Orphaned Root Domain

I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want WordPress to be in the root directory because it seems like having WordPress in the root would be much better for search engine results than using a landing page, but if that’s what you want there are a variety of things you can do.

You can simply create an index.php or an index.htm to put in your root directory, then put whatever content you want on it using a combination of PHP (for an index.php) and HTML5/CSS to create whatever you want.

I wouldn’t recommend a 301 redirect in the root if you are thinking this will be a temporary situation. I’d just plop an index.php in there with PHP redirecting to your WordPress install:

<?php
  $url = "http://sitename.com/wp/";
  header('Location: ' . $url);
?>

That way, when you want something in the root, you can just delete that index.php and have it change instantly without having to worry about search engines updating links, etc.

The 301 redirect tells search engines that the sitename.com URL has been permanently changed to sitename.com/wp, and everyone should update their bookmarks/links to the new URL. Since what you’re doing may not be permanent, you still want people visiting your root directory in case you end up using it, which was what made me suggest using PHP.

Not only that, but when you do start using your root directly, all you have to do is delete that index.php file, and there’s no need to wait for search engines to realize your root URL actually is there again.

If it were a permanent change, the 301 would make more sense.

Of course, there’s also the 302 redirect, which is a temporary redirect you could use in your .htaccess…

I am not an expert, but I have built a lot of landing pages for clients over the years, and without exception they have all eventually decided to move WordPress back into the root directory and abandoned the landing page because it adds a layer–and a click–before the client gets to their content.

It also means that the search ‘bots have to go an additional layer before getting to your dynamic content, and it’s your dynamic content that boosts your site’s search engine ranking, so I think it makes sense to have it immediately visible.

I believe in keeping things simple, and installing in the root directory is just simpler. Even if you add things like a forum or some other web applications later, it makes more sense to me to put them in a subdirectory/subdomain rather than WordPress because WordPress is the SEO champ as far as I have seen.

I’ve also seen some people who prefer to have their WordPress files outside of the root directory. There’s even a Codex article on how to do it; however, I don’t see the point. Once you’ve done a few WP sites, you’ll be used to all the directories/files that WP uses, and the root directory won’t seem cluttered anymore; you’ll easily be able to spot non-Wordpress stuff.

LOL You’re welcome. It’s just my opinion, and there will undoubtedly be others. : )