# Connecting your domain to a ReadyPress site

## Step 1 | Add the Domain to your ReadyPress account

You will first need to login into your [account Dashboard](https://app.readypress.io) and click the 'Connect Domain' option from the menu.&#x20;

![Locate the 'Connect Domain' section in your dashboard](https://2672526617-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-M6Wl1YNp7uevPXVJVD7%2F-MEZkZfLbxCkiTH5wVzl%2F-MEZosVm0TDIPrTpSxxX%2Fscreenshot-1597271835313.jpg?alt=media\&token=97a8ecfa-5ae5-43ca-8c10-c6be7f446c35)

Clicking on the 'Connect Domain' button will take you to the connection wizard where you can add your existing domain details.

Using the wizard, enter your domain name. Please ensure you only enter the domain name and don't include http\:// or [www](http://www). at the beginning.&#x20;

![Domain Connection wizard. Step 1](https://2672526617-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-M6Wl1YNp7uevPXVJVD7%2F-MEZqNPRYVqkmqUEGT-e%2F-MEZrq-Pc2wvAZta7vyy%2FFireShot%20Capture%20067%20-%20Connect%20Domain%20%E2%80%93%20ReadyPress%20-%20app.readypress.io.png?alt=media\&token=8cb9502a-e44e-427d-9343-24892fa4343a)

Once you have entered your domain name correctly, click the 'Connect my domain button' and you will be taken to step 2.&#x20;

## Step 2 | Configure your DNS settings

{% hint style="warning" %}
&#x20;If your domain is currently pointing to an active website hosted elsewhere, the following change will disconnect your domain from that site and potentially make it inaccessible. If you are unsure, speak to someone who understands your website configuration or raise a support with ReadyPress to help you out.
{% endhint %}

You will now need to login to your Domain Registrar (where you registered your domain name) so we can update your DNS settings. If you are are unsure, you may need to contact someone who understands your website configuration or raise a support request with ReadyPress.

The most common domain registrars are:

* Godaddy
* 1&1
* NameCheap
* Google Domains
* HostGator
* NetRegistry
* Bluehost
* Register.com (RCOM)
* Amazon Route53
* Dreamhost

Once you have logged into your domain account, navigate to the area where you manage DNS records within your domain management console. Your existing records will look similar to this:

| Type  | Name | Value        | TTL         |
| ----- | ---- | ------------ | ----------- |
| A     | @    | 149.35.17.18 | 600 seconds |
| CNAME | www  | @            | 1 Hour      |

Look for the A record named “@” and find the IP address currently configured against that record.&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
It's a good idea to keep note of this information in case you need to restore it later.
{% endhint %}

Next you will need to locate the IP address of your site from within the connectivity wizard in your ReadyPress account. The IP address you are looking for will appear similar to this:

![Locate the IP address provided to you in the connection wizard](https://2672526617-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-M6Wl1YNp7uevPXVJVD7%2F-MEZqNPRYVqkmqUEGT-e%2F-MEZurzmokAiURGFCm_B%2FFireShot%20Capture%20070%20-%20Connect%20Domain%20Step%202%20%E2%80%93%20ReadyPress%20-%20app.readypress.io.png?alt=media\&token=99c139e2-5d3c-42ef-bfc7-f5991cf0198e)

Copy the IP address provided to you from the wizard and change the **value** of the A record with the name @ so it now contains the new IP address.

Now locate the CNAME record which has a value of “www”

* If the record exists, confirm the value of this record is “@”, leaving out the double quotes.
* If this record doesn’t exist, create a new CNAME record, and add the name as “www” and the value as “@”

{% hint style="info" %}
Once this is done, it may take some time for your DNS records to be updated. (in some cases up to 24 hours).
{% endhint %}

## Step 3 | Verify Connectivity

We now want confirm that your DNS settings have been updated, and that your domain is now pointed at your new WordPress site. In order to confirm, you should have a link which you can visit which will check if your DNS changes have taken effect.&#x20;

Locate the verification link provided in the connection wizard, copy this link and paste it to your browser.

![Verification link provided by the connection wizard](https://2672526617-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-M6Wl1YNp7uevPXVJVD7%2F-MEZqNPRYVqkmqUEGT-e%2F-MEZzJOY3wQPI_aziuzY%2FFireShot%20Capture%20073%20-%20Connect%20Domain%20Step%202%20%E2%80%93%20ReadyPress%20-%20app.readypress.io.png?alt=media\&token=ebedaaac-b9d2-48ac-a96d-2b130d120b7f)

If your connectivity details are correct, then you will see a success page which looks like this.

![Successful verification message](https://2672526617-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-M6Wl1YNp7uevPXVJVD7%2F-MEZqNPRYVqkmqUEGT-e%2F-MEZzwgrq8-TCviCzI7e%2FFireShot%20Capture%20076%20-%20DNS%20Successfully%20Verified%20%E2%80%93%20ReadyPress%20-%20app.readypress.io.png?alt=media\&token=346bf441-2005-4ba4-a7b0-b52a12ad04ef)

If you see a success message, then everything is confirmed and working and you can move to the next step. Click the 'Continue to WordPress Setup button'

{% hint style="danger" %}
If you get an error or a page not found, or any other result, it means that your domain settings aren't pointed correctly and you will need to wait and try again later to confirm your domain changes have taken place. Remember, in some cases this can take several hours.
{% endhint %}

## Step 4 | Update WordPress Settings

You should now be able to enter your domain name in a browser and it will redirect you to your ReadyPress site. You will however notice that the address bar in your browser is still showing your ReadyPress sub-domain URL. In order to change this, we need to tell your WordPress site about your domain name.

Login to the Admin area of your WordPress site and using the left hand menu, navigate to **Settings > General.** You will see two boxes with your sub-domain URL which look like this.

![](https://2672526617-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-M6Wl1YNp7uevPXVJVD7%2F-MEZqNPRYVqkmqUEGT-e%2F-ME_Dd4z713_WRWf01qa%2FFireShot%20Capture%20081%20-%20General%20Settings%20%E2%80%B9%20ReadyPress.io%20%E2%80%94%20WordPress%20-%20readypress.io.png?alt=media\&token=7beb75d9-9c8d-4a52-8e4a-0f0eaf577c99)

Update both of these boxes with your **own domain** name which you configured above. The connection wizard will also show the correct name to place into these two boxes. Once you have made the change, leave all the other settings as they are and click 'Save' at the bottom of the page.

{% hint style="success" %}
ReadyPress sites come preinstalled with SSL enabled, so when you include your domain name in the settings here, be sure to put the https\:// before the domain to ensure your site continues to use SSL.

For example, if your domain is **jackson-site.com.au** then in the WordPress Address and Site Address settings you should put **<https://jackson-site.com.au>** in both these boxes
{% endhint %}

At this point you will be logged out of your WordPress site. You will simply need to login again using your WordPress login details. You should now be able visit your site by visiting your domain name. If at any time you need to change your domain name, you can simply follow these steps again and update your settings to a different domain.
