Custom domain

Put your site on your own domain

A Cardel address is all you need to get started. When you're ready for your site to live at a domain you already own, Cardel walks you through connecting it. You'll find the same steps at the end of Guided Mode and in Manage Workspaces.

Secure and verified from the start

Before Cardel shows your site on a domain, you prove you own it with a record only you can add. That stops anyone else from claiming your domain. Cardel then sets up HTTPS for you, and Check domain confirms your site comes up securely before you save, so visitors never hit a warning page. There's no certificate to buy or renew.

Once your domain is live, your old Cardel address forwards there automatically. Search engines see one address for your site instead of two, and links people shared before still work.

Blog: Why a Custom Domain Matters for Creators and Small Businesses

Step by step, no guesswork

First you add the ownership record, then the one that points your domain at Cardel. Each step shows its records in a table with a copy button on every field, and the names are written the way most DNS providers expect, so you're not retyping or second-guessing anything. If something's not right yet, Cardel tells you which check didn't pass.

Email on your domain, when you're ready

Email is optional, and it can wait. One step brings mail sent to your domain into your Messaging Center. The other lets you send from your own address instead of a Cardel one, which is also what turns on newsletters, workflows, and email replies. Cardel includes the recommended DMARC record too, and you can leave incoming mail with your current email provider if you'd rather.

If you'd like Google Search Console or Bing to verify your site, there's a spot for that on the same screen, but your site works fine without it.

Blog: How Custom-Domain Email Builds Trust With Your Audience

How it works

1. Choose your own domain in Guided Mode or Manage Workspaces.

2. Add the ownership record and check it.

3. Add the record that points your domain at Cardel, then click Check domain.

4. Save. Come back and add the email records whenever you want them.

A few things worth knowing

Using your own domain on a published site needs a paid plan. Until then, your site can stay on its Cardel address. You don't need email set up to save your domain, but sending from it waits until that step checks out. If a check fails and your records look right, give DNS a little more time and try again. If you ever switch back to a Cardel address, Cardel asks you to confirm first, because that removes your domain's email setup.