Custom Links for Your Portals
Portal Showcase: Part 3
October 21, 2020
Feature Request Content: Version 3.16
November 18, 2020Let's create easier URLs!
Since only your default portal will work with the shortened "sitename.orderprintnow.com" domain, URL paths to your other portals can be a bit cumbersome.
In this blog post we'll talk about your options for setting up custom links to go to your portals.
In this blog post we'll talk about your options for setting up custom links to go to your portals.
Step 1: Purchase a Domain
In order to setup custom links, you must first own a domain that will work as the main URL in your custom link. If you do not already own a domain for your business, one must be purchased.
This can be done through any domain provider a few popular ones being GoDaddy , Domain.Com and Blue Host.
We suggest purchasing a domain that reflects your business name but you could also purchase a domain for a specific customer they want a custom URL.
Step 2: Decide on your URL
Once you have purchased a domain you will need to figure out if you want the entire domain to navigate to one portal, or if you'd like to use subdomains that you could forward to multiple portals.
For example, let's say you purchased the domain "printshop.com". You could forward this entire domain to go to Portal #1. However, you can also set up subdomains that you can use to create multiple links to multiple portals. For example, you could set up subdomains named "portal1" and "portal2" so that portal1.printshop.com goes to Portal #1 and portal2.printshop.com go to Portal #2.
If you have B2B customers with their own portals, you can set up subdomains with their customer name such as customername.printshop.com.
Step 3: Set Up a Subdomain
If you would like to use a subdomain, follow the steps below to set it up.
Please note that this will work for hosts that use "cPanel", if you do not see these options in your account, do a Google search that includes the name of your web host and "how to set up a subdomain".
1. Log into cPanel
2. In the Domains section, click the Subdomains icon.
3. Enter your subdomain (calendars) and select your domain (printshop.com). The document root should auto populate.
4. Click Create
Once you have decided on your URL, choose one of the methods below to connect the domain to your portal.
Method 1: Forward your domain
Redirecting your domain is an easy and free way to set a custom link for your portals. However, this does not mask the portal's real URL once the page has loaded. For example, if your URL is printshop.com, the user can enter that URL in their browser and the portal will load. Once the page has loaded however, the address of the page will still show as sitename.orderprintnow.com.
If you would like the URL masked the whole time the user is on the site, please see method 2.
To redirect your domain:
1. Go into your cPanel.
2. In the Domains section, click the Subdomains icon.
3. Under Modify a Subdomain, click the Manage Redirection link to the right of the subdomain you wish to redirect.
4. In the text box, paste the URL to the portal you would like users redirected to.
5. Click Save.
Please note that this will work for hosts that use "cPanel", if you do not see these options in your account, do a Google search that includes the name of your web host and "redirecting a domain".
Method 2: Re-Point Your Domain's DNS
Re-pointing the DNS of a domain is not free but it will mask the URL the entire time the user is on the portal. For example, if your URL is printshop.com, the user can enter that in their browser's address bar to get to the portal and that URL will continue to show in the address bar even after the page has loaded and as they navigate through the portal.
Pointing the DNS of a domain requires assistance from our DocketManager team so if you would like to use this method, please submit a ticket or email support@docketmanager.ca and we will provide you with pricing and more information.
If you have any questions regarding these methods or if you'd like to see blog posts on any other portal customizations, please email our support team at support@docketmanager.ca
