🗺️ Overview
When you publish a landing page in Website Studio and want it to appear on your own domain or subdomain, you need to point your DNS records to Search Atlas and allow an SSL certificate to be issued. This guide explains what you'll need to prepare and what to expect during the process.
🛠️ Before You Begin
Make sure you have the following ready before you start:
- Access to your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap).
- The landing page already created inside Website Studio (Left sidebar → Website Studio).
- Permission to edit DNS records for the domain you want to use.
📋 Step 1 — Retrieve Your DNS Values from Website Studio
- In the Search Atlas platform, open Website Studio from the left sidebar.
- Open the landing page you want to publish and locate the domain or publishing settings for that page.
- Note the DNS values (such as a CNAME target or IP address) that Search Atlas provides for your custom domain. You will need these in the next step.
⚙️ Step 2 — Add the DNS Record at Your Registrar
Log in to your DNS provider and create a new record using the values from Step 1:
- Record type: CNAME (recommended for subdomains such as landing.yourdomain.com) or A record (for a root domain).
- Host / Name: The subdomain prefix you want to use (e.g., landing, promo, or @ for the root).
- Value / Points to: The CNAME target or IP address copied from Website Studio.
- TTL: Set to Auto or 3600 (1 hour) to allow changes to propagate quickly.
Save the record. DNS propagation typically takes a few minutes up to 48 hours, though most providers update within 1–2 hours.
🔒 Step 3 — Connect Your Custom Domain and Enable SSL
Once DNS has propagated, return to Website Studio and open the same landing page. Enter your custom domain in the domain connection area of the page settings and save your changes. Search Atlas will verify that the DNS record points to the correct destination and then provision an SSL certificate. Allow some time after DNS propagation has completed for the SSL certificate to be issued.
🔍 Troubleshooting Common Issues
- SSL certificate not issuing: The most common cause is that DNS has not yet fully propagated. Wait 1–2 hours, then return to the domain settings for your landing page and attempt to verify or reconnect your domain.
- Domain shows an error or is unreachable: Double-check that the DNS record values match exactly what Website Studio provided. A typo in the CNAME target or IP address will prevent the domain from connecting correctly.
- Using Cloudflare: If your domain is proxied through Cloudflare (orange cloud), set the DNS record to DNS-only (grey cloud) while the SSL certificate is being provisioned. You can re-enable proxying afterward if needed.
📞 Need Help?
If you have followed these steps and are still experiencing issues connecting your domain or provisioning SSL, our support team can review your specific configuration. Please have the following ready when you reach out:
- Your landing page name or URL as it appears in Website Studio.
- The custom domain or subdomain you are trying to connect.
- The DNS record you have added at your registrar (record type, host, and value).
- Any error message displayed in the platform, along with the approximate time it appeared.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.