundi. Are you using your own secure certificate?
posted by humboldt32 at 9:57 AM on March 2, 2017
posted by humboldt32 at 9:57 AM on March 2, 2017
« Older Working from home: time management and... | Dawn-thirty flight from Logan, when should I get... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
This would be a dealbreaker for me, for sure. I think it's important to be able to put the shorter version (without the www) in printed and audio marketing materials, and I would never type it. It makes them seem a bit amateurish, too.
posted by amtho at 4:02 AM on March 2, 2017