# Domain Strategy

Plan, manage, and optimize a domain portfolio.

- Repository: https://github.com/rampstackco/claude-skills (1014 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-27
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill domain-strategy -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill domain-strategy -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill domain-strategy -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add rampstackco/claude-skills --skill domain-strategy -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add rampstackco/claude-skills`

## Description

Plan, manage, and optimize a domain portfolio. Use this skill for DNS architecture decisions, redirect strategies, registrar choice, parking unused domains, multi-site setups, and domain consolidation or split planning. Triggers on DNS, domain, registrar, redirect, parking, subdomain, apex, www vs non-www, multi-site, portfolio, hreflang setup, domain migration. Also triggers when planning a new site that needs domain decisions made before launch.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Domain Strategy

Decide how domains, subdomains, and DNS work across a portfolio. Stack-agnostic. Works for one site or one hundred.

---

## When to use

- Setting up DNS for a new site (apex vs www, primary vs aliases)
- Choosing or switching registrars
- Planning redirects across multiple domains (parked, retired, consolidated)
- Deciding subdomain vs subfolder vs separate domain for a new product line
- Consolidating multiple sites into one
- Splitting one site into multiple
- Setting up DNS for email, security records, third-party services

## When NOT to use

- Migrating content between platforms with URL changes (use `content-migration`)
- Email authentication setup specifically (use `email-deliverability`)
- Security headers or HTTPS config (use `security-baseline`)
- Internationalization domain choices (use `internationalization`)

---

## Required inputs

- Current domain inventory (every domain you own or operate)
- Status of each (live, parked, redirected, retired)
- Strategic role of each (primary brand, sub-brand, defensive registration, campaign)
- Current DNS provider and registrar for each
- Email and third-party service dependencies

---

## The framework: 5 decisions

Every domain decision falls into one of these buckets. Address them in order.

### Decision 1: Apex vs www as canonical

Pick one. Redirect the other to it. Pick before launch. Changing later is painful.

- **Apex (example.com):** cleaner, more memorable, the modern default.
- **www (www.example.com):** historically standard, easier to add CDN-level CNAME records (apex CNAME is technically forbidden but most providers offer ALIAS or ANAME).

Whichever you pick, the other must 301 to it. Both serving content is duplicate content and a soft signal of poor setup.

### Decision 2: Subdomain vs subfolder vs separate domain

For a new product, blog, or content section:

The rest: https://github.com/rampstackco/claude-skills/blob/HEAD/dist/codex/.agents/skills/domain-strategy/SKILL.md