LaunchSplash Help
Help Topics
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Set Up Domain Mapping
- How to Set Up Domain Forwarding
Back to Index
Domain Mapping
Using your own domain with LaunchSplash:LaunchSplash allows you to host your launch page directly from your own domain. Just enter your full domain name when creating your Launch Page and we'll configure things on our end.
After that, you'll just need to map your domain to our Server's IP Address: 67.207.132.86
What is Domain Mapping?
Domain Mapping is the process of pointing a registered domain name to the site where your domain name will be deployed (i.e. www.LaunchSplash.com).
Domain mapping is more than domain forwarding because your permalinks and URL contain the address of your domain name (www.MyDomainName.com) and not your LaunchSplash sub-domain name (www.MyDomainName.LaunchSplash.com).
What are the requirements for setting up domain mapping?
You can map a domain to your LaunchSplash page even if you're just using the "two free pages" option.
Domains are set up with a registrar separately from LaunchSplash. In order to use domain mapping, your registrar (e.g. the company where you register your domain name…i.e. GoDaddy.com) must support "custom DNS services" (all the ones we checked on do, it's just that some charge an extra fee for this functionality). This means that your registrar must give you control over the DNS records that describe your domain and that you must have the ability to create and modify A, MX, and CNAME records.
If you're not sure if your registrar supports custom DNS services, you can send them this email message:
Hi,
I'm using LaunchSplash (http://www.LaunchSplash.com/) to host my Web Site. LaunchSplash supports a feature called domain mapping, where my domain can be pointed at their servers.
In order to use this feature, my registrar must support custom DNS services (i.e. I need control over the DNS records that describe my domain, and I must have the ability to create and modify A, MX, and CNAME records). Do you offer such a service? Please send me more details on how it works and how I can turn it on for my account.
Thank you.
Specific Domain Registrar Instructions
Here are details on how to set up your domain on the top 4 domain registrars:
pairNIC - http://www.pairnic.com/
pariNIC calls its custom DNS services "Custom DNS". Custom DNS is included with every domain registration for no additional charge. Instructions on enabling Custom DNS are available on the pairNIC site. pairNIC also provides some tips and suggestions for using custom DNS.
Dotster - http://www.dotster.com
Dotster calls its custom DNS services "DNS Management". DNS Management is available if you use Dotster's name servers for an additional yearly fee. Dotster offers instructions for setting up DNS Management services for your domain.
Godaddy - http://www.godaddy.com
Godaddy includes "Total DNS Control" with domain registration and gives you control over custom DNS services for your domain. Instructions on setting up Total DNS Control are available at the GoDaddy's site.
Network Solutions - http://www.networksolutions.com/
Network Solutions calls its custom DNS services "Advanced DNS". Advanced DNS is available for an additional yearly fee. Instructions on setting up Advanced DNS are available at the Network Solutions site.
If You Are Registering a New Domain you can choose from any of the above registrars or from another registrar that you know to support custom DNS services.
Will you handle email to my domain?
We don't support handling email addresses or aliases for LaunchSplash sites. Most services that register your domain name (e.g. registrars) will let you forward email from your domain's email address to your current email address. However, all LaunchSplash pages support email signup and RSS feeds. This means that anyone visiting your splash page who is interested in the site can leave their email address and they will automatically start receiving an RSS feed via email whenever you write a new post.
Can I map a sub-domain such as blog.MyDomainName.com?
Yes. If you have a domain, such as www.MyDomainName.com, you can set up a sub-domain with your registrar, such as blog.MyDomainName.com, and map that to your LaunchSplash site.
This can be useful if you need to host part of your domain at LaunchSplash and part at another location, but for most splash page purposes the real value of this service is to use www.MyDomainName.com or www.MyDomainName.net or www.MyDomainName.org or whatever your total domain name happens to be.
Enter the sub-domain that you set up with your domain at your registrar (blog.MyDomainName.com) for the first step in the LaunchSplash mapping setup and this will set you up with the sub-domain of your registered domain.
What do I configure at my registrar for the domain mapping?
The domain mapping for LaunchSplash is set with the CNAME in the records for your domain name at your registrar. The CNAME will always be your main LaunchSplash URL: MyDomainName.LaunchSplash.com
The A and MX records will continue to point to your server, not at LaunchSplash's servers. The reason for this is so that services like email (if you're using it) will continue to work even after your domain has been mapped to your LaunchSplash site.
Domain forwarding or masking is not used with the domain mapping. The CNAME setting will do the pointing you need for the mapping.
If done incorrectly, changing your DNS settings could adversely impact your email or other services that you rely upon. If you're not sure what you're doing, contact your registrar and ask them for help.
What do I do after making the change at my registrar?
Once you've updated your DNS settings, you're ready to go. LaunchSplash will then be hosting your splash page at www.MyDomainName.com .
But the change won't be apparent immediately.
While the process on LaunchSplash's end takes about two hours to complete, the process on your registrar's end can take 24-48 hours.
How do I set up my domain to work without typing the www?
Domain mapping on LaunchSplash will set up both your http://www.MyDomainName.com address, and http://MyDomainName.com address. You'll need to map both domains to our IP address through your registrar.
If you still have trouble, Contact Us and we'll help out.