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🌐 Connecting a Website Studio Site to a Custom Domain (No Plugin Needed)

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Camilo Aponte

Camilo Aponte

Last updated on Sep 30, 2026

You can connect your own custom domain to a Website Studio site directly inside Website Studio — no plugin, add-on, or third-party tool required. This guide shows you how to publish your site, connect your domain, add the CNAME record, and activate SSL for secure HTTPS access. The steps work the same across most domain providers, including Hostinger, GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Cloudflare.

💡 Do I Need a Plugin to Connect a Custom Domain?

No. Connecting through Website Studio → Custom Domains is the built-in method. You point your domain to Website Studio with a single CNAME record in your domain provider's DNS settings, and Website Studio handles the SSL certificate for you. There is nothing extra to install.

🚀 Step 1 — Confirm Your Website Is Published

Before connecting a domain, your Website Studio project must be published. Inside Website Studio, confirm the project shows a public URL.

  • Example URL: https://yourproject.searchatlas.app

Open this link in a browser. If your website loads live, you're ready to connect your custom domain.

🔗 Step 2 — Open Custom Domain Settings in Website Studio

From the Website Studio dashboard, complete these steps in order:

  1. Open your project.
  2. Click Custom Domains.
  3. Click Connect Domain.
  4. Select Existing Domain.
  5. Enter your domain name (example: yourdomain.com).
  6. Click Continue.

Website Studio then generates the DNS configuration you need for the next step. It displays a CNAME record with a target URL (for example, abc123xyz.preview.builder.searchatlas.com). Copy this target value exactly — you'll paste it into your domain provider's DNS settings in Step 3.

⚙️ Step 3 — Add the CNAME Record in Your DNS Settings

A CNAME record points your domain to another address. Add the CNAME record Website Studio generated inside your domain provider's DNS management panel.

You can find the CNAME target value in Website Studio on the Custom Domains screen after you click Continue in Step 2. It is shown as the Target (or Points to) value, typically a URL ending in .searchatlas.app or .preview.builder.searchatlas.com. Copy it exactly.

Typical location in your domain provider: Domain Dashboard → DNS Settings → DNS Records.

To add the record:

  1. Open your domain provider's DNS management panel.
  2. Click to add a new DNS record and choose CNAME as the type.
  3. In the Name field, enter @ for the root domain.
  4. In the Target (or Value / Points to) field, paste the Website Studio target value exactly.
  5. Save the record.

DNS configuration example

  • Type: CNAME
  • Name: @ (the root domain, for example yourdomain.com)
  • Target: yourproject.searchatlas.app (the Website Studio URL generated by the platform)

The @ symbol represents the root domain (example: example.com).

🌐 Configuring www Subdomains in Website Studio

If you want your site to work with www (for example, www.yourdomain.com), add a separate CNAME record for the www subdomain in your domain provider. Point it to the same Website Studio target value you used for the root domain. If www still shows SSL errors after adding the CNAME record, contact support — the subdomain may require a separate backend registration step.

⚠️ Important DNS Notes Before You Connect

Some hosting dashboards already contain records that can conflict with the Website Studio configuration, such as existing A records or default CNAME records. Remove these so your domain resolves correctly.

If you are unsure about removing a record, contact your domain provider's support team before making changes.

⏳ Step 4 — Wait for DNS Propagation

After you add the CNAME record, the change needs to propagate across the internet.

  • This can take a few minutes.
  • It can take up to 24–48 hours, depending on your provider.
  • Some providers, such as Hostinger, update DNS within minutes.

🔒 Step 5 — Generate the SSL Certificate

Once the CNAME record is added, return to Website Studio and click I have added the DNS records. Website Studio generates an SSL certificate so your site loads securely over HTTPS.

  • Secure URL example: https://yourdomain.com

SSL generation usually takes a few minutes, and up to about 1 hour depending on the system queue. When it finishes, your site loads securely at your custom domain.

🛠️ Troubleshooting: "Your Connection Is Not Private"

This message usually appears while:

  • DNS propagation is still in progress, or
  • The SSL certificate has not finished generating.

Wait a few minutes, then refresh the page. Once propagation and SSL generation finish, your site loads securely at your custom domain over HTTPS.

🛠️ Troubleshooting: Connection Fails Despite a Correct CNAME

If the connection fails even though your CNAME record is correct, check your domain provider's DNS proxy setting (for example, Cloudflare's orange cloud icon). Disable any DNS proxy or CDN before adding the CNAME record, then re-enable it after validation succeeds.

🛠️ Troubleshooting: SSL Certificate Not Provisioning

If your SSL certificate is stuck or not provisioning, work through these steps in order:

  1. Verify the CNAME record is exactly correct and has propagated (~10 minutes).
  2. Ensure no DNS proxy is interfering.
  3. Wait up to 24–48 hours for Let's Encrypt validation.
  4. Check that the domain is still published.

If it is still stuck after these steps, contact support.

🎯 You've now connected your custom domain to Website Studio without any plugin. Publish your site, add the single CNAME record, and activate SSL so visitors reach your site at your own URL. If the secure page doesn't load right away, give DNS and SSL a little time to finish, then refresh.