How to Set Up a Subdomain for Memberships

In this article, we'll explore the process of setting up a subdomain for membership portals within the context of Captivation Hub. By following these steps, you can ensure a seamless experience for your users and prevent potential conflicts related to domain management.

Defining Subdomains

A subdomain is a subset of a larger domain, allowing for specific sections of a website to have unique addresses. In our example, we recommend using a subdomain like members.yourtestwebsite.com for membership portals. In this example, the “members” portion is the one that makes this a subdomain, and the root domain is “yourtestwebsite.com”.

Keep these concepts in mind while following this guide to how to connect a subdomain to the membership area.

Step 1: Access Site Details

• Navigate to the Membership section.
• Hover over the courses dropdown and select Settings.
• Click on Site Details.

Step 2: Configuring Default Subdomain

• In the Site Details, locate the default subdomain field for memberships.
• Enter your desired subdomain text (e.g., members).

• Save your changes.
• Regenerate magic links if necessary and ensure that the complete URL directs users to the membership login page.

Step 3: Adding Custom Domains

• Still, within the Membership section, go to Settings and select Custom Domains.
• Enter the dedicated subdomain for memberships in the domain field.

• Add the required DNS records as instructed on the page in your domain’s DNS settings.
• Click save to validate the records.
• If you encounter errors, double-check the records and reach out to support if needed. Wait for 24 hours if everything appears correct before saving again.

Note: We recommend using a subdomain, typically, using the main website root domain or main website www subdomain is not, unless you want that domain to be only for memberships

Ensure Site Details are Updated

• After you have successfully added the subdomain, navigate back to membership settings and click on Site Details.

• Verify that your domain name is present in the field titled “Site URL” under Advanced details.
• Click on Generate Magic Link to refresh links and reload the page if you've made domain changes.

Best Practices and Recommendations

• Domain Management: Consider having one domain in Captivation Hub (e.g., testsamplewebsite.com) and redirecting the other (non-www or www) using your DNS manager, like Cloudflare with page rules. This prevents conflicts and streamlined user experience.

Subdomain Usage: Reserve subdomains for specific purposes, such as memberships (e.g., members.yourtestwebsite.com), to maintain organization and clarity in your web structure.