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How to connect your own domain step by step

· 2 min read

Connecting your own domain to your website takes about ten minutes of work and a short wait while the internet picks up the change. This guide walks through each step in plain words.

What a domain gives you

A domain is the address people type, such as yourname.com. Your site already works on a free address under MySexyApp, but an own domain is easier to remember, looks more professional and stays yours even if you move the site later.

Step 1. Choose and buy the domain

Buy the domain from any registrar you trust. Short names without hyphens are easiest to share. Check that the registrar lets you edit DNS records, which almost all of them do.

Step 2. Switch to the Own domain package

In your cabinet open the site, go to the Domain section and choose the Own domain package if you have not done so yet.

Step 3. Enter the domain

Type the domain exactly as you bought it, without www. The cabinet then shows the DNS records to add at your registrar.

Step 4. Add the DNS records

  • A TXT record that proves the domain is yours. Copy the name and the value exactly as shown.
  • An A record (on some servers also an AAAA record) that points the domain itself to our servers.
  • A CNAME record for www, so that www.yourname.com works too.

Save the records at your registrar. Remove any older A or CNAME records for the same names, otherwise visitors may land on the registrar's parking page.

Step 5. Check

Back in the cabinet press Check. Most registrars publish changes within minutes, some take a few hours. When the check passes, the domain becomes active and a secure certificate is issued automatically, so your site opens with https.

If the check does not pass

  • Wait a little and try again; DNS changes are not instant everywhere
  • Compare the TXT value character by character, a missing letter is the most common mistake
  • Make sure no old A or CNAME records are left for the same names
  • Ask your registrar's support whether the records are published

After connecting

Your free address keeps working, so old links do not break. We check the records regularly. If they are removed by mistake, you get a few days to restore them before the domain is switched off.

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