When establishing a new WordPress website, transferring an existing one, or integrating extra domains, it's necessary to adjust your domain's DNS settings to direct towards your WordPress instance. This guide will assist you in configuring the setup and also provide you with some recommended best practices.

Setting up a new WordPress Site

If you are creating a new WordPress site, the following two use cases will be relevant for you. 

Setting up new WordPress as a Blog

In this most likely you plan to use your WordPress site on a subdomain like blog.mydomain.com or updates.mydomain.com. In this case, once you are on this screen, pick "I want to create a new website"

Then login to your domain provider (like CloudFlare, GoDaddy, BigRock, NameCheap, etc.) and add a CNAME record for blog.mydomain.com pointing to wp.msgsndr.com. An example of this using BigRock domain provider is shown below.

Linked Articles for other Domain Registrars

1. How to add a CNAME Record in CloudFlare
2. How to add a CNAME Record in Domain.com
3. How to add a CNAME Record in BlueHost
4. How to add a CNAME Record in HostGator
5. How to add a CNAME Record in GoDaddy
6. How to add a CNAME Record in NameCheap

Some domain providers take 24 - 48 hours to propagate DNS changes while others are instant. You can use tools like https://dnschecker.org/ to check if your DNS changes are propagated or not.

Once your DNS changes are propagated, you can come back to the following screen and verify that your domain is correctly pointed

If your domain is not pointed correctly, you will get an error like the example below

This can happen due to a few reasons

1. There is a typo in your domain name [like in the example above]
   In this scenario fixing the typo will resolve your issue
   
   
2. Your DNS changes haven't propagated yet
   In this case you need to wait longer and try again after a few hours or the next day to see if it works
   
   
3. Your DNS configuration is not setup correctly
   Please reach out to your Domain Provider and discuss the errors with their support team
   
   
4. Maybe you have conflicting records for the same subdomain [for example if blog.mydomain.com has a CNAME record pointing to wp.msgsndr.com but it also has an A record pointing to some other provider]
   In such cases removing the other duplicate record will fix your issue
   
   

In most cases with your DNS setup, our support teams will not be able to assist you and you may need to reach out to your domain provider.

Setting up new WordPress as your main site

If you wish to use your WordPress site as your main site you will most likely use it on mydomain.com and www.mydomain.com 

In such a scenario the steps would remain similar as above, but you will need to point an A record for you root domain (mydomain.com) to 34.149.157.183 and a CNAME for your subdomain (www.mydomain.com) to wp.msgsndr.com. An example of such a setup is given below.

A record for mydomain.com 

CNAME for www.mydomain.com

Migration of an Existing Website

If you already have an existing WordPress site that has live traffic that you are trying to migrate to our servers, you will need to change DNS twice. We do this 2 step process to ensure that your live site does not have a downtime during the migration process. This ensures that your (or your client's) website visitors have a consistent experience during the time of migration process.

At the beginning of Migration

When you start your migration you will be asked to enter a dummy CNAME & to point it to a randomly generate value to verify your domain. This step will look like this:

This helps us verify the domain which ais the origin of your backup file. 

Post-Migration Steps

After successfully migrating your website, you'll receive a temporary domain, resembling wp-my-domain-com.msgsndr.com. This domain allows you to preview your migrated site, access the wp-admin portal, and test your customizations. Once you've verified the migration, you can start redirecting traffic from your old site to the new one.

Here's how to redirect your live traffic:

- For your root domain (domain.com), set an A Record pointing to 34.149.157.183.

- For subdomains like www.domain.com and blog.domain.com, set a CNAME pointing to wp.msgsndr.com.

After these domain changes have taken effect, navigate to the location view, select sites, then WordPress, and add these as additional domains.

Then you can log-in to wp-admin -> dashboard -> settings in left menu -> general and change the Site URL and WordPress URL as shown below.

FAQs 

Q1: Why can't I use the same domain in another subaccount/location?

- A specific domain or subdomain cannot be utilized in more than one location.

Q2: What's the reason behind my inability to update my primary domain?

- While additional domains can be removed and reused, primary domains currently do not have the option to be recycled.

Q3: Why isn't my domain being added even after I've added the A/CNAME record?

- Several reasons could lead to this issue:

  - Typographical errors in the domain name: Correcting the typo should resolve the issue.

  - Delay in DNS changes propagation: You might need to wait longer, possibly a few hours or until the next day, and then try again.

  - Incorrect DNS configuration: Contact your Domain Provider's support team for assistance.

  - Conflicting DNS records: If there are multiple records for the same subdomain, removing the duplicate entry should solve the problem.

Q4: Why am I unable to connect my root domain (e.g., mydomain.com) to WordPress?

- Ensure there are no additional AAAA, TXT, or similar records if you intend to use that root domain for WordPress.