How to Set up your Custom Domain (CNAME Record)

Having a dedicated domain name for your LearnWorlds school plays a pivotal role in enhancing branding and increasing visibility, making it simpler for potential customers to locate your LearnWorlds school. Your online presence is the key to attracting more leads and customers.

By default LearnWorlds schools have a LearnWorlds subdomain/URL (e.g., yourschool.learnworlds.com); however, we recommend connecting your own custom domain to boost your brand identity.

This article explains how to connect your own purchased custom domain, at the subdomain level, e.g., www.yourschool.com, with your LearnWorlds school.

What is a Subdomain?

A subdomain e.g., www.yourschool.com, is an additional part (e.g. www) that comes before the naked domain e.g., yourschool.com. You can create multiple subdomains or child domains on your main domain to better organize your site. For example, if your naked domain is yourschool.com, you can create subdomains like www.yourschool.com, academy.yourschool.com, etc.

In this article, we will learn:

• How to set up your DNS records
• How to create a CNAME record
• How to check if your CNAME record is working
• How to request the domain change in your school’s settings

Setting up your DNS records

Step 1: Set Up Your DNS Records

1. The first thing you need to do is to purchase a domain from your preferred domain provider (e.g., GoDaddy, BlueHost, etc.). 

2. Next, create a CNAME record for that subdomain and link it to your school.

1. Login to your domain provider and go to the DNS settings.
2. Create a CNAME record. A CNAME has two parts: Host/Name and Value.
   i.The Host/Name is the part that comes before your primary domain. For example, if your domain is www.myschool.com, the Host/Name is "www."
   
   ii. The Value is where the CNAME record should point to. This should be your LearnWorlds school URL (e.g., yourschool.learnworlds.com, yourschool.mylearnworlds.com, or yourschool.getlearnworlds.com).

Below you can find a step-by-step guide on how to create this. If you encounter difficulties setting up the CNAME record in your domain provider's DNS settings, contact their support team or refer to their documentation for assistance. 

-Make sure to replace yourschool.learnworlds.com (or yourschool.mylearnworlds.com, yourschool.getlearnworlds.com) with your LearnWorlds school URL.

- Do not include the https:// before your LearnWorlds URL or the / after.

You can find more information on creating a CNAME record in:

• GoDaddy 
• Cloudflare
• Google Domains
• Other domain providers (e.g Dreamhost, 1AND1, Bluehost, and Namecheap)

Step 2: Check if the CNAME Record is Successfully Added

Now that you have created your records you should check if the CNAME record is successfully added. In order to do so, you should,

1. Go to Google Admin Toolbox.

2. Insert your subdomain free of https:// or / at the end (e.g., www.yourschool.com).

3. If the CNAME record is correct, the Learnworlds school URL will appear below next to the Target field.

If the CNAME record has not been successfully added and you view a message such as "Record not found", you can contact support@learnworlds.com or the support team of your domain provider for further assistance.

Step 3: Request the Domain's change in your School Settings

Once the CNAME record has been successfully created, you should request the domain change in your school's settings.

1. Navigate to Settings → School Settings → Site & Email Domain.

2. Fill in the subdomain created.

3. Click on Change Domain.

A confirmation message will appear notifying you that your domain will be ready within 5 minutes.

Once the new domain is ready, you and your users should use only this custom domain and not the LearnWorlds one you have used until then. The CNAME should not be removed to ensure the accessibility of your school.

Important Notes/Considerations

• If you already have a CNAME DNS record for the subdomain you want to use, you can edit it so it points to your LearnWorlds school URL (e.g., yourschool.learnworlds.com or yourschool.mylearnworlds.com, or yourschool.getlearnworlds.com). However, if the entry currently points to another live website, this change will affect the site, making it unreachable.
• You can have up to two secondary domains, including the naked domain (domains that redirect to your primary domain), apart from the LearnWorlds default domain. We highly recommend using both the naked and the www subdomain for your school.
• You can change the current domain to a different custom domain as long as the records remain correct.
• The default LearnWorlds URL cannot be deleted.
• If you have connected more than one custom domain, you can designate the primary domain by clicking the "Make primary" button next to your secondary domain.
•  If you have a Mobile app, when your domain has changed, make sure that you change your privacy URL as well in your school's "Stores Set up" section. Also, feel free to contact us so we can make the respective changes in your developer accounts on your behalf.