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Choose that goal first. Redirects change the address bar, a DNS connection makes the second domain the actual WordPress address, and an iframe or content-masking plugin can preserve the outer URL but leaves the external site technically separate. The differences affect paths, navigation, search indexing, SSL, scripts, cookies, and maintenance.
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What “domain masking” means in WordPress
People use domain masking for several incompatible setups. A domain can forward visitors to another URL, point at the same WordPress installation through DNS, or show another site inside a frame. These are not interchangeable.
| Goal | Method | What the visitor sees | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send an old or alternate address to a new one | Domain forwarding or a server redirect | The destination URL appears in the address bar | It is not URL masking; the browser follows the destination |
| Make a second domain the actual site address | Connect the domain through DNS and hosting | The connected domain remains visible as the WordPress address | Registrar, hosting, SSL, DNS, and permalink configuration must agree |
| Keep the outer WordPress permalink while showing another site | Iframe or content-masking plugin | The outer URL can remain visible | Framing, scripts, cookies, navigation, and authorization can fail |
| Place supported third-party material in a page | WordPress Embed block | Your page URL remains, while the material stays hosted elsewhere | Only providers and formats supported by the block work, and the content is not imported into WordPress |
For a rebrand, migration, or second domain that should be indexed as your site, use a connected domain or a proper redirect. Use a frame only for a presentation need when the external owner permits it and the framed site is designed to work there.
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Method 1: Forward a domain in WordPress.com
WordPress.com defines forwarding as a web-server function that automatically redirects visitors from one domain URL to another. This is the simplest choice when an alternate domain or subdomain should send people to an existing page.
Set up forwarding
- Open the WordPress.com Hosting Dashboard.
- Open Domains and select the domain or subdomain you want to send elsewhere.
- Choose Domain forwarding.
- Enter the complete target URL and save.
- If needed, open the advanced settings and choose either Temporary redirect (307) or Permanent redirect (301). Enable path forwarding when requests for individual paths must be carried to corresponding paths at the destination.
A 301 communicates that the move is permanent and can be cached for longer. A 307 communicates that the forwarding is temporary. Both are redirects, so the browser eventually displays the destination URL rather than retaining a masked frame.
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WordPress.com notes that forwarding changes can take a few hours to propagate across its servers and internet-service providers. During that window, different visitors can see different results. Test from more than one connection before assuming the setting failed.
When forwarding is the wrong tool
Forwarding does not make the alternate domain a second identity for the same WordPress installation. It also cannot preserve the old address in the browser. If the requirement is that the second domain become the public, canonical site address, connect it through DNS instead.
Method 2: Use a WordPress.com site redirect
WordPress.com’s site redirect is intended for leaving a .wordpress.com site address and sending traffic to another site. It carries visitors, including requests for existing permalinks, to the new location.
Use the site-redirect control provided for the WordPress.com site you are retiring, then enter the destination site. This option is distinct from domain forwarding: WordPress.com recommends domain forwarding for a custom domain or subdomain that needs to point somewhere else.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchSite redirects are unavailable on sites with plugins installed or with hosting features activated. If the control is missing, do not try to reproduce it with an iframe. Decide whether the site should remain on WordPress.com, whether the destination should become a connected domain, or whether a self-hosted redirect is appropriate.
Method 3: Connect the second domain through DNS
When the second domain should be the real WordPress address, connect it to the WordPress host rather than masking it with a frame. The domain’s DNS remains controlled at the registrar, while the WordPress host supplies the destination configuration. Once the connection is complete, the old .wordpress.com address redirects to the newly connected domain.
Prepare before changing DNS
- List the existing DNS records and back them up.
- Pay particular attention to mail records. Replacing or deleting them can interrupt email even when the website itself works.
- Confirm which domain the host expects and how it will issue the public SSL certificate.
- Decide whether the old address should redirect permanently or whether you need it temporarily during a transition.
