Serving your blog at /blog

Choose Domain → yourdomain.com/blog to keep your blog under your main website’s address. Rankbench’s guided automatic setup uses Cloudflare. Your main website stays with its current host; only the chosen blog path is sent to Rankbench.

For blog.yourdomain.com, you can keep any DNS provider. That option needs the CNAME and TXT records shown in using your own domain, and does not require moving nameservers to Cloudflare.

Why Cloudflare?

Cloudflare gives us an authorized way to install the blog connection for you and route it through its global network. Once your domain is active in Cloudflare, you approve access and Rankbench installs and checks the connection. You do not have to edit or deploy code.

The nameserver preparation itself is not one click. If you are not already using Cloudflare DNS, complete the steps below first. We recommend this route for its guided setup and delivery infrastructure; moving nameservers alone is not a guarantee of a faster website or better search rankings.

Before you connect

1. Add your domain to Cloudflare. Review the imported records against your current DNS provider, including website records, MX records and email verification records such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
2. Follow Cloudflare’s nameserver setup instructions, including the DNSSEC instructions. Change the nameservers at your domain registrar to the two assigned by Cloudflare.
3. Wait for Cloudflare to show the domain as Active. Keep your current website and email records in place. You are moving DNS management, not transferring your domain registration or website hosting.
4. Return to Domain and choose Check Cloudflare status. Nameserver changes can take time to become visible.

Some website providers do not support Cloudflare proxying. If Rankbench identifies an unsupported platform, use a subdomain instead. Do not move nameservers just to work around that message. For an unrecognized host, confirm that it permits Cloudflare proxying before proceeding.

Connect the blog

1. Choose your address and path in Rankbench. Use a path that is not already serving content you need to keep.
2. Select Connect Cloudflare. Rankbench saves the address and takes you directly to authorization for the account containing your domain.
3. Rankbench installs the connection and checks the address. If Cloudflare's proxy is not on for your domain yet, the setup turns it on and sets SSL/TLS to Full, so your website keeps working through Cloudflare. If the proxy was already on, your SSL/TLS setting is left exactly as it is. Review the authorization screen before proceeding.
4. The result tells you whether the blog is serving or which step needs attention. Use Check now after resolving an issue; do not disconnect a working address just to retry a check.

Your existing website’s other paths continue to go to its host, but the hostname now passes through Cloudflare. Check your main website and email after the DNS change as well as the blog. Your Rankbench address remains available during setup.

What about Vercel, Netlify and other hosts?

Some providers technically support external proxies or rewrites. That is different from having an integrated automatic connection in Rankbench. We currently offer Cloudflare for guided /blog setup, rather than promising one-click support and then asking you to deploy configuration files.

Existing manually configured addresses are retained and can still be checked. A subdomain remains the provider-independent option for new connections. Neither address format guarantees an SEO advantage.

After connection

An active custom domain becomes the main blog address. The screen shows whether it is primary and offers Make this the main address when needed. Canonical links, the sitemap and feeds use the main address, and the Rankbench address redirects there.

Changing the path later changes your public URLs. Plan redirects before moving an existing publication. Your website’s own redirects and caching rules can also affect the blog; if something changes after a website deployment, check those rules first.