How To Point A Domain or Sub-Domain To WordPress

You may want to use WordPress to integrate with your system. If you are setting up a new WordPress website, migrating over an existing one, or you want to add additional domains, you will need to configure the DNS to point to your WordPress. Follow along to learn just how to set this up: 

Part 1: Setting up a new WordPress Site

Step 1: Setting up a new WordPress Blog

• Navigate to Sites > WordPress
• Under “Configure your WordPress,” select “I want to create a new website”. This will allow you to setup a domain such as blog.thedemoaccount.com

• Log in to your domain provider (such as GoDaddy, CloudFlare, NameCheap, etc.)
• Within your domain provider, add a CNAME record for the WordPress site such as blog.thedemoaccount.com, point to the value that is shown on the screen.
  • NOTE: The value of a CNAME and A record may be different. Check the values before adding the record.
• Some domain providers may take up to 48 hours to finalize DNS changes, while others are instant. Use a tool like dnschecker.org to check if your DNS changes have been completed or not.
• Once completed, back on your Sites > WordPress screen, you will be able to enter your domain, click “Verify”, and see a “Domain Detected” success message.
• If the domain is not pointed correctly, you’ll receive an error message such as “Domain not found”. Here are some of the common reasons this may occur:
  • There may be a typo in your domain name
  • Your DNS changes haven't propagated/completed yet (you may need to wait the full 48 hours)
  • Your DNS configuration is not setup correctly - contact your domain provider/host.
  • You may have conflicting records for the same subdomain (i.e. blog.thedemoaccount.com has a CNAME record pointing to wp1.mgsndr.com but it also has an A record pointing elsewhere - you’ll need to remove the duplicate so your DNS knows where to send the domain link to.)

Step 2: Setting up a new WordPress as your Main Website

• Following similar steps as above, you can create a WordPress site as your main site such as www.thedemoaccount.com or thedemoaccount.com.

• There are a few key differences: you will need to point an A-record for your root domain (the non-www. version) to the address mentioned on your WordPress screen. Point a CNAME for your subdomain (the www. version) to the mentioned value (i.e. wp2.msgsndr.com).

Part 2: Migrating an Existing Website You may already have an existing WordPress site you want to migrate over into this system. If so, you’ll need to change the DNS twice. There is a 2 step process to ensure your live site doesn’t incur downtime during the migration process.

Step 1: Migrate Your Site

• Navigate to Sites > WordPress and choose “I want to move my existing website over” from the 2 options:

• When you begin your site migration, you will be asked to enter a dummy CNAME and point it to a randomly generated value to verify your domain. This helps the system verify the domain which is the origin of your backup file. 
• Once the migration is completed, you’ll be issued a temporary domain that looks like wp-the-the-demo-account-com.msgsndr.com which allows you to preview your migrated site. 
• Log in to your WordPress admin portal, test your customizations and make sure you are satisfied with the migrated site.

Step 2: Divert Traffic From Old Website to Newly Migrated Website

• Point your live traffic domains, such as:
  • thedemoaccount.com (root domain to the given address via A record)
  • www.thedemoaccount.com (subdomain to the given value via CNAME)
  • Blog.thedemoaccount.com (subdomain to the given value via CNAME)
• Once your domain changes have propagated (again this can take up to 48 hours), you will need to navigate to Sites >WordPress and add them as additional domains.
• Then, log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. Access the Settings from the left menu. Choose “General” and change the Site URL and WordPress URL from wp-the-demo-account.msgsndr.com to the primary domain you want.
• All other domains will redirect to this domain.