How to point a subdomain at a folder

A subdomain such as blog.yourdomain.com or shop.yourdomain.com lets you run what is effectively a separate section of your site under the same domain name. Creating one is a control panel setting rather than something you configure purely through DNS — the panel handles both the DNS record and the folder it points to in one step.

What a subdomain actually is

Technically, a subdomain is a DNS record pointing a prefix at your server, paired with a folder on your hosting account that the server serves content from when that prefix is requested. Your control panel manages both halves together, so you do not need to create the DNS record separately from choosing the folder — see what is a subdomain if you want the fuller explanation of how it differs from a completely separate domain or an addon domain.

Creating the subdomain

1. Open the subdomains section

   This sits alongside the domains section in your control panel, and lists any subdomains already created under each domain on the account.

2. Choose the domain and type the prefix

   Select which domain the subdomain belongs to, then enter just the prefix — blog, shop, app — without the rest of the domain name attached.

3. Accept or set the folder

   Most control panels create a dedicated folder for the subdomain automatically, separate from public_html, so its files do not mix with the main site's. Note the folder name shown, since that is where files for this subdomain belong.

4. Save

   The subdomain and its DNS record are created together. There is nothing further to configure at the DNS level for a normal subdomain pointing to a folder on the same account.

Uploading content to the subdomain

Whatever should appear at the subdomain — a separate WordPress install, a static page, an application — goes in the folder created for it, exactly the way a main site's files go in public_html. The subdomain behaves as an independent site as far as its content is concerned, even though it still shares the account's overall storage and bandwidth allowance with everything else on it.

How long before it works

A subdomain created through the control panel is usually reachable very quickly, since its DNS record is often served directly by your host's own nameservers rather than needing to spread across separately managed DNS elsewhere. That said, some caching along the way is normal, and if it does not resolve within an hour or so, it is worth double-checking the domain's overall DNS is correctly pointed at this hosting account in the first place — a subdomain cannot work if the parent domain is not using this server's DNS.

Pointing a subdomain elsewhere entirely

This guide covers a subdomain that lives on the same hosting account as its parent domain. If you instead need a subdomain to point at a completely different server or service — a third-party app, a different host, a specific external tool — that is a different kind of setup, handled through a DNS record pointing away from this account rather than a folder on it. Delegating a subdomain covers that scenario.

Common problems

• The subdomain shows the main site instead of its own content. Usually means files were uploaded to public_html instead of the subdomain's own folder.
• The subdomain does not resolve at all. Check the parent domain's DNS is actually pointed at this hosting account, and give it a short while if the subdomain was created very recently.
• SSL shows a warning on the subdomain. A certificate covering the main domain does not automatically cover every subdomain unless it was issued to include them — check your control panel's SSL section for the subdomain specifically.

If a newly created subdomain still is not behaving as expected after checking the above, contact support with the subdomain name and we can check how it is currently configured.