When you set up your custom domain on Magic Pages, you may notice that I recommend using the "www." subdomain. While this might seem like a minor detail, the "www." subdomain is an important piece of the puzzle that makes your website work, specifically with using our content delivery network powered by BunnyCDN. Let's break down why Magic Pages prefers the "www." subdomain and how it benefits your Ghost CMS site.
www vs. non-www
Whether you use "www" or not in your domain doesn't affect your site's accessibility or SEO. Both configurations work perfectly well, and search engines treat them equally.
However, the choice can impact certain technical aspects of your website's infrastructure, particularly when using a content delivery network (CDN) like BunnyCDN, which is integrated with Magic Pages.
The Benefits of Using "www."
The primary reason Magic Pages prefers the "www." subdomain is due to the flexibility it offers with DNS records. A CNAME (Canonical Name) record allows you to alias one domain name to another.
Most DNS providers support CNAME records for subdomains like "www," but not all of them support CNAMEs at the root level (e.g., example.com).
By setting up your website on "www.example.com," you can create a CNAME record that points to the Magic Pages server, which then handles a complex set of infrastructure. This setup ensures that your website can leverage the full power of BunnyCDN's global network for faster content delivery – without lifting a finger.
I still want to use my non-www domain
If you still want to you your non-www domain for your Ghost website on Magic Pages, you can do that, of course.
When setting up your domain, simply enter your domain name without the "www" prefix. You will see two DNS records that need to be added to your domain. A CNAME record for the root domain, and a CNAME record for the "www"-subdomain.
Note: since this setup relies on a CNAME record on your root domain, this will not work for all DNS providers, which is why Magic Pages recommends the "www"-setup. If you're determined to set up your website with your root domain, and your DNS provider does not support CNAME records on root domains, you might want to consider using an alternative DNS provider, such as Cloudflare DNS or Bunny.net DNS.
Magic Pages does not support root domain setups with A Records.