Learn how to connect your subdomains and domains to HubSpot. We will walk through concepts such as subdomains and DNS to help you understand why and how we connect your domain name to HubSpot (or any other website hosting provider).

1. How to connect your
subdomains to
HubSpot

2. Agenda
Agenda
▸Concepts
▹ What is a subdomains?
▹ What is a DNS?
▸How to connect your
subdomain in HubSpot?
▹ HubSpot setup
▹ Name registrar setup
▸Next steps
2

3. Hello!
3
I am Vu Long Tran
Implementation Specialist, Services, Asia
You can find me at:
@vulongtran

4. What is a
subdomain?
4

5. Subdomain
“A subdomain is a domain that is part of a
larger domain – comes right before the root
domain” - Wikipedia
5

6. Subdomain
is a domain that is
part of a larger
domain – comes
right before the root
domain
How is subdomains different
from subdirectories?
Subdirectory
is a directory
(folder) within a
domain. Follows the
Top Level Domain (.
com, .net etc) in a
Unique Resource
Locator (URL)
6
For example: www,
info, blog, m, news,
etc.
For example: /blog,
/info, /home
You may have
heard of
subdirectories?

7. 7
www.hubspot.com/blog
Subdomain
Subdirectory
Breakdown of a Unique Resource
Locator (URL)

8. 8
Why do we need Subdomains?
Short answer: flexibility
• For example, let's say that Facebook wanted to use
HubSpot
• They could consider hosting their entire website on
HubSpot’s content optimisation system (COS), however
they do not wish to at this point of time
• Yet they still want to use HubSpot for their blogging
platform - so what are their options?
SUBDOMAIN!

9. Website
You can
create
subdomains
independent
from your
main
website’s
domain
Blog9
1621557.group7.sites.hubspot.net
IP: 23.216.11.8
facebook.wordpresshosted.
com
IP: 31.13.65.36

10. 10
So how does that work?
As you can see in the previous illustration, this allows
Facebook to keep their website running for their domain by
pointing towards their website hosting server, while
simultaneously using their subdomain to point to HubSpot’s
server for their blog:
• facebook.com → facebook.wordpresshosted.com
(Wordpress)
• blog.facebook.com → 1621557.group7.sites.hubspot.net
(HubSpot)
Note - you can only point to one server at a time

11. Subdomain
▸ Unique branding/
designation for
each subdomain
▸ Independent
from main
website
▸ Multiple search
engine results
page (SERP)
possible
Subdomain and Subdirectory
key differences
Subdirectory
▸ Links all point to
one domain
▸ Content updates
help root domain
▸ Simpler usability
11
Note - you can only point to one server at a time

12. What is a DNS?
12

13. ▸ DNS stands for Domain Name
System
▸ The system that associates domains
(google.com, www.hubspot.com,
etc.) with an IP address or CNAME
What is a DNS?
13

14. Why do we need a domain
name system?
14
31.13.65.36
▸ Imagine trying to remember the
following IP Address instead of
Facebook.comIt’s hard to
remember IP
addresses

15. So how does it work?
15
31.13.65.36
www.facebook.com
?
So what did
someone
create to
help us
mortals?

16. So how does it work?
16
Domain Name System
A domain
name
system
(DNS) would
help
31.13.65.36
www.facebook.com

17. So how does it work?
17
Domain Name System
The domain
name
system
redirects
traffic to the
IP address us
mortals
would find
hard to
remember 31.13.65.36
www.facebook.com

18. 18
Domain Name
System (DNS)
Is like a phonebook
for the internet
18

19. Where do you manage your
DNS?
19
▸ The DNS records for a particular domain
are controlled by its authoritative name
server host
▸ The name server host is defined by the
registrar for the domain – the name
server host and registrar are often the
same provider

20. What’s happens with DNS on
HubSpot?
20
▸ HubSpot does not host domain name
servers records
▸ HubSpot can host your website content
(if you want it to)
▸ HubSpot does not host your email inbox
(MX Record), but we can send email on
your behalf using our servers
That leads us to the next question, how do I
connect my domains in HubSpot?

21. How do I connect
my domains in
HubSpot?
A step by step guide
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22. 22
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check
Setting up your domains on HubSpot
▸ The process to setup your domains on HubSpot is a
simple process.
▸ The key is making sure you have someone who has
access to your DNS to set it up.
Setup involves:
▸ HubSpot setup - configuring settings on Hubspot
▸ Name registrar setup - configuring settings on your
name registrar’s DNS manager
▸ Wait and check - confirm that everything is correct
HubSpot
setup

23. HubSpot
Setup
23
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check
Step 1 - Find your “Domain
Manager”
▸ Go to your "Domain
Manager" in HubSpot
▸ To go to your "Domain
Manager". Click on
Content > Content
Settings > Domain
Manager.
▸ That is, Content Settings
from the Content" menu
(the last option on the
screenshot on your right).

