Connect a Domain to a Website Builder: A and CNAME Records

The website is finished in the builder, it looks good on yourname.builder-subdomain.com, and now it should show up under your own address. This is where many beginners stall, because the builder suddenly talks about A records, CNAMEs and nameservers. It’s less complicated than it sounds: you’re copying two or three lines from one screen to another.

Two ways to connect a domain to a website builder

Nameservers are the servers that answer all questions about your domain. Changing them hands the whole domain’s DNS to the builder, including the MX records for email. If you forget to recreate those, mail stops arriving. That’s why we recommend the record method for most people.

The records you’ll be asked for

Builders show their exact values in the domain settings. They look roughly like this. The IP addresses below are documentation examples (203.0.113.x is reserved for examples) and won’t work. Use what your builder shows.

; Bare domain → builder (example IPs)
yourdomain.com.      3600  IN  A      203.0.113.10
yourdomain.com.      3600  IN  A      203.0.113.11

; www → builder (example hostname)
www.yourdomain.com.  3600  IN  CNAME  sites.builder.example.

; Optional verification record (example)
yourdomain.com.      3600  IN  TXT    "builder-verify=4f9a2c"

What these mean:

• A record. Points a name to an IP address, the numeric address of a server. @ or an empty name field means the bare domain.
• CNAME record. Points one name to another name. The builder can then change its IPs without you touching anything.
• TXT record. A text note some builders use to check you own the domain.

Why not a CNAME for the bare domain?

DNS rules (RFC 1034) don’t allow a CNAME at a name that has other records, and the bare domain always has some, for example the SOA and NS records and often MX for email. So builders use A records for yourdomain.com and a CNAME for www.

Where to find the settings in popular builders

Menus change over time, but the general location is stable:

WordPress.com’s own help pages recommend nameservers if you don’t use other services on the domain, and DNS records if you already have custom email.

Step by step at your registrar

1. Log in at your registrar and open the DNS settings for the domain.
2. Look for existing A and CNAME records for @ and www. Many fresh domains have a default parking record. Delete those two, because two different A records for the same name would send visitors randomly to two servers.
3. Leave MX and TXT records for email alone.
4. Add the builder’s records, exactly as shown. A typo in an IP address is the most common error.
5. Save. Then go back to the builder and click verify or connect.

A domain bought for this purpose follows the steps in how to register your own domain; you don’t need to buy it from the builder.

Checking whether it worked

From a terminal:

dig A yourdomain.com +short
dig CNAME www.yourdomain.com +short

The first should print the builder’s IPs, the second its hostname. If you still see old values, the TTL hasn’t expired yet. TTL (time to live) is the number of seconds other servers may cache an answer. With 3600 that’s one hour.

The builder requests the HTTPS certificate once it sees the correct records. That can take a few minutes after DNS is right.

With www or without?

Both addresses should work, but one should be the main one and the other should redirect to it. Most builders let you pick. It doesn’t matter much which you choose; what matters is that you stay with it, so search engines see one version of each page.

Print the version you picked on flyers and in your email signature.

Common problems and fixes

“Domain not connected” after a day. Check for leftover A records pointing somewhere else. Two A records for @ from different providers is the classic cause.

Site works with www, not without (or the reverse). One of the two records is missing. Add both and set the preferred version in the builder.

Certificate warning in the browser. The builder hasn’t issued the certificate yet, or the domain points to two places. Fix DNS first, then wait.

Email stopped after connecting. Nameservers were changed. Either switch back to your registrar’s nameservers and add only A and CNAME, or recreate the MX, SPF and DKIM records at the builder. Our guide on email with your own domain lists those records.

Before you connect: pick the right platform

If you’re still choosing, the comparison of website builder vs WordPress helps. With self-hosted WordPress the process is identical: your host gives you an IP for the A record.

Don’t have the domain yet? See if harbourlights.co.uk is available with your own idea. Registering it apart from the builder keeps you free to switch later; betadomain offers .com at the same price every year, and the full price table covers around 490 other endings.

Step by step

1. Open domain settings in your builderFind the option to connect a domain you already own, sometimes called external or third-party domain.
2. Enter your domainType yourdomain.com and choose the connection method using DNS records, not a nameserver change, if you use email.
3. Copy the records the builder showsUsually one or more A records for @ and a CNAME for www, sometimes an extra TXT or CNAME for verification.
4. Add them at your registrarOpen the domain's DNS settings, remove old A records for @ and www, and add the new ones exactly.
5. Wait and verifyGo back to the builder and click verify. Repeat after an hour if it isn't recognised yet.
6. Check HTTPS and wwwOpen both yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com and confirm the padlock appears and one redirects to the other.