How to Set Up a Subdomain for Memberships

How to Set Up a Subdomain for Memberships

In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of setting up a subdomain for your membership portals within the context of Advisor's Growth. Following these steps will help you provide a smooth experience for your users and avoid any potential domain management issues.

Understanding Subdomains

A subdomain is a section of a larger domain, allowing specific areas of your website to have their own unique web addresses. For example, if you use a subdomain like members.yourtestwebsite.com for your membership portal, "members" is the subdomain, while "yourtestwebsite.com" is the root domain.

Keep these concepts in mind as we guide you through connecting a subdomain to your membership area.

Step 1: Access Site Details

1. Navigate to the Membership section of your dashboard.

2. Hover over the Courses dropdown and select Settings.

3. Click on Site Details.

Step 2: Configuring the Default Subdomain

1. In the Site Details section, find the field labeled Default Subdomain for Memberships.

2. Enter your desired subdomain (e.g., members).

3. Save your changes.

4. If necessary, regenerate magic links to ensure that the complete URL directs users to the membership login page.

Step 3: Adding Custom Domains

1. Still in the Membership section, go to Settings and select Custom Domains.

2. Enter the subdomain you've chosen for your memberships in the domain field.

3. Add the necessary DNS records as instructed on the page within your domain's DNS settings.

4. Click Save to validate the records.

   • If you encounter errors, double-check the DNS records. If the issue persists, reach out to support. Allow up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect before saving again.

Note: We strongly recommend using a subdomain (e.g., members.yourtestwebsite.com) rather than the main website's root domain or the "www" subdomain unless you intend for that domain to be solely dedicated to memberships.

Ensuring Site Details are Updated

1. After successfully adding the subdomain, return to the Membership settings and click on Site Details.

2. Confirm that your domain name is correctly listed in the field labeled Site URL under Advanced details.

3. Click Generate Magic Link to refresh the links, and reload the page if you've made any domain changes.

Best Practices and Recommendations

• Domain Management: Consider using a single domain within Advisor's Growth (e.g., testsamplewebsite.com) and redirecting the other versions (non-www or www) using your DNS manager, such as Cloudflare with page rules. This approach helps prevent conflicts and ensures a consistent user experience.

• Subdomain Usage: Reserve subdomains for specific functions, like memberships (e.g., members.yourtestwebsite.com), to maintain a clear and organized web structure.