🔍 Overview
When setting up your Search Atlas whitelabel on a Webflow site, you may encounter errors such as "whitelabel error" or "domain is unreachable". These messages almost always point to a DNS misconfiguration. This guide walks you through the exact steps to configure your DNS records correctly in Webflow and get your whitelabel up and running.
⚠️ Common Causes of These Errors
- The required CNAME record has not been added to your Webflow domain settings.
- The CNAME record was added incorrectly (wrong host name or target value).
- DNS changes have not yet propagated (this can take up to 48 hours).
- The custom domain has not been verified or published inside Webflow.
🛠️ Step-by-Step: Configure DNS in Webflow
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Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to More Features → Agency Hub (Agency Hub / White Label settings). Copy the CNAME target value provided — you will need this in the next steps.
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Log in to your Webflow account and open the project you want to connect.
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Click the Site Settings icon (gear icon) for your project, then go to the Publishing tab.
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Under Custom Domains, ensure your custom domain is already added. If not, enter your domain and click Add.
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Webflow will display the DNS records you need to set up. You will need to add a CNAME record through your domain registrar (for example, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Google Domains) — Webflow does not manage DNS records directly unless you use Webflow's own hosting with a connected registrar.
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Go to your domain registrar's DNS management panel and add a new record with the following details:
- Type: CNAME
- Host / Name: The subdomain you are whitelabeling (for example, app or dashboard)
- Target / Value: The CNAME target copied from your Search Atlas whitelabel settings
- TTL: 3600 (or the default value your registrar recommends)
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Save the record in your registrar's DNS panel.
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Return to Webflow Site Settings → Publishing and click Publish to apply the latest settings.
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Back in Search Atlas, go to More Features → Agency Hub (Agency Hub / White Label settings) and click Verify Domain (or the equivalent button shown). If DNS has propagated, the domain status will update to active.
⏱️ Waiting for DNS Propagation
After adding or updating a DNS record, changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to propagate globally. During this window, you may still see the "domain is unreachable" error — this is normal. To check propagation status, use a free tool such as whatsmydns.net and search for your subdomain to see whether the CNAME record is resolving correctly worldwide.
✅ How to Confirm Everything Is Working
- Your CNAME record appears correctly in your registrar's DNS panel.
- A propagation checker confirms the subdomain resolves to the correct target.
- The domain status in Search Atlas Whitelabel settings shows as Active or Verified.
- Visiting your whitelabel URL in a browser loads the platform without any error messages.
🔧 Troubleshooting Tips
- Double-check for typos in both the host name and the CNAME target value — even a single extra character will cause an error.
- Remove any conflicting A records that point to the same subdomain, as these can override your CNAME.
- If you use Cloudflare as your DNS provider, make sure the CNAME record is set to DNS only (grey cloud), not proxied (orange cloud), during initial setup.
- Clear your browser cache or test in an incognito window to rule out locally cached errors.
- If you recently changed your DNS records, allow the full 48-hour propagation window before concluding there is an issue.
💬 Still Need Help?
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.