How to Set up WP E-Signature on a SubDomain WordPress Install

One of the beautiful benefits of WP E-Signature is that it allows YOU, a site owner, to host a legally binding/court recognized document signing application from your website. Clients sign documents on your website! 🙂

There are many benefits to setting up/installing WPESignature on an install that is separate from your main website.

1. Faster document signing experience

With WPESignature installed on a dedicated WordPress install, you actually get two speed benefits. The document signing process will most certainly faster since this dedicated WordPress install will not have to load unnecessary plugins or themes that are unrelated to the document signing process. This dedicated site will also not have to share bandwidth or visitor traffic with the main marketing website, which also results in a slight boost of performance.

2. No third-party plugin or theme conflicts

Since you will only be installing the eSignature related plugins on your dedicated signing WordPress install, you can rest assured there will be little to no third-party plugin or theme conflicts. Your website visitor will still interact with your main website per usual but when they click a button or link on your main site, you can easily link it to the documents located on the separate install.

3. A database that is 100% dedicated to document signing

With WPESignature installed on it’s very own WordPress install, your entire database will be dedicated to document signing related tables/data sets. Usually when you install and activate other plugins, they create their own tables and data sets in your database which can eventually result in a very large and moderately bloated database. By having a dedicated database, you can rest assured that your document signing dedicated site will be running on all cylinders.

4. Use a non-Wordpress website for your main site 😊 

If you wanted to use Wix, Shopify, Squarespace or any of the others out there as your main website, you absolutely still can. You would just need to sign up for a very cheap hosting plan (SiteGround and GoDaddy offer plans starting at $5 / mo), work with their team to setup/route a sub domain (i.e. esign.yourdomain.com) to a fresh WordPress install,  and then install our plugin files there.

Where will my separate install live?

1. My main site is already a WordPress website.
If your main site is already running WordPress, you can contact your hosting company and tell them you would like to install a second WordPress install in a folder of your main site.

So if your domain is dogwalking.com, you could ask your host to create a folder called “esign” in the main site and to install an additional WordPress install in the folder “dogwalking.com/esign”. Now you would simply go to dogwalking.com/esign/wp-admin to login and install all of the necessary esignature related plugins.

2. I am using a non-wordpress website as my main site.
Basically, a sub domain is a word that lives in front of your main domain and is separated by a period, such as esign.yourdomain.com.

If you are using a non-wordpress platform for your main site, you will likely want to setup a sub-domain. To setup a sub-domain, you will need to first go to your domain registrar (this is the place you went to to purchase your domain name i.e. godaddy.com, namecheap, enom, etc). You can search their support articles about “How to Setup a Sub Domain” or give them a call. In most cases you can set one up in 5 minutes or less.

Once you have created a sub domain, you will need to purchase a cheap WordPress hosting plan. As we mentioned already SiteGround.com and GoDaddy.com offer plans starting at $5 / mo. You will then need to get the ip address of your new hosting plan (they make this easily available once you purchase a plan), then go over to your domain registrar where you just setup your new sub-domain and insert the ip address over there. You will then need to have your new hosting company add your subdomain (not your main site) as the url for your WordPress installation. And voila! You now have a working WordPress install on a sub domain.