New Website, New Domain and Company Name

[Jrubongoya]

Hello, We're getting ready to launch a new Wordpress website with a new domain and I want to make sure I'm prepared for the switch. We currently only use Wordpress landing pages (with embedded Marketo forms). Any guidance on what I need to do to prepare? 

[rdeacon-r2i · Accepted solution]

For the domain you will want to make sure you have your DNS set up properly with the A name pointed to the IP, CNAME for the www pointing to the @value and of course any CNAME you are going to use for Marketo like info or go.  I would also set up a SPF/DKIM for the new domain.  As for the Marketo landing pages since you are just switching to a new domain the Marketo instance should be set up and fully functional but needs some adjustments

1. Create the new landing page CNAME for the domain in the admin as your primary CNAME domain
2. Check to make sure in the admin you have set up an domain alias for your original domain.  This way it will still resolve while the DNS propagates.
3. Test your pre-launch site with the CNAME to make sure you are tracking form fills.  If the CNAME is set up in the DNS you can preview the page in Wordpress and then submit the form to check the results.

Here are a few links that will help:

• https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/marketo/using/getting-started-with-marketo/setup/setup-steps...
• https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/marketo/using/product-docs/demand-generation/landing-pages/p...
• https://docs.marketo.com/display/public/DOCS/Set+up+SPF+and+DKIM+for+your+Email+Deliverability

[SanfordWhiteman · Accepted solution]

@rdeacon-r2i covered it well, although one addendum is you shouldn’t update your SPF record if you’re using a shared Marketo instance. (SPF only matters if you have a branded envelope sender, which isn’t included in standard shared subscriptions, and altering your SPF record unnecessarily can easily break it.)

Also important — and you should already be doing this on your current site, but I don’t think you are — is you must load your form embeds from one of your LP domains. That is, not from //app-sj20.marketo.com as you currently are, but from //pages.example.com. Otherwise, the form will be blocked by common tracking protection features and add-ons.

[Jrubongoya]

Thank you @SanfordWhiteman ! Follow up - do I need to wait until our new domain/website is launched to change the CNAME? The landing page settings has our current domain, homepage, and fallback page. I don't want to change that while we're still using our current site, right?

[SanfordWhiteman]

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Follow up - do I need to wait until our new domain/website is launched to change the CNAME? The landing page settings has our current domain, homepage, and fallback page. I don't want to change that while we're still using our current site, right?

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Yes, you have to get the timing right. Make sure all relevant pages are available and the new alias (CNAME record) has been created in DNS. Then set that alias to be the new Marketo Primary LP domain, and set the old LP domain as a Marketo Domain Alias (for backward compatibility).