Overview
Website Studio lets you design and publish fully functional websites. Once your site is live, you may want to connect a Content Management System (CMS) so you can manage blog posts, landing pages, or other dynamic content without touching the builder.
Common CMS Integration Approaches
Depending on your goals, there are two main patterns for connecting a CMS to a published Website Studio site:
- Subdomain approach (most common): Your Website Studio site stays at your root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) and your CMS is served from a subdomain such as blog.yourdomain.com. This is the most straightforward option and requires adding a CNAME or A record in your domain registrar (e.g., Namecheap) pointing the subdomain to your CMS platform's servers.
- Root domain / path-based approach: Some headless CMS platforms (e.g., Contentful, Sanity) can serve content through an API that your Website Studio site fetches dynamically. In this case no subdomain redirect is needed — you connect the CMS via API credentials and embed content directly into your site pages.
Step-by-Step: Adding a CMS on a Subdomain (e.g., WordPress at blog.yourdomain.com)
- Log in to your domain registrar (e.g., Namecheap) and open the Advanced DNS settings for your domain.
- Add a new CNAME record: set the Host to your desired subdomain (e.g., blog) and the Value to the hostname provided by your CMS host (e.g., your WordPress hosting provider).
- Save the record. DNS propagation typically takes a few minutes up to 48 hours.
- In your CMS platform's settings, configure the custom domain to match the subdomain you just created (e.g., blog.yourdomain.com).
- Enable SSL for the subdomain through your CMS host or a service like Cloudflare to ensure the subdomain loads over HTTPS.
- Verify the subdomain resolves correctly by visiting it in a browser. Your root Website Studio site should remain unaffected.
Step-by-Step: Connecting a Headless CMS via API
- Create your content models and entries in your headless CMS (e.g., Contentful, Sanity, Prismic).
- Copy the API key and Space/Project ID from your CMS platform's API settings.
- In Website Studio, use a custom code block or integration field to add your API fetch logic, referencing the endpoint and credentials from your CMS.
- Test that dynamic content (e.g., blog posts) loads correctly on your published pages.
- Republish your Website Studio site to apply the changes.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Subdomain not resolving: Double-check the CNAME value matches exactly what your CMS host requires. Confirm DNS propagation is complete using a tool like whatsmydns.net.
- SSL errors on subdomain: Ensure SSL is provisioned for the new subdomain separately — the SSL certificate on your root domain does not automatically extend to subdomains.
- Root domain site broken after DNS change: Only modify DNS records for the specific subdomain. Do not alter the A record or CNAME record for your root domain or www unless specifically instructed.
- API content not loading: Verify your API key is active and that the CMS endpoint URL is correct. Check that your Website Studio page has been republished after adding the integration code.
What to Have Ready If You Need Support
If you have followed the steps above and are still experiencing issues, please have the following ready when you reach out:
- Your Website Studio site URL — the live address where your site is currently published.
- Your domain registrar — for example, Namecheap or another provider.
- The CMS you want to connect — for example, WordPress, Contentful, Sanity, or another platform.
- Your preferred integration point — whether you want the CMS at your root domain or a subdomain (e.g., blog.yourdomain.com).
- Any error messages or issues you have already encountered — exact wording helps speed up diagnosis.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.