If you've decided to use MemberVault as the main website for your domain, you'll likely have already set up a Custom Domain using "www.yourdomain.com" or something similar. In our example, "www" is the subdomain and "yourdomain.com" is the root domain. This setup ensures compatibility with MemberVault's systems, as custom domains must utilize a subdomain for proper functionality.
For technical reasons around how CNAMEs work, you cannot simply point your Root Domain (sometimes called the Apex) to our servers. What you'll need to do is setup a redirect from yourdomain.com over to www.yourdomain.com.
Many domain registrars offer options to set up redirects directly within their DNS settings. While support can vary, this method is often a viable first approach. Alternatively, you can use redirect.pizza, a reliable and free service that simplifies the process.
Here is a step by step on how to do it:
1. Head over to https://redirect.pizza/ and create a new free account. (I know it's a funny name, but I've personally checked it out, and it's great)
2. Once you're logged in, head over to redirects and add a new redirect.
3. You'll first add in your domain WITHOUT the www in the source, and then add in the full URL of your domain WITH the www in the Destination URL.
If you want all of your pages, products and other URLs to map over to the new domain, check off Path and Query String forwarding (recommended). It should look something like this.
4. Once you add this, you'll be brought to a page that will give you the A record you'll need. This is the numeric IP address that you can copy.
You'll need to set the A record in your DNS to this value. This should be in the same location you added your CNAMEs when you set up your custom domain.
This is what the page looks like to get your A record
And this is an example of what your DNS host might look like (note: every DNS host is different, this is just an example of mine, which is AWS). Leave the subdomain blank, the value is the IP address, and you can leave the TTL to whatever the default is.
In total, you should have 3 DNS records for your MemberVault. 2 CNAMEs from the custom domain setup with MV and this A record. You will need all 3 for this to keep running without hassle.
5. Once you do that, head back over to redirect.pizza and refresh. This step CAN take some time, but in my testing, it was less than 2 minutes. Once it's validated, you should see something like this. And that's it. You're DONE!!!
NOTE: If your redirect isn't working after all of this, and a few refreshes, clear your browsers cache and maybe even restart your computer or browser. Web browsers routine cache DNS lookups for performance, but this means it might be slow to pick up your changes. But always clear your cache and check!
If problems persist, consult both MemberVault support and your domain host for detailed assistance.
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Questions? Reach out to us at hello@membervault.co, within our Facebook group, The MV Collaborative, or via chat support within your admin account (not sure how to log in? look up your account here).