Link Domain/Subdomain to a site

Linking a site lets you connect a domain registered with InstaWP — or any subdomain of it — directly to one of your InstaWP sites. Since your domain's DNS is managed by InstaWP, the required DNS records are created automatically, so there's no manual DNS configuration involved.

In this article, we will learn:

• Link a Domain/Subdomain to a Site
• Verify the Domain Mapping

Link a Domain/Subdomain to a Site

Step 1: Log in to your InstaWP Account and go to the Domains page from the sidebar. Click on the domain name you want to link.

Step 2: It'll take you to the domain's Summary page. Select the Sites option from the left menu.

Step 3: The Sites page shows all the domains and subdomains connected to your sites in one place. Click on the Link Site button.

Step 4: A Link Site modal window will appear. Configure the following options:

• Name - Enter the subdomain name you want to link to the site (e.g., demo-iwp-site, blog, or www). Your domain will appear as the suffix.
• Domain Type - Choose Primary or Alias. The primary domain is your main website address, while the alias domain is an additional domain that redirects to the primary one.
• Choose A InstaWP Site - Select the InstaWP site you want to link the domain/subdomain to. You can search your sites by name from the dropdown.

Step 5: Once done, click the Confirm button.

Step 6: That's it! The linked domain/subdomain will be added to the list on the Sites page, showing the subdomain, full domain, linked site, and domain type. You can edit or unlink it anytime using the icons under the Action column.

Verify the Domain Mapping

Once linked, you can verify that the domain has been mapped to your site in the following two ways:

1. Check the DNS records of your domain

Go to the DNS option of your domain and select the CNAME record type. You'll see a CNAME record automatically created for your subdomain, pointing it to your InstaWP site — no manual setup needed.

2. Check the Map Domain page of your site

Go to the Sites page from the sidebar, select the linked site, and navigate to Connectivity > Map Domain. The linked domain/subdomain will appear on the list with its domain type (Primary or Alias) alongside your InstaWP-generated domain.

⚠️ Note -

1. The automatic DNS setup works when your domain uses InstaWP's nameservers. If you have switched to custom nameservers, the DNS records must be added manually at your DNS provider.
2. When a domain is set as Primary, it becomes the main address of your site. The InstaWP-generated domain (e.g., your-site.instawp.site) continues to work as an alias.
3. The changes may take a few minutes to propagate. If the domain doesn't resolve immediately, wait a few minutes and try again.

💡 Did you know - You can manage all the DNS records of your InstaWP-registered domain directly from the DNS tab, and switch nameservers anytime from the Nameservers tab. Refer to the Update Nameservers document for more information.