Connect and verify the domain
- Start the domain-connection process in your WordPress hosting dashboard.
- At the registrar, apply the DNS records specified by that host. Do not invent record values; use the values supplied for your account and domain.
- Wait for DNS changes to propagate, then confirm that the connected domain loads the WordPress homepage.
- Check several existing permalinks, not just the homepage.
- Restore or verify mail and other service records from your backup.
WordPress.com’s A-record guidance emphasizes that DNS stays under registrar control. The exact records vary by service, so copying values from an unrelated installation can point traffic to the wrong server.
Make permalinks work
Pretty and Almost Pretty permalink structures depend on server configuration. WordPress’s permalink documentation says the hosting provider should configure the web server for the chosen structure. If the homepage works but deep links return errors, ask the host to verify that configuration before changing every post URL.
Method 4: Create a redirect on a self-hosted WordPress site
On a self-hosted installation, WordPress provides the wp_redirect() function for code-level redirects. Its signature is wp_redirect( $location, $status = 302, $x_redirect_by = 'WordPress' ). The default status is 302, which is temporary.
Use the correct status and stop execution
Choose 301 only when the move is intended to be permanent. WordPress documents that wp_redirect() does not exit automatically and should almost always be followed by exit;. A minimal pattern is:
if ( wp_redirect( $url, 301 ) ) {
exit;
}Place redirect logic where it runs for the intended requests, and test the condition before enabling it for every page. A rule that redirects the destination back to the source creates a loop. A rule that catches login, administration, or asset requests can make the site unusable.
Test a code redirect safely
- Test with a temporary 302 while confirming the condition and destination.
- Check the homepage and multiple deep paths.
- Check login and administration URLs separately so you do not lock yourself out.
- Change to 301 only after the destination and conditions are correct.
- Clear relevant caches and test again from a private browser window.
Method 5: Keep the outer URL with an iframe or content-masking plugin
An iframe can display an external URL inside a WordPress page while the outer WordPress permalink remains in the address bar. This is the closest match to what many readers mean by “masking,” but it does not turn the external site into WordPress content.
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Content Mask plugin modes
The WordPress.org Content Mask plugin describes three modes:
- Iframe: places the host URL in a full-width, full-height iframe.
- Download: fetches and caches external content for display.
- Redirect (301): sends the visitor to the host URL, so the address bar changes.
The plugin listing says the page permalink remains integrated into the WordPress site. It also gives an essential authorization warning: “Do NOT use Content Mask on any content you aren’t explicitly authorized to share or use.” Permission to link to a site is not automatically permission to frame, fetch, cache, or redistribute its content.
Why an iframe can fail
- The external server can block framing, leaving a blank area or browser error.
- Scripts and styles can assume they are running at the external origin and break inside the frame.
- Cookies, logins, payment flows, and other cross-origin features may not work as they do on the source site.
- Links can navigate the outer window or escape the frame, so the visitor may leave your permalink unexpectedly.
- A framed page represents one destination; it is not the same as forwarding every corresponding path on your domain.
Use this approach only when the owner permits the arrangement and the destination has been tested in a frame on desktop and mobile.
Use the native Embed block when it fits
Since WordPress 5.0, the block editor can embed supported third-party content by pasting its URL into an Embed block. The content remains hosted externally. This is preferable to a full-page masking plugin when you need one authorized video, post, or other supported item inside an otherwise native WordPress page. It does not create a second domain identity and does not import the external site into your media library or database.
Address bars, paths, SEO, and navigation
The visible URL is the clearest dividing line. A redirect changes it; an iframe can retain the outer URL; a DNS connection serves WordPress directly from the connected domain.
Path behavior
WordPress.com forwarding offers optional path forwarding, which can carry requests beyond the root domain. A simple iframe usually frames one configured destination, so a visitor opening a different outer path may not receive the corresponding path at the external site. A connected domain uses WordPress’s own permalink system, provided the server is configured correctly.
