By default, your website is accessible from a Yapla subdomain. For example, my-organization.yapla.com. At any time, you can change this subdomain or use your own domain name.
In this article
- Change your website's subdomain
- Use your own domain name
- Redirect your domain name to your website
- Frequently asked questions
Change your website's subdomain
Creating subdomains can be useful for search engine optimization. It allows you to include target keywords in the URL. In addition, some search engines or directories may consider subdomains as separate domains, which increases the chances of appearing in search results.
Your website's subdomain is fully customizable. To change it, go to Website > Settings:
Then change the text in the Prefix field.
Use your own domain name
Can I use a specific domain name?
You can use a specific domain name starting with the Essential plan. For this plan, the fee is $5 per month. For the Plus and Premium plans, the service is offered free of charge for the first domain name.
To use your domain name, you must have access to its configuration, specifically its DNS settings.
Contact us at support@yapla.com to start setting up your own domain name. The items to prepare and the steps are detailed in the Redirect your domain name to your website section.
Can I use several specific domain names?
You can have several websites under the same account, each with its own domain name. You can also point two domain names to the same website. Owners of bilingual websites often use this approach.
A fee of $5 per month applies to each additional domain name, on all plans.
Redirect your domain name to your website
Do you already have a domain name (for example, myassociation.org) and are you about to launch your new website? This section explains what to prepare, how the redirection works, and how long it takes.
What to prepare before contacting support
The more of these items you have ready, the faster your website goes live.
- Access to your domain name's DNS configuration, with your current registrar or hosting provider (OVH, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Gandi...). If you don't know who hosts your domain, your webmaster or the person who purchased the domain name can confirm it for you. You can also check it yourself, see the FAQ below.
- Your preferred launch date for your new website.
- The list of your old URLs, if your current website has several pages that you want to redirect one by one to their equivalent on your new website.
- The EPP transfer code (or authorization code), only if you choose to transfer your domain name to Yapla's registrar. You can request this code from your current registrar. See the Keep your registrar or transfer your domain to Yapla section.
Main steps
- Contact support with your account name, the URL of your Yapla website (for example, myassociation.s1.yapla.com), and your current domain name.
- Support sends you the exact DNS instructions to apply. They vary depending on whether you keep your current registrar or transfer your domain.
- You apply the changes in the DNS configuration (or the person who manages your domain does it for you).
- The change propagates, and your domain name then points to your Yapla website.
How long to plan for. Allow about 5 business days between your request and the actual launch. If you also choose to transfer your domain name to Yapla's registrar, add 2 to 7 days to this timeline. Plan your launch date accordingly.
Keep your registrar or transfer your domain to Yapla
Both options work. In most cases, there is nothing to transfer: you keep your domain name where it is and simply change its DNS configuration so that it points to your Yapla website.
Transferring is a choice, not a requirement. Here is what it changes.
What you gain
- A single invoice: you pay only Yapla, for hosting and domain connection, instead of paying both your current hosting provider and Yapla.
What you lose
- Direct control of your domain name. Any DNS record you need to add or change later will require a request to support.
- The additional services your hosting provider offered. Yapla hosting does not include email inboxes, dynamic calendars, or the other services a traditional hosting provider offers. If your email addresses (contact@myassociation.org, for example) are set up with your current hosting provider, they will stop working after the transfer until you set them up again with a third-party provider. Yapla does not provide support for these external tools.
- An additional 2 to 7 days before your website goes live.
In short: keep your current registrar if your domain is also used for email or other services. Transferring is mainly suited to associations whose domain name is used only for their website.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the redirection take to go into effect?
DNS changes take from a few hours up to 24-48 hours to propagate, depending on the registrar. It is normal for the change not to be instant. This delay is included in the 5 days planned for the launch.
Do I have to transfer my domain name to Yapla?
No. In most cases, you keep your domain name where it is and only change its DNS configuration. See the Keep your registrar or transfer your domain to Yapla section.
I don't know where my domain name is hosted. How can I find out?
There are two ways:
- Check it yourself on whois.com by entering your domain name: the registrar is listed there.
- Contact support with your domain name. The team can usually identify the registrar from the domain name alone.
Will I lose my Google ranking by changing websites?
If your old pages were indexed by Google, prepare a mapping list (old URL to the equivalent new page on your Yapla website) and send it to support with your request. This allows page-by-page redirects to be set up and limits the impact on your search ranking.
Do I need an SSL certificate?
The SSL certificate (the https padlock) is included in your account at no additional cost. It is set up automatically, with no action required on your part.
My new website is live, but my old website is still showing. Why?
Until your domain name redirection is complete, both websites coexist: the old one still responds on your domain name, and the new one on its Yapla address. The situation resolves itself as soon as the steps above are completed and DNS propagation is done.