Connect a custom domain

Besides publishing your project to yoursite.webflow.io, you can also publish your project to any custom domain you own (yourdomain.com) once you add a site plan to your project.

In this lesson:

1. Add a custom domain
2. Update the DNS
3. Set the default URL
4. Verify the domain
5. Publish your site

Before you get started

Before you get started with this tutorial, make sure you:

• Add a site plan to your Webflow project
• Own the domain name you want to connect to your site or buy a domain from a provider of your choice
  
• Can update your DNS records
• Reset your DNS settings if you've previously hosted your domain elsewhere. This helps minimize and even eliminate issues or conflicts that might require troubleshooting DNS settings later

Add a custom domain

To add your custom domain(s) to your Webflow project, open to the Project settings of that specific project and go to the Hosting tab. In the Custom domain section, add your root domain (yourdomain.com) under Add existing domain. This will add both the root domain (yourdomain.com) and the full domain (www.yourdomain.com). 

Important
Your default domain should be set to www. If you want to connect only the full domain (www.yourdomain.com) or another subdomain to your Webflow project, check out the Connecting a subdomain tutorial. To redirect traffic to the root domain on SSL hosting, learn more about setting the root domain as the default domain.

Update the DNS

Access your domain's DNS settings in your domain registrar's or DNS host's dashboard.

Every DNS host has their own way of updating DNS settings. We recommend that you read the help documentation of your DNS host, also do not hesitate to contact their support for help with their interface and settings.

‍Check this list of registrars and links to their DNS setting documentation.

Add 2 A records

• Add an A record
• Set the host to @
• Use the value for the first A record from your Webflow hosting tab

Add another A record for host @ with the value of the second A record in your Webflow dashboard.

I can't set @ as host

Some DNS hosting services prefer that you set the root domain (yourdomain.com) as the host instead of @. We recommend that you check the "Adding an A record" documentation of your DNS host.

Add a CNAME record

• Add a CNAME record
• Set the host to www
• Use the value for the CNAME record from your Webflow hosting tab

Some DNS hosting services prefer that you set the full domain (www.yourdomain.com) as the host instead of www. We recommend that you check the "Adding a CNAME record" documentation of your DNS host.

Set the default URL

If you've connected more than one domain, you'll need to set a default domain to redirect all traffic from the other domains to this default one. This is super helpful to avoid SEO issues due to duplicate content. To do that, go back to the Custom domain section of your project’s Hosting settings and click make default next to the domain you want to set as the default domain.

Important
Your default domain should be set to www. To redirect traffic to the root domain on SSL hosting, learn more about setting the root domain as the default domain.

Verify the domain is pointing to Webflow

To verify that your DNS settings are correct, and that your domain is correctly pointing to Webflow, check the status of each domain name in your DNS settings.

DNS changes can take a few minutes to propagate — or even longer if it’s a new domain. If your site verification doesn’t work right away, you can come back later to check the status again. If you still run into any issues with your domain verification, reach out to your DNS provider to make sure the records are set correctly.

Publish your site to the custom domain

The final step is to publish your website. You should see your new custom domain in the publish dialog, make sure to select it before hitting publish.

Learn more about: Publishing your project

Troubleshoot issues

It may take up to 48 hours before changes are successfully made from your DNS host.

If your domain is not working correctly after 48 hours, troubleshoot your DNS settings or contact your domain provider’s help desk.

If your DNS settings are correct, but you’re still experiencing issues with your published site, contact us and we’ll help you resolve any issues.

Common questions

Can I connect more than one domain to my project?

You can add as many domains and subdomains as you want. This is a good way to redirect your old domains to the new subdomain. Just make sure to set a default domain to ensure that all domains connected to this project are redirected to that URL. This is necessary to avoid being penalized by Google for having duplicate content on the web.

Is my site published to all domains I connect to my project?

The entire project will be published to all domains and subdomains connected to that project. If you've set a default domain, the project will be published to that domain and all other domains will be redirected to the default URL.

Can I publish different pages to different subdomains?

It's not possible to publish specific pages to specific domains or subdomains. If you need to publish different pages to different subdomains, you'll need to set up separate projects for each page. Then, you'll add a separate site plan to each project and add the specific custom domain(s) or subdomain(s) to each project.

Is SSL enabled for my site?

SSL is enabled by default for projects created after 14 November 2018. If your project was created before that date, make sure to enable SSL under project settings > hosting > Advanced publishing options and save the changes.

Can I switch the SSL off?

You can switch SSL off, however note that sites that don't use SSL may be labeled "not secure" by some browsers, strongly discouraging people from visiting your site.

What happens if I disable SSL on an Ecommerce site?

If you disable SSL on sites using Ecommerce, checkout will be disabled and your online store will not function. The add to cart button as well as other Ecommerce elements will stop working as well.

IMPORTANT!
‍Each time you disable or enable SSL on a Webflow-hosted site, you'll need to update your DNS settings. After you update the SSL setting, follow the steps below to update the DNS and ensure that your site works correctly.

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