When you create your WordPress.com blog, we create a site address for you, such as example.wordpress.com:
You can also register a custom domain, such as yourgroovydomain.com. Then,
when visitors arrive, they’ll see your custom domain in their browser’s
address bar instead of the original example.wordpress.com site address:
Note that example.wordpress.com will still work, but all of your traffic will be redirected to yourgroovydomain.com.
But what if you already own a custom domain you bought somewhere else
(for example, from GoDaddy or Namecheap)? In that case, you can “map”
that domain to your WordPress.com site.
Domain mapping is a paid upgrade that costs $13.00
per domain, per year. This fee is unrelated to the amount you pay your
registrar for your domain itself. You will need to remember to continue
renewing your domain with your registrar even after you have mapped it
to WordPress.com.
To map a domain to WordPress.com, you first have to make some changes
at your domain registrar that will “tell” your domain where to point.
Your registrar is whoever you purchased your domain from. It’s not
possible for us to make these changes for you if your domain isn’t
registered here with us, but if you find the following steps confusing,
your registrar should be able to help you out.
Instructions for Mapping an Existing Domain
This process sounds complicated and technical, but it is actually
quite easy, It is not as hard as it sounds, and you only
have to do it once.
This video will help walk you through the steps to map your outside
domain to your WordPress.com site, and if you prefer you can follow
along with the written directions below.
Step 1: First, you will need to update your domain’s “name servers” to the following:
NS1.WORDPRESS.COM
NS2.WORDPRESS.COM
NS3.WORDPRESS.COM
You can usually change your domain’s name servers at your registrar’s
website. The exact process for updating your domain’s name servers is
different for each domain registrar. Instructions for popular registrars are available here. If
your registrar isn’t listed, visit their website or contact their
support team for assistance. If you cannot figure this out and you need
to contact support at your registrar, here is a sample email you can
send:
I would like to use my domain with a WordPress.com site. In order to do this, I need to point my domain’s name servers to the following:
NS1.WORDPRESS.COM
NS2.WORDPRESS.COM
NS3.WORDPRESS.COM
I do not want to transfer my domain, but want to leave it registered with you. WordPress.com does not permit mapping by setting an A record to point to an IP address. They require the name servers to be updated as described.
There is one other thing to consider at this part of the process: Do
you have email on your domain – for example, “mail@mygroovydomain.com”?
If so, when you change the name servers, that email will stop working.
To continue using that email, you’ll need to enter new Custom DNS
records on our end, once you’ve mapped your domain here.
We recommend you prepare the relevant information in advance, before
you start the domain mapping. If you aren’t sure how to do this, please
include the following paragraph when you contact your registrar:
Additionally, can you please provide me with the complete MX and/or other DNS records I will need to enter on WordPress.com’s end, so that my email on this domain will continue to function after my name servers have been updated?
We can help you correctly format and enter the records they give you
on our end or you can create the MX records yourself via the Custom DNS interface.
Alternatively, you can map a subdomain to your WordPress.com site, which doesn’t require changing the name servers and will not effect any custom DNS records.
Once you’ve updated your name servers, it can take some time for the
change to take full effect (up to 72 hours, but normally much less). If
you notice that you still see your old holding page or an error message
when you load your domain, don’t panic. Give it a few hours, and then
try clearing your browser cache.
Step 2: After you’ve updated the name servers, you
just need to add the mapping upgrade on our end, so that the domain is
connected to your particular WordPress.com site. To do this, go to Store → Domains in your blog’s dashboard, enter the domain into the form at the top of the page, and click the Add domain to blog button. If the name servers are verified, you will be prompted to pay for the upgrade and complete the process.
Step 3: After the purchase is complete, go to the Store → Domains page, select the radio button next to the domain you just mapped to your blog, and click the Update Primary Domain button. This will make your example.wordpress.com domain automatically redirect to your new domain.
Step 4: If your domain still doesn’t load your site,
clear your browser’s cache and try again. You might also need to close
out of your browser and restart it entirely.
How to Change Your Name Servers
You can usually change your name servers at your domain registrar’s
website, but the process is different for each registrar. Instructions
for popular registrars are available below — if your registrar isn’t listed, visit their website or contact their support team for assistance.
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