🧩 What This Article Covers
When connecting a custom domain in Website Studio, the DNS verification step may pass successfully — but the SSL certificate generation then fails repeatedly. This article explains why that happens and how to fix it so your domain loads securely over HTTPS.
⚠️ What Causes This Issue
SSL provisioning failure after a successful DNS check is almost always caused by an incorrectly configured DNS record — specifically an A record or AAAA record that is pointing to the wrong address. Even though the basic DNS lookup resolves, the SSL certificate authority cannot complete verification when the underlying record is misconfigured.
Common signs you are experiencing this issue:
- The DNS check in Website Studio shows a passing status.
- The SSL certificate status shows generating for an extended period, then fails.
- The failure repeats every time you attempt to re-provision the certificate.
- Your custom domain does not load over HTTPS after publishing.
🛠️ How to Fix It
- Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider (for example, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, or wherever your domain's DNS is managed).
- Locate your DNS records for the custom subdomain or root domain you are connecting to Website Studio.
- Check your A record and AAAA record values carefully. An A record must point to a valid IPv4 address, and an AAAA record must point to a valid IPv6 address. A common cause of SSL failure is an AAAA record set to an incorrect or placeholder value, or an A record pointing to the wrong IP address.
- Correct any misconfigured records. If you are unsure what IP address values to use, refer to the DNS setup instructions shown inside Website Studio when you added the custom domain, or contact your DNS provider for guidance on the correct values.
- Save your changes in your DNS provider's dashboard and allow time for propagation — this can take anywhere from a few minutes to up to 48 hours depending on your provider and TTL settings.
- Return to Website Studio and attempt to connect or re-provision the custom domain again once DNS propagation is complete.
✅ How to Confirm the Fix Worked
After updating your DNS records and re-attempting provisioning in Website Studio, the SSL certificate status should move from generating to a confirmed active or connected state. You can verify the fix by opening your custom domain in a browser and confirming that a padlock icon appears in the address bar, indicating a secure HTTPS connection is active.
💡 Tips to Avoid This Issue in the Future
- Double-check every DNS record value before attempting to connect a custom domain — pay close attention to A records and AAAA records.
- If you have an AAAA record configured but your hosting does not use IPv6, consider removing the AAAA record entirely rather than leaving it set to an incorrect value.
- Use a free DNS lookup tool (such as MXToolbox or Google Admin Toolbox) to verify what your records resolve to before re-attempting SSL provisioning.
- Allow full DNS propagation before retrying — attempting to provision the certificate too early can cause repeated failures even after a correct DNS change.
💬 Still Need Help?
If you have corrected your DNS records and SSL provisioning is still failing, our team can investigate further. 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.