--- title: "Connect a custom domain to your website" url: "https://mycommunitysync.com/connect-a-custom-domain" community: "CommunitySync" description: "Point your own domain at your member portal or website — you add it in the Domains page, the domain owner adds one DNS record, and certificates are handled automatically." updated: "2026-07-18T18:45:00.616+00:00" --- # Connect a custom domain to your website *Website Publishing* Your community is always reachable at its built-in address, so a custom domain is entirely optional. When you're ready to use your own branded web address, you add the hostname on the Domains page — CommunitySync then takes care of the security certificate and sign-in email configuration automatically, and shows you a live connection status. The only thing left is one DNS record on the domain itself, added by whoever owns it. ## Before you start Every community has two built-in addresses that always work: your member portal at `.mycommunitysync.com`, and (if you've published a website) your public site at the "-site" host. A custom domain is a friendlier name that points at one of those two services. Nothing breaks if you never add one. You'll need to know who manages DNS for the domain — that's where the one required record gets added. If that's not you, the Domains page gives you the exact record to forward to them. ## Add a custom domain 1. In the orange platform panel, open your community's **Domains** page. 2. Under **Add a custom domain**, type the hostname you want to use — for example `app.yourbrand.com`. If you paste a full web address, the `https://` and any trailing path are stripped automatically; only the hostname is kept. 3. Choose the **Type**: - **App** points the domain at your member portal (sign-in and the member app). - **Website** points the domain at your public website. 4. Click **Add**. For App domains, that click also registers the domain for a security certificate and allowlists it for sign-in emails (invites and password resets) — there is nothing else to configure inside CommunitySync. ![The community Domains page](https://iaktsmonietvbikzietg.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/site-assets/kb/b2-domains.png "The Domains page: the built-in subdomain, plus a form to add a custom Website or App domain.") ## The one DNS record After you add an App domain, a **Partner DNS setup** card appears above the list showing the single record the domain owner needs to add — a CNAME pointing your chosen hostname at CommunitySync, with a copy button for the exact value. Two things matter when adding it: - **It's one record, and only one.** Email, an existing website, and every other DNS record on the domain stay untouched. - **Keep the trailing dot** at the end of the value if the DNS panel accepts it. Some panels otherwise quietly append your own domain to the value, which breaks the connection — it's the single most common setup mistake. DNS changes can take up to an hour to take effect worldwide. ## Watching the status Each App domain in the list carries a status chip: - **Pending DNS** — CommunitySync is ready; it's waiting for the DNS record to go live. This flips to Connected by itself — use the refresh button next to the row to re-check. - **Connected** — the domain is live, certificate and all. Open it and you should see your branded portal. - **Provision** — the automatic setup hit a snag when the domain was added; click the chip to retry. It's always safe to retry. - **Manual setup** — automatic provisioning isn't available in this environment; your platform contact will complete the connection for you. Removing a domain from the list also removes its certificate and sign-in configuration — the domain owner's DNS is never touched. ## Website or App — picking the right type The **Type** decides which service the domain lands on: - Choose **App** when you want the domain to open your members' sign-in and portal experience. - Choose **Website** when you want the domain to show your public, marketing-facing website. Website domains are currently completed together with your platform contact — reach out after adding one. If a domain opens the sign-in screen when you expected the marketing site (or the reverse), the type is almost always the reason: remove it and re-add it with the correct Type. ## Troubleshooting ### The status has said "Pending DNS" for a long time The DNS record probably isn't live yet, or was mangled by the DNS panel. Ask whoever added it to double-check the value ends with a trailing dot — panels that strip it silently append your own domain and break the chain. A DNS checker (like dnschecker.org) pointed at your hostname will show what the world currently sees. Meanwhile your built-in address keeps working. ### It works for me but not for a colleague Their computer or office network cached an earlier "this domain doesn't exist" answer from before the record went live. It clears itself within the hour — or they can restart their browser, or test on a phone using mobile data. ### Sign-in works, but invite or password-reset emails point somewhere odd Tell your platform contact — the sign-in email configuration for the domain needs a look. Members can keep signing in normally in the meantime. ### The domain opens the wrong thing Check the **Type** on the Domains page — App opens the member portal, Website opens the public site. Remove and re-add with the correct type if needed. ### Website Publishing - [Get your website into Google — Search Console and your sitemap](https://mycommunitysync.com/get-into-google-search-console.md) - [See what Google sees — your page's structured data](https://mycommunitysync.com/see-what-google-sees.md) - [Connect your social profiles to your website — for search engines](https://mycommunitysync.com/social-profiles-search-engines-connect.md) - [Why your site isn't in Google yet — and what actually moves it](https://mycommunitysync.com/why-your-site-is-not-in-google-yet.md) - [Optimize a page for search (SEO title, description, social image)](https://mycommunitysync.com/website-seo-basics.md) - [Set up redirects for moved or renamed pages](https://mycommunitysync.com/set-up-website-redirects.md) - [Set your website's favicon (browser-tab icon)](https://mycommunitysync.com/set-a-favicon.md) - [Delete and restore your website](https://mycommunitysync.com/delete-and-restore-website.md) - [Take your website live (and how fast changes appear)](https://mycommunitysync.com/take-your-website-live.md) - [What is schema markup — and what your site adds automatically](https://mycommunitysync.com/what-is-schema-markup.md) - [Where FAQ schema works today — and where it doesn't](https://mycommunitysync.com/faq-schema-where-it-works.md)