How to Set Up a Custom Domain

This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to use your own custom domain (like landing.yourbrand.com) for your landing pages.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to:

1. Set up a subdomain for landing pages
2. Configure DNS settings
3. Map domain in WordPress
4. Use custom domains per landing page
5. Set up SSL certificates
6. Troubleshoot domain issues

Time Required: 15-30 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Access to domain registrar/DNS settings

Why Use Custom Domains?


Benefits


7. 🎨 Professional branding: promo.yourbrand.com vs yoursite.com/landing/promo
8. 📊 Better tracking: Separate analytics per subdomain
9. 🔗 Clean URLs: Short, memorable links
10. 🚀 Multiple campaigns: Different subdomains for different campaigns
11. 🔒 Improved trust: Custom domain = more professional
12. 📈 SEO: Better link structure

Common Use Cases


`
Main site: yourcompany.com
Landing pages: pages.yourcompany.com
Promotions: promo.yourcompany.com
Events: events.yourcompany.com
Localized: us.yourcompany.com, uk.yourcompany.com
Campaigns: launch.yourcompany.com
`

Method 1: Subdomain for All Landing Pages


Map a subdomain (e.g., pages.yourbrand.com) to all ShahiLandin pages.

Step 1: Create Subdomain in cPanel


13. Log into your cPanel (or hosting control panel)
14. Find Domains section
15. Click Subdomains
16. Enter subdomain: pages
17. Select root domain: yourbrand.com
18. Document root: Same as main WordPress installation
19. Click Create

Result: pages.yourbrand.com → /public_html (same as yoursite.com)

Step 2: Update DNS (If External DNS)


If using external DNS (Cloudflare, Route53):

20. Log into DNS provider
21. Add A Record:

`
Type: A
Name: pages
Value: 123.45.67.89 (your server IP)
TTL: 3600
`

22. Save changes
23. Wait 5-60 minutes for propagation

Step 3: Configure in WordPress


Edit wp-config.php:

`php
// Add before “That’s all, stop editing!”

// Allow multiple domains
define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘https://yourbrand.com’);
define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘https://yourbrand.com’);

// Handle subdomain requests
if (isset($SERVER[‘HTTPHOST’]) && $SERVER[‘HTTPHOST’] === ‘pages.yourbrand.com’) {
define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘https://pages.yourbrand.com’);
define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘https://pages.yourbrand.com’);
}
`

Step 4: Update .htaccess


Add to .htaccess (Apache):

`apache

Handle subdomain


RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^pages\.yourbrand\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://pages.yourbrand.com/$1 [L,R=301]
`

Step 5: Configure ShahiLandin


24. Go to ShahiLandin → Settings
25. Click Advanced tab
26. Find Custom Domain section
27. Enter domain: pages.yourbrand.com
28. Check Use for all landing pages
29. Click Save Changes

Step 6: Test


Visit: https://pages.yourbrand.com/your-landing-page/

Should display your landing page.

Method 2: Custom Domain Per Landing Page


Assign different domains to individual pages.

Step 1: Enable Custom Domains Feature


30. ShahiLandin → Settings → Advanced
31. Find Per-Page Custom Domains
32. Check Enable custom domain mapping
33. Save Changes

Step 2: Create Subdomain


Same as Method 1, Step 1:

34. Create subdomain: promo.yourbrand.com
35. Point to WordPress directory

Step 3: Add DNS Record


Add A record for promo.yourbrand.com → your server IP

Step 4: Map Domain to Landing Page


36. Edit your landing page
37. Scroll to Custom Domain meta box (right sidebar)
38. Enter: promo.yourbrand.com
39. Click Update

Step 5: Configure Server (Apache)


Add to .htaccess:

`apache

Domain mapping for landing pages


RewriteEngine On

Promo subdomain → specific landing page


RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^promo\.yourbrand\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /landing/your-landing-page/ [L,QSA]
`

Step 6: Configure Server (Nginx)


Add to nginx config:

`nginx
server {
listen 80;
server_name promo.yourbrand.com;

location / {
rewrite ^/(.*)$ /landing/your-landing-page/$1 break;
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
}
`

Step 7: Test


Visit: https://promo.yourbrand.com

Should display your specific landing page.