Canonical and indexing intent
If the alternate domain is supposed to be the indexed, canonical site, connect it properly or use a redirect that expresses the move. Treat iframe masking as presentation, not as a canonical migration. Search engines and visitors can encounter the outer page URL while the meaningful content, metadata, scripts, and links remain on another origin.
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Navigation and application behavior
Redirected visitors interact directly with the destination. Connected-domain visitors interact with the WordPress installation under its configured host name. Framed or downloaded content introduces another origin and therefore another set of assumptions about scripts, cookies, security headers, and navigation. Choose the method that matches the application, not just the desired text in the address bar.
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SSL problems often appear when HTTPS terminates at a reverse proxy while the origin server believes the request is still HTTP. WordPress’s HTTPS administration guidance warns that this mismatch can create an infinite redirect loop.
Prevent the loop
- Ensure the proxy forwards the correct public host and protocol information.
- Configure the origin to understand that the public request arrived through HTTPS.
- Use a certificate that covers the public domain visitors enter.
- Check both the HTTP and HTTPS versions after every proxy or DNS change.
Do not “fix” a loop by stacking additional redirects at random layers. First identify whether the registrar, proxy, web server, or WordPress code is issuing each response.
Pre-launch testing checklist
Test the complete visitor journey before announcing a masked or connected domain.
- Open the homepage on the intended HTTP and HTTPS addresses.
- Open several deep paths, including a post, page, category, or game guide URL.
- Observe the final address bar and confirm that it matches the chosen method.
- Inspect canonical links and confirm they point to the intended public domain.
- Verify images, stylesheets, scripts, fonts, and other assets.
- Test the layout on a phone as well as a desktop browser.
- Test login and administration URLs separately from public pages.
- For an iframe, test scrolling, links, forms, cookies, and any sign-in flow inside the frame.
- Confirm that mail records and other DNS services still work.
- Repeat the checks after propagation time has passed and caches have been cleared.
Troubleshooting common failures
| Symptom | Likely explanation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| The address bar changes to another domain | A redirect is being used | Use a DNS connection for a true second-domain site, or an authorized iframe when retaining the outer URL is essential |
| The frame is blank or refused | The external server blocks framing or the URL cannot run in an iframe | Ask the owner for an approved embed method or use a normal link/redirect |
| The homepage works but deep paths fail | Path forwarding is not enabled, the frame points to one fixed URL, or permalink server rules are wrong | Enable path forwarding where supported, map the intended paths, or ask the host to configure Pretty or Almost Pretty permalinks |
| Visitors bounce between HTTP and HTTPS | Proxy and origin protocol settings disagree | Correct forwarded host/protocol information and verify certificates before adding more redirects |
| Email stopped after the domain change | Existing mail DNS records were overwritten | Restore the backed-up mail records and verify them with the mail provider |
| A WordPress.com site-redirect control is unavailable | The site has plugins installed or hosting features activated | Use the supported domain-forwarding, DNS-connection, or self-hosted approach for the actual setup |
Choose the method by scenario
You are retiring an old domain
Use a permanent 301 forwarding rule or a self-hosted 301 after confirming every important path. The old address will not remain visible, but visitors and search engines receive a clear relocation signal.
You want a second domain to be your public WordPress address
Connect the domain through DNS and hosting. Preserve mail records, arrange SSL for the public name, and verify permalink handling on the host.
You need a campaign or partner page to stay under an existing permalink
Use an iframe or an authorized content-masking plugin only if the external owner allows framing or retrieval and the destination works in that environment. Expect to troubleshoot scripts, cookies, and navigation.
You need one external item inside a normal article
Use the block editor’s Embed block for a supported provider. The item remains externally hosted, while the surrounding page stays native WordPress content.
The practical answer is therefore a decision, not a setting: redirect for a move, DNS for a real domain connection, and masking frames only for authorized presentation of external content.
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