Domain Mapping FAQ

Domain mapping is a popular feature in TypePad, available with a Plus or Pro subscription.  It can seem confusing if you do not have experience with setting up a domain name.  We’ve gathered the frequently asked questions about domain mapping to help with this.

What is domain mapping?

Domain Mapping is the process of pointing a registered domain name to a TypePad site, weblog or photo album.

Domain mapping is more than domain forwarding, because your permalinks and URL contain the address of your domain (www.example.com), and not your TypePad sub-domain (example.typepad.com).

What are the requirements for setting up domain mapping?

You can map a domain to your TypePad site with the Plus and Pro levels of TypePad.

Domains are set up with a registrar separately from TypePad.  In order to use domain mapping, your registrar--the company where you register your domain name--must support “custom DNS services”.  This means that your registrar must give you control over the DNS records that describe your domain, and that you must have the ability to create and modify A, MX, and CNAME records.

If you’re not sure if your registrar supports custom DNS services, you can send them this email message:

Hi,

I’m using TypePad (http://www.typepad.com/) to host my weblog.  TypePad supports a feature called domain mapping, where my domain can be pointed at their servers.  In order to use this feature, my registrar must support custom DNS services--I need control over the DNS records that describe my domain, and I must have the ability to create and modify A, MX, and CNAME records.  Do you offer such a service? Please send me more details on how it works and how I can turn it on for my account.

Thank you.

If you do not have a domain registered already, here are details for four popular registrars:

pairNIC  http://www.pairnic.com/

pairNIC calls its custom DNS services “Custom DNS”.  Custom DNS is included with every domain registration for no additional charge.  Instructions on enabling Custom DNS are available on the pairNIC site.  pairNIC also provides some tips and suggestions for using custom DNS.

dotster  http://www.dotster.com/

dotster calls its custom DNS services “DNS Management”.  DNS Management is available if you use dotster’s name servers for an additional yearly fee.  dotster offers instructions for setting up DNS Management services for your domain.

GoDaddy  http://www.godaddy.com/

GoDaddy’s “Total DNS Control” is included with domain registration and gives you control over custom DNS services for your domain.  Instructions on setting up Total DNS Control are available at GoDaddy’s site.

Network Solutions  http://www.networksolutions.com/

Network Solutions calls its custom DNS services “Advanced DNS”.  Advanced DNS is available for an additional yearly fee.  Instructions on setting up Advanced DNS are available at the Network Solutions site. If You Are Registering a New Domain

You can choose from any of the above registrars or from another registrar that you know to support custom DNS services.

Will you handle email to my domain?

We don't support handling email addresses or aliases for TypePad sites. Most services which register your domain name will let you forward email from your domain's email address to your current email address.

Can I map a sub-domain such as blog.example.com?

Yes.  If you have a domain www.example.com, you can set up a sub-domain with your registrar (such as blog.example.com) and map that to your TypePad site, weblog or photo album.

This is also useful if you would like to host part of your domain at TypePad and part at another location.

Enter the sub-domain that you set up with your domain at your registrar (blog.example.com) for the first step in the TypePad mapping setup and this will set up your site, weblog, or album with the sub-domain of your registered domain.

What do I configure at my registrar for the domain mapping?

The domain mapping for TypePad is set with the CNAME in the records for your domain name at your registrar.  The CNAME will always be your main TypePad URL: example.typepad.com (or example.blogs.com)

You will have the opportunity to select a specific weblog or photo album to map to (if not mapping your entire site) when you complete the final step of the mapping setup in TypePad.

Use the “Begin Here: Map a Domain Name” button in your Control Panel > Site Access > Domain Mapping to open the TypePad mapping setup popup window.  Also see Setting Up Domain Mapping for more information.

The A and MX records will continue to point to your server, not at TypePad’s servers.   The reason for this is so that services like email (if you’re using it) will continue to work even after your domain has been mapped to your TypePad site.

Domain forwarding or masking is not used with the domain mapping.  The CNAME setting will do the pointing you need for the mapping.

If done incorrectly, changing your DNS settings could adversely impact your email or other services that you rely upon. If you're not sure what you're doing, contact your registrar and ask them for support.

What do I do after making the change at my registrar?

Once you’ve updated your DNS settings, you're ready to finalize the configuration by associating the domain with your TypePad site, weblog, or photo album.

Click the Complete Final Step button in the TypePad mapping setup popup window.  Select where you would like to map the domain to:

- My main site (example.typepad.com)
- My weblog: [select the weblog]
- My photo album: [select the photo album]

If you select to map your main site, then all weblogs and photo albums on your account will be mapped with the domain name.  Or, you can select only a certain weblog or photo album.

Choose where you would like to map the domain and press Add Domain to add the domain your list of mapped domains.

When you can type in http://www.example.com (the domain name you mapped) and see your TypePad site, you can set the mapping as active in TypePad by checking the box under “Active” for the domain in your mapped domains list and click the Set button.

While the process on TypePad's end takes about two hours to complete, the process on your registrar's end can take 24-48 hours.

If your DNS record has not yet been updated, be sure to leave the checkbox unchecked. Failing to do so will result in display errors in your TypePad weblog or photo album.

Why doesn't the style show on my pages after setting up my domain?

This happens when the stylesheet is not found because your domain isn't ready to be set as active.  Go to the mapping setup page in your TypePad Control Panel > Site Access > Domain Mapping and uncheck the box to set the domain as disabled.  Press the Set button to apply the setting.

Then, go to the Design tab for your weblog and click the Publish button to publish your pages again. That will put your style back on your pages until the domain is ready.

When you can type in http://www.example.com and see your TypePad site you would set the mapping as active in TypePad.

What does setting a domain as “active” do?

The permalinks and archive links (and stylesheet links) on your mapped pages will use the name of your domain in the URLs instead of the .typepad.com address when the domain is set as active.

After activating the domain in the TypePad mapping setup, publish the weblog or album that was mapped or publish each if you mapped your entire site.  You will find a Publish button on the Design tab for the weblog or photo album.

How do I set up my domain to work without typing the www?

The mapping sets up your http://www.example.com address.  To enable the http://example.com address (without the www) to work with your site, you would use a redirect from http://example.com to http://www.example.com.  How this is set exactly depends on your registrar.

Once my domain is set up, does the old URL still work?

You will be able to type in the domain name you mapped and see your TypePad site after the domain mapping is complete.  The permalinks and archive links on your pages will use the domain name, and the .typepad.com address will not show on the templates.

The .typepad.com address still works if you type it into the browser.  If you had incoming links using the .typepad.com address they will not be broken.

How do I map my About Page to use my domain?

The About Page is part of your main site.  It is separate and unique and doesn’t “belong” to any of your specific weblogs.

On the final step in the TypePad mapping setup, choose “My main site” (example.typepad.com) when selecting where to map the domain.  This will map all of your pages, including your About Page, to use your domain.

Setting up my domain was easy! Can I do it again?

Yes.  If you have multiple weblogs (and/or photo albums) and domain names that you would like to map, each of your weblogs and photo albums can have a different domain name (such as www.example.com).

For the configuration at your registrar, the CNAME for all the domains mapped on your account would be your main TypePad address (example.typepad.com).  Then on the final step in the TypePad mapping setup you will have the opportunity to select the specific weblog or photo album to map to for that domain name.

What if I have a question?

If you are setting up a domain with your TypePad site and your question is not answered above, please open a help ticket in your Control Panel > Help, with the New Ticket link there. (Or, click to Open a New Help Ticket.)