Method 3: Completely Separate Domain


Use entirely different domain (e.g., specialoffer.com) for a landing page.

Step 1: Register Domain


Purchase domain from:

40. GoDaddy
41. Namecheap
42. Google Domains
43. Cloudflare Registrar

Step 2: Point Domain to Your Server


In domain registrar’s DNS settings:

Option A: A Record (Point to server IP)
`
Type: A
Host: @
Value: 123.45.67.89 (your server IP)
`

Option B: CNAME (Point to existing domain)
`
Type: CNAME
Host: @
Value: yourbrand.com
`

Step 3: Add to Server Configuration


For cPanel/WHM:

44. WHM → Account Functions → Create a New Account
45. OR: Addon Domains → Add specialoffer.com
46. Point to WordPress directory

For Apache Virtual Host:

`apache

ServerName specialoffer.com
ServerAlias www.specialoffer.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/yoursite


AllowOverride All


`

For Nginx:

`nginx
server {
listen 80;
server_name specialoffer.com www.specialoffer.com;
root /var/www/yoursite;

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
}
`

Step 4: WordPress Configuration


Edit wp-config.php:

`php
// Handle external domain
$host = $SERVER[‘HTTPHOST’];

if ($host === ‘specialoffer.com’ || $host === ‘www.specialoffer.com’) {
define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘https://specialoffer.com’);
define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘https://specialoffer.com’);
}
`

Step 5: Map in ShahiLandin


47. Edit landing page
48. Custom Domain meta box
49. Enter: specialoffer.com
50. Choose redirect behavior: Display page at this domain
51. Update

Step 6: Redirect to Landing Page


Add to .htaccess or server config:

`apache

Redirect root domain to specific landing page


RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?specialoffer\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^$ /landing/special-offer-page/ [L]
`

Setting Up SSL/HTTPS


Option 1: Let’s Encrypt (Free)


cPanel AutoSSL:


52. cPanel → SSL/TLS Status
53. Find pages.yourbrand.com
54. Click Run AutoSSL
55. Wait 2-5 minutes
56. Certificate installed automatically

Certbot (Command Line):


`bash

Install Certbot


sudo apt-get install certbot python3-certbot-apache

Get certificate


sudo certbot –apache -d pages.yourbrand.com

Auto-renewal (cron)


sudo certbot renew –dry-run
`

For Multiple Subdomains:


`bash
sudo certbot –apache -d pages.yourbrand.com -d promo.yourbrand.com -d launch.yourbrand.com
`

Option 2: Cloudflare (Free & Easy)


57. Add site to Cloudflare
58. Update nameservers at domain registrar
59. SSL automatically provisioned
60. Settings → SSL/TLS → Full (strict)

Option 3: Purchased SSL Certificate


61. Purchase from SSL provider (Sectigo, DigiCert, etc.)
62. Generate CSR on server
63. Upload certificate files to cPanel or server
64. Install via cPanel → SSL/TLS or manually in Apache/Nginx config

Force HTTPS


Add to .htaccess:

`apache

Force HTTPS


RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTPHOST}%{REQUESTURI} [L,R=301]
`

Or in ShahiLandin:

65. Settings → Advanced → Force HTTPS → ✅

Domain Mapping Plugins


Alternative approach using plugins.

WordPress MU Domain Mapping


For WordPress Multisite:

66. Install WordPress MU Domain Mapping
67. Network Admin → Settings → Domain Mapping
68. Configure server IP
69. Map domains to sites

Domain Mapping System (Premium)


ShahiLandin Pro includes built-in domain mapper:

70. Settings → Domain Mapping
71. Add domain: promo.yourbrand.com
72. Select landing page from dropdown
73. Save
74. Automatic DNS configuration (if integrated with Cloudflare)

Wildcard Subdomains


Allow any subdomain to work (e.g., *.yourbrand.com).

Step 1: DNS Wildcard Record


Add to DNS:

`
Type: A
Host: *
Value: 123.45.67.89 (server IP)
`

Now any subdomain (test.yourbrand.com, demo.yourbrand.com) points to your server.

