Typepad 101: Buy Your Own Domain Name

One of the first things you may have noticed when you created your account was the URL created for your blog looks something like example.typepad.com.  Many bloggers are ok with their blog link looking this way, but if you want to customize your blog name and make it easier to remember for your readers, you can do that by buying your own domain name through Typepad.  Setting up a custom domain name for your blog is done through a process called Domain Mapping. Domain Mapping is available with Pro Plus accounts and higher.

Choosing a Domain Name

To get started, go to Account > Domain Mapping, at the top of the page you can do a search on the domain name you are interested in buying (ie: www.ilovestamping.com).

After clicking the "Check Availability" button, you will be redirected to a new screen showing the name availability in addition to other names you can purchase with different extensions. 

After you select your name it will appear in your Shopping Cart. Your cart will also include the option purchase additional privacy protection which is recommended if you wish to keep your personal information attached to your domain name private.  When you are ready to purchase, click the green "Checkout" button.  

Create Your New Account

You will be taken to a new page with your cart overview and a prompt to create or login to your account.  If this is your first time purchasing a domain name through Typepad, you will need to create a new account.  This is not the same as your Typepad account and it can have different login credentials. 

Once your account is created, you will proceed with your purchase by choosing the Typepad Billing option and select to Pay Online.  This will set it up so you are charged with the credit card or PayPal account you have saved in your Typepad account. You will be directed back to Typepad where you click Approve to complete purchase of the domain. With successful payment, click Complete Registration.

Set Up Domain Mapping

In your Typepad account, go back to Account > Domain Mapping.  Your new domain should appear under "Domain Map with Typepad." Confirm that it's status is "Verified" - if it's not, that means the domain name registry waiting for you to pay your invoice or confirm your email address.  If it's marked as verified, click the button "Map a Domain Name" to set up Domain Mapping for your blog.

You will be asked to enter a subdomain for your blog.  The most common subdomains used are "www" or "blog" for "blog.domainexample.com".  Then select if you want to map your domain name to your entire site or just a specific blog in your account. 

The next step is to check the box to "Forward the non-www domain to this subdomain?" This will allow visitors to access your blog with or without typing the "www" for your URL.

Activate Your Domain Name

Scroll to the bottom of the page to "Mapped Domains."  Your new name should be listed but not activated.  Click the "Activate" link to make your Domain Mapping live.  The SSL status will first appear as "initializing" but if you refresh browser a couple of times it will change to "pending validation" to "active."  This means your blog is now loading securely with it's own SSL certificate.