Buying WordPress domain and redirecting old links?
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I’m thinking about purchasing a domain through wordpress.com, but I’m wondering how it works with the redirecting… If I purchase the domain mydomain.com, will my old links automatically change? E.g. if an old blogpost link is “mydomain.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/wordpress”, will it go to “mydomain.com/2016/12/12/wordpress” once I’ve purchased the domain?
And what happens if I decide I don’t want to purchase the domain again after one year, will all the “mydomain.com/…” links automatically change back to “mydomain.wordpress.com/…” links or will they be unvalid?
I also read that your domain might cost a lot more if you “forget” to pay for it in time (if you want to keep on using it after one year). Is this true also if you purchase it through wordpress.com (through your own profile)? If I want to purchase the domain again after not owning it for, lets say, 6 months, is it then more expensive as well?
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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First, if you purchase a domain, you should not let it expire if you intend on using it. There is no guarantee that the domain will be available when you want to purchase it again and someone else can purchase it in the meantime.
If you purchase your domain as a part of an upgrade Plan (which you will need to do so in order to use it here) the annual renewal is automatic unless you cancel your purchase.
When you purchase a domain and map it to your WordPressdotcom website, your site visitors will see the domain name address mydomain.com. Any redirection of current WordPressdotcom URLs is automatic and seamless.
If you let your domain expire (which you shouldn’t if you are using it) your site URLs will revert to their underlying WordPressdotcom address. Should you decide later that you want your domain back, and it is still early enough to recover it, the registrar will impose a one-time redemption fee on top of the yearly domain fee.
Here is a Support doc that explains more about domains:
https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/PS I hope you don’t mind but I replaced the domain name you mentioned from your above post with a generic name to avoid problems. I apologize for any inconvenience.
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Thank you for your quick response.
Can’t you purchase a domain without purchasing an upgrade Plan? What is the option you find through: WP Admin -> Store -> My Domains -> choosing a domain which costs $18 /year? Is that option only for adding “additional domains”?
So to get a custom domain, the only thing I need to purchase is the Personal upgrade plan for $2.99/month?
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Hello again, I’m actually surprised that the link you mentioned in the WP Admin still works as the Store itself is rerouted to the Calypso dashboard Store, where only Plans are available. Regardless, it’s no longer possible to buy an individual upgrade like domains. If you want to connect a domain to a WPcom site you’ll need a Plan. A single domain is included with each Plan.
Each Plan is paid annually and a year in advance. There is a 30-day refund window on everything but domains, which is 48-hours after you use the domain credit included in the Plan to purchase a custom domain.
Hope that helps.
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WP Admin -> Store -> My Domains redirects to WordPress.com/domains/add. @vitchi is that the page where you saw the $18 cost?
That is the cost of adding an additional .com domain if you already have one, yes. You’re seeing that because you have already added a plan and a domain to your cart – you’ll see them if you go to the checkout page, here:
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@kokkieh – Thanks for the clarification.
Just mentioning that I don’t have anything in my cart and when I follow the path @vitchi gave (WP Admin>Store>My Domains>), the WP Admin Dash also gives me the option to buy a domain or map an existing domain. When clicking on one of those options, I’m rerouted to an individual purchase in Calypso’s domains screen, seemingly w/o any Plan.
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In your case it might be because your account is older – for the cases where we’ve replaced a WP-Admin page with a Calypso page the roll-out is gradual, with newer accounts seeing the change first, and it looks like that’s also the case here.
Your account also existed before the plans only switch, so even via Calypso you should still be able to buy a domain without a plan. I don’t if there’s a timeline on rolling plans-only out to all users.
I see your account is also a few years old. You might still be able to buy a domain without a plan if you go to the checkout page and completely remove all the upgrades currently in your cart.
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@kokkieh
Yes, Wp Admin -> Store -> My Domains, that’s where I saw the $18 cost for a domain. I removed everything from my chart, and I can still choose the option to buy a domain for $18 (as @justjennifer already mentioned).If I choose one of the suggested domain names and click next, the next page asks if I want to add a professional email to my chosen domain. If I click No thanks, next page asks me to fill out domain contact information. What happens when I fill that out and click “Continue to Checkout”? Will I then be rerouted to Calypso’s domains screen (as @justjennifer mentioned here above) and the domain registration will work through that page?
“You might still be able to buy a domain without a plan if you go to the checkout page and completely remove all the upgrades currently in your cart.” -> If I purchase a domain through Wp Admin -> Store -> My Domains, is it for sure that it is a main domain that I’m purchasing? Just want to make sure, so I’m not buying an additional domain instead of a main domain :)
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WP-Admin -> Store -> My Domains does not show any pricing options. If you click on My Domains there it takes you to https://wordpress.com/domains/add/qandvictoria.wordpress.com. That page is not in WP-Admin, but is the Calypso domains page. That is the only place where you can register a domain – that option hasn’t been in WP-Admin for over a year, not for anyone.
I can still choose the option to buy a domain for $18
In that case it’s because you also have an older account that’s still able to do it.
is it for sure that it is a main domain that I’m purchasing? Just want to make sure, so I’m not buying an additional domain instead of a main domain
The main domain on your site is whatever one you set as the primary domain. It doesn’t matter in which order you buy them. As you don’t have any domains on your site yet aside from the free address, any domain you buy will automatically be set as the primary domain, but you can also control this from My Site ->Domains.
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Thank you for response!
Can I still ask what happens once I click “Continue to Checkout” after I’ve filled out Domain Contact Information? Is it just to pay and then your page is ready to use the domain you’ve purchased? I’m mainly wondering how much work is it to get the new domain running after continuing to checkout and paying for your new domain.
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We do all the work to get the domain running behind the scenes. So as long as you fill out your contact info correctly, the moment you click the Pay Now button we register the domain in your name, and it’s working within a few hours. It should be automatically connected to your site and set as the primary domain.
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Hi again! I realized I have one more question :)
If I purchase the domain through WordPress.com (as we have discussed here above), will it only be available on WordPress.com? If I want to change page sometime in the future, am I able to “bring the domain with me”?
Thanks again!
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If you buy a domain from us, for as long as you keep renewing the domain it’s yours to do with what you please. So you can point it to any other hosting service provided it’s technically possible, you can transfer it away from us completely, you can sell it to someone else and transfer it, whatever you want :)
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