Domains » Connect a Subdomain

A subdomain allows you to have a dedicated site address with its own content but uses your existing custom domain name as part of the address.

For example, if you have a domain name like yourgroovydomain.com and you want to continue to use that branding for a second website that has different content, you can set up blog.yourgroovydomain.com where blog is the subdomain, and yourgroovydomain.com is your domain name.

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Getting Started

A few items to point out before you begin:

1. What is the purpose of a subdomain? This can be anything from setting up a dedicated site separate from your main site, to creating an internal network, or a seperate members only site.
2. In this guide we refer to “domain connection” – this is the process of assigning a site address to a specific website. You will be connecting your subdomain to a specific website. On the WordPress.com platform you will not be able to connect a subdomain to a specific directory or page on your existing site.
3. If your domain name is registered through WordPress.com and you want the subdomain to show different content, you’ll set up a second website to connect that new subdomain to.
4. You will not need to pay for the subdomain itself, since you already pay for the domain name, but the new site will need one of our paid plans that include the domain connection feature. All of our paid plans include the domain connection feature.

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Connecting a Subdomain to Your WordPress.com Site

If you want to connect a subdomain, so it points to your WordPress.com sites, there are a few steps we need to follow:

If the domain’s DNS is managed at WordPress.com

1. Add a domain connection subscription
2. You’re done!

If the domain’s DNS is not managed at WordPress.com

1. Add a Domain Connection Subscription
2. Add a CNAME record with your domain’s registrar

Note: It’s not possible to connect a subdomain of a domain already connected or registered under a different WordPress.com account.

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Adding a Domain Connection Subscription

If your domain name is registered or connected to a WordPress.com site and you want the subdomain to show different content, you’ll start by creating a second site under the same WordPress.com login. Next, upgrade the second site to any of our paid plans, and then connect the subdomain to the new site using the steps below.

1. Go to My Site → Upgrades → Domains
2. Click Add a domain.
3. Select Use a Domain I own from the drop down menu.

4. Enter the entire subdomain you want to use such as blog.mygroovydomain.com and Click Next. On the next page, click Select in the Connect your domain section.

If the subdomain is for a domain already registered or connected to WordPress.com, you don’t need to do anything further.

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Adding CNAME Records With Your Registrar

The next step is to add a CNAME record at your registrar or current DNS provider’s end.

The CNAME should look something like the following:

blog.mygroovydomain.com. IN CNAME example.wordpress.com.

• Replace blog.mygroovydomain.com. with the full subdomain you want to use. Some DNS managers will only require you to add the subdomain (blog, in the example) in a field typically labeled “host”, “name” or “@”.
• Replace example.wordpress.com. with your free site address, which you can find here. Some DNS managers will have this option labeled “points to” or “alias”.
• Remember to include the periods after each domain name.
• If you are unsure how to do this, we recommend contacting your domain registrar for assistance. You can use the following sample request:

I would like to connect a subdomain of my domain to my site, which is hosted at WordPress.com. I want to use the subdomain blog.mygroovydomain.com. Can you please add a CNAME record to point that subdomain to example.wordpress.com? 

After the change, it will take a few hours for the DNS to propagate all over the internet.

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Alternatives to Using CNAME

While we recommend using CNAME to connect your sub-domain name to WordPress.com, you can also connect your sub-domain to WordPress.com using NS or A records, as shown in the following screenshot.

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Connecting Your Subdomain to an External Site

If your domain is registered or connected to WordPress.com, you can connect a subdomain to an external site using a CNAME or A record. Check the support documentation or contact the support staff for that site to find out which DNS record you need.

At WordPress.com

• Go to your Domains page (My Site → Upgrades → Domains) and click the domain you wish to add the subdomain to.
• Click Name Servers and DNS, then DNS Records.
• Click Add a record.
• In Type select CNAME or A.
• Enter the subdomain you want in Name.
• Enter the information provided from the service you’re trying to connect to under Alias Of (for CNAME) or Points To (for A Records).
•  For example for Tumblr sites, you’ll need something like this:

tumblr alias of domains.tumblr.com

• Click Add DNS Record

At your hosting provider for the other site

Log into your hosting provider’s control panel and follow their instructions to connect the subdomain to your site there.

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FAQ & Troubleshooting

Can I use a subdomain to have “www” before my domain name?

WordPress.com automatically removes the “www” from all URLs. Connecting the “www” subdomain is not supported.

Can I connect a subdomain to a specific page on my site?

Domains cannot be connected to specific directories on your site, for example yourgroovydomain.com/about-us.