How to Create an Alias Domain Name

If you happen to operate a large website, you may want to give a particular section of the site its own domain name. For example, if you have a professional website at www.yourname.com and a blog located on that same site at www.yourname.com/blog, you may want to give the blog its own .com URL. This is known as CNAME aliasing and can be done through any domain registrar. GoDaddy.com will be used as the basis for this demonstration, but the process is similar for every domain registrar.

Things You'll Need

• Two domain names
• Active account with a registrar, such as GoDaddy

Instructions

Creating a CNAME Record

1. Log in to your account at www.godaddy.com and select "Domain Manager" from the "My Products" menu on the left of the screen.

2. Select the website domain name you wish to modify.

3. Scroll down about halfway through the page until you find a box labeled "Total DNS."

4. Click the "Total DNS Control" link to open the CNAME control panel.

5. Click "Add New CNAME Record."

6. Type your second domain name in the box labeled "Enter an Alias Name." For example, type "http://yournameblog.com."

7. Type the target page domain name in the box labeled "Points to Host Name." For example, type "http://yourname.com/blog."

8. Set the TTL to "10." This tells the server to automatically cache the new domain name every ten minutes.

9. Click "OK."

10. Wait up to 24 hours for the new settings to take effect. After the settings have been implemented, you will be able to type "yournameblog.com" to locate "yourname.com/blog."

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use this method to create subdomains. Instead of entering a whole new URL in step 6, you can type "http://blog.yourname.com."

• Each domain registrar has a slightly different process for creating CNAME records. Be sure to consult the help files, tutorials or call the support line if necessary.

References

• Creating CNAME Records

Resources

• GoDaddy