Your own domain

A published site starts at an InstaWP address such as yourname.instawp.site. A domain of your own can be bought through InstaWP or connected from another registrar. Both need a plan that supports domains; the Sandbox and Free plans do not.

Buy a domain #

Your own domain on the Address step of Publish, or Buy a domain in Site details, searches InstaWP's registrar. Type a word and up to ten endings are listed, each with its first-year price and its yearly renewal (InstaWP's payment fee is included in what you see).

• The registrant details are filled in from your team's saved contact, or your account's name and email.
• Nothing is bought until a confirmation names the charge, the yearly renewal and that it is not refundable. During Publish, the domain is bought only after the site is live.
• The first year is charged to the team owner's card as a yearly subscription with auto-renew and privacy protection on.
• Once registered, the domain is linked and becomes the site's main address; WordPress's links move to it, the InstaWP address stays as an alias, and www. is added as an alias too. The Live screen shows the progress under the address.
• If registration fails, InstaWP refunds it. A card that needs extra verification (3-D Secure) cannot be used here; the message points you to InstaWP.

Renewal, auto-renew, DNS records and unlinking are managed in InstaWP's dashboard: Manage on InstaWP in Site details or the ⋯ menu. A domain already in your team but not on a site is offered as Use , which links it with no charge.

Connect a domain you own #

Site details → Domain → Connect one you own. It is free and needs the live site, so it comes after publishing.

1. Paste the domain. InstaWP Studio shows a TXT record to add at your registrar (host _instawp-verify), with copy buttons. Press Check the record once it is in place.
2. InstaWP then shows its nameservers to set at your registrar. Any DNS records you keep at the registrar, including email (MX) records, stop working until you add them again on InstaWP, so copy them first.
3. Press Check nameservers. When the domain points at InstaWP it is linked and becomes the site's address, the same way a bought domain does.

While the steps are open they are also checked once a minute. A connection you leave half-way stays listed and reappears as Finish connecting .