24. 24
Click on “Domain Manager”
▸ Then click on "Domain
Manager" from the
second group of menus
under the grey header
"Content Optimisation
Systems Tools".
HubSpot
Setup
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

25. 25
You will be on a page titled, "Manage Your Domains"
Click on "Connect another HubSpot COS domain" to
add in your subdomains into HubSpot
HubSpot
setup
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

26. 26
▸ Type in the subdomain you want to configure on
HubSpot, then click "Connect domain" when you're
ready.
▸ In my example, I have created "info.
dejavuguides.com". You will notice
that I have marked the part of
HubSpot that I want associated with
"Landing Pages".
info. = http://info.dejavuguides.com
You can also choose to associate your
"Blog", "Email", and "Website Pages"*
with the same subdomain.
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

27. 27
Select "Make domain primary"HubSpot
setup
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

28. 28
You will then receive a CNAME address
Copy this CNAME address. You'll need this to configure some
settings on your domain name registrar.
In my portal, this is: 1621557.group7.sites.hubspot.
net
HubSpot
setup
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

29. How to set up your subdomains
on your domain name registrar
29
▸ We need to add in a CNAME record into your domain name
registrar. You may need to ask your webmaster or IT
administrator if you don't have access to this.
▹ My domain name registrar is Hover.com. So I will show
you what it looks like to configure this on Hover.com.
▹ If you are using other domain name registrar providers
such as GoDaddy, etc. you would want to look at the
guides on this page of the HubSpot Academy. This is on
the "Going live instructions by registrar" guide on the
HubSpot's Academy Knowledge base.
Name
registrar
setup

30. 30
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check
Go to your DNS Manager
This should be referred to as "DNS", "DNS Manager", "DNS
Settings" or similar.
Name
registrar
setup

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Add in CNAME record in your DNS
Under hostname you would want to put the subdomain you
defined.
▸ Record Type you would want to put CNAME.
▸ Target Host you would put the CNAME record
Name
registrar
setup
Afterwards, it’ll look like the following in your DNS manager
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

32. 32
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check
Confirm that this is up and running on HubSpot via the Domain
Manager
You should see a green light next to the subdomain you have
created in your Domain Manager.
Wait and
Check
If not, you’ll see a grey circle.

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It will be up and running now, such that when you create a new
website page or blog post, it will be associated with your
configured subdomains.
Wait and
Check
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

34. 34
For my example, I set it for Landing Pages so you’ll see: http:
//info.dejavuguides.com/landing-page-name
If I set one up for the Blog, Email or Websites it'll associate the
subdomain and any blog, email or website page created will have
a website URL that could look like the following:
▸ Blog you will see: http://blog.dejavuguides.com/blog-page-
name
▸ Email (web versions) you will see: http://info.dejavuguides.
com/email-web-version-page-name
▸ Website pages you will see: http://info.dejavuguides.
com/website-page-name
Examples
HubSpot
setup
Name
registrar
setup
Wait and
check

35. Subdomains
is a domain that is
part of a larger
domain – comes right
before the root
domain
For example: www,
info, blog, m, news,
etc.
Subdirectories
is a directory (folder)
within a domain.
Follows the Top Level
Domain (.com, .net
etc) in a Unique
Resource Locator
(URL)
For example: /blog,
/info, /home
DNS
Domain name system.
The system that
associates domains
(google.com, www.
hubspot.com etc) with
an IP address or
CNAME
Recap
35
www.hubspot.com/blog
Subdomain
Subdirectory

36. Next steps
Next steps
Here are some further articles
on how to connect your
domains.
▸ How to connect your
domains with HubSpot
▸ How to connect your
email subdomains
▸ Going live instructions by
registrar
Still stuck? Need urgent help?
Contact HubSpot Support via
▸ www.hubspot.
com/services/support OR
▸ help.hubspot.com
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THANKS!
Any questions?
You can find me at:
@vulongtran
vtran@hubspot.com

38. CREDITS
Special thanks to all the people who
made and released these awesome
resources for free:
▸ Presentation template by
SlidesCarnival
▸ Photographs by Unsplash
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