How To Get Your Custom Domain To Work Without The WWW

You're excited for your new blog and its new, custom domain name! You tell all your friends that they can check it out at "myblog.com" only when they do the browser says it's not found.  Why? It works if you type "www.myblog.com". Why is that www even necessary?  The "www" part of your domain name is called the subdomain.  The subdomain is critical when setting up Domain Mapping with your Typepad blog.  In your domain registry, the CNAME Record is set for the WWW alias, and is where we recommend adding your Typepad domain name (ie: example.typepad.com) so your domain name points to your blog. 

"But Many Websites Work Without Typing WWW, Why Can't Mine?"

It can! There are browsers that will allow readers to enter your domain name without the "www" and your blog will load.  This is because those browsers are set up to automatically redirect example.com to www.example.com.  Not all browsers do this, such as Google Chrome.   If you want to be sure your readers can get to your blog on any browser by just typing "example.com" without the "www", you will need to set up a Forward within your domain name registry account.  Below are ways you can do this if you purchased your domain name through Typepad or got it through third-party, like GoDaddy.

Set Up A Forward Through Typepad

When you purchase your name through Typepad, it's easy to set up a forward for your domain name.  All you need to do is check off the box at Account > Domain Mapping when you are setting up your new blog name:

Set Up A Forward Through A Third-Party

If you purchased a name from a third-party, you will need to refer to their instructions for Forwarding.  Not all registries provide this service so check with them first.   If they do, what you are doing is forwarding example.com to www.example.com - NOT to your Typepad blog URL.  Here is an example from GoDaddy's Forward feature: 

If you use GoDaddy, we have instructions on how to set up a forward for your name in our Knowledge Base.

If you can't locate the Forward settings on their own, it may be located in the DNS Management section.  Forwards can take a few hours before it starts working, sometimes it takes longer than the mapping itself!  

If you have Domain Mapping set up for your blog, now would be a good time to check if it works without typing "www."