Step 2: Server Configuration


Apache:

`apache

ServerName yourbrand.com
ServerAlias *.yourbrand.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/yoursite

`

Nginx:

`nginx
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourbrand.com *.yourbrand.com;
root /var/www/yoursite;
}
`

Step 3: Dynamic Routing in ShahiLandin


Edit functions.php or use Code Snippets:

`php
addaction(‘templateredirect’, function() {
$host = $SERVER[‘HTTPHOST’];

// Extract subdomain
preg_match(‘/^([^\.]+)\.yourbrand\.com$/’, $host, $matches);

if (!empty($matches[1])) {
$subdomain = $matches[1];

// Find landing page by slug matching subdomain
$page = getpagebypath($subdomain, OBJECT, ‘shahilanding’);

if ($page) {
// Load this landing page
global $post;
$post = $page;
setup_postdata($post);

include gettemplatedirectory() . ‘/single-shahi-landing.php’;
exit;
}
}
});
`

Now:

75. promo.yourbrand.com → loads landing page with slug “promo”
76. launch.yourbrand.com → loads landing page with slug “launch”

Tracking Custom Domains


Google Analytics Setup


Track each subdomain separately:

77. Create property for each subdomain:

– Property 1: yourbrand.com
– Property 2: pages.yourbrand.com
– Property 3: promo.yourbrand.com

78. Or use single property with filters:

– All Website Data view
– Filter by hostname

UTM Parameters


Add to links pointing to custom domains:

`
https://promo.yourbrand.com/?utmsource=email&utmcampaign=spring_sale
`

Track in ShahiLandin analytics automatically.

Troubleshooting


“Domain Not Resolving”


Check DNS propagation:
`bash

Check if DNS updated


nslookup pages.yourbrand.com

Or use online tool


https://dnschecker.org
`

Wait: DNS can take 24-48 hours to propagate globally.

“ERRTOOMANY_REDIRECTS”


Cause: Redirect loop (HTTP → HTTPS → HTTP)

Solution:
Check .htaccess for conflicting rules, or:

`apache

Remove existing redirects, add this


RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]
`

“SSL Certificate Invalid”


Cause: Certificate doesn’t cover subdomain

Solution:

79. Get new certificate including subdomain
80. Or use wildcard certificate (*.yourbrand.com)

“WordPress Mixed Content Warnings”


Cause: Some assets loading over HTTP

Solution:
`php
// wp-config.php
if (isset($SERVER[‘HTTPXFORWARDEDPROTO’]) && $SERVER[‘HTTPXFORWARDEDPROTO’] === ‘https’) {
$_SERVER[‘HTTPS’] = ‘on’;
}
`

Or use plugin: Really Simple SSL

“Landing Page Shows Main Site”


Cause: Server not configured to handle subdomain

Solution:

81. Check server configuration (Apache/Nginx)
82. Ensure subdomain points to correct directory
83. Verify .htaccess rewrite rules

Best Practices


Subdomain Naming


✅ Good:

84. pages.yourbrand.com (clear purpose)
85. promo.yourbrand.com (campaign type)
86. launch.yourbrand.com (event name)
87. us.yourbrand.com (geographic)

❌ Bad:

88. asdf.yourbrand.com (meaningless)
89. temp.yourbrand.com (sounds temporary)
90. test123.yourbrand.com (unprofessional)

Security


91. ✅ Always use HTTPS (SSL certificate)
92. ✅ Keep DNS records private when possible
93. ✅ Use strong passwords for domain registrar account
94. ✅ Enable 2FA on domain registrar
95. ✅ Lock domain to prevent unauthorized transfers

Performance


96. Use CDN (Cloudflare) for DNS
97. Enable HTTP/2
98. Set proper cache headers
99. Use same server for all subdomains (avoid additional DNS lookups)

Summary


You’ve learned how to:

100. ✅ Set up subdomain for all landing pages
101. ✅ Map custom domain to individual landing pages
102. ✅ Use completely separate domains
103. ✅ Configure DNS and server settings
104. ✅ Install SSL certificates
105. ✅ Set up wildcard subdomains
106. ✅ Track custom domains in analytics
107. ✅ Troubleshoot common domain issues

Your landing pages now have professional custom domains!

Related Tutorials


108. How to Create Your First Landing Page
109. How to Set Up Conversion Tracking
110. Settings & Configuration

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