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How to set up a custom domain in Kit
How to set up a custom domain in Kit

Learn how to set up a custom domain in Kit and validate it for use.

Updated over a month ago

Use your own domain for your Kit landing pages, Creator Profile, and more!

By default, we'll host the pages you create on Kit on a ck.page domain. But you can set up a custom domain or subdomain, such as yoursite.com or pages.yoursite.com respectively, for hosting your pages on it instead.

This way, your page URLs will reflect your custom domain branding rather than accountdomain.ck.page.

There are two methods of setting up a custom domain in Kit:

  1. Buy and connect a new domain: If you don't already have a custom domain, you can buy one using the steps we provide. We'll then help automatically set it up with something called "DNS records" so that people who visit your domain will see your Kit pages.

  2. Connect an existing custom domain: This is the method to use if you've already bought your custom domain or you want to set up a custom subdomain like pages.yoursite.com. You'll need to manually add your domain's DNS records to the platform responsible for directing users to it (such as the platform from which you'd bought it).

Let's go through the steps for each method.

Buy and connect a new domain

1. Select your custom domain homepage

In your Kit account, click your account name at the top right of the navigation, followed by Settings.

Then, select Domains in the account settings' left sidebar.

Scroll down to the Custom Domains section of the page and click Buy a new domain.

NOTE: If you've already added at least one custom domain to Kit, click the Buy and connect a new domain button at the bottom of the Custom Domains section instead.

A Purchase Custom Domain window will appear. Choose the landing page that should appear when people visit your custom domain.

For example, if you set your Creator Profile as the homepage for your yoursite.com custom domain, people will see your Creator Profile when they visit yoursite.com.

Click Next when you're done.

2. Buy your custom domain

You'll see a window where you can buy a custom domain from the IONOS domain provider for use in Kit.

Type your preferred custom domain into the "Find your domain now" search field, then click Search.

You'll be directed to IONOS's website to search for and buy your custom domain.

If your preferred custom domain is unavailable, you'll need to buy a different one.

NOTE: If you don't want to manage your domain in IONOS, you'll need to buy your domain with another domain provider and connect it to Kit using the alternative method below.

3. We'll set up your custom domain

Once you've bought your custom domain on IONOS, we'll automatically start adding our DNS records to it so that you can use it in Kit.

You'll see this success message on Kit:

Click Done.

4. Check that your custom domain has been verified

It may take up to 24 to 48 hours for our DNS records to take effect once we've added them to your custom domain, so check back later.

If the DNS records setup is successful and we've verified your custom domain, you'll see a green check mark ✅ next to your custom domain in your Domains settings.

With that, your custom domain is ready for use in Kit!

Check out these guides to learn how to use your custom domain for your:

Connect an existing custom domain

Watch this video to learn how to set up your existing custom domain in Kit:

Alternatively, follow the steps below. If you aren't sure what to do, contact the platform you bought your domain from for help.

1. Add your custom domain

In your Kit account, click your account name at the top right of the navigation, followed by Settings.

Then, select Domains in the account settings' left sidebar.

Scroll down to the Custom Domains section of the page and click Connect an existing domain.

NOTE: If you've already added at least one custom domain to Kit, click the Connect an existing Custom Domain button at the bottom of the Custom Domains section instead.

An Add Custom Domain window will pop up. Type your custom domain (or subdomain) into the Your Custom Domain field. Don't include the www.

NOTE: If you want to add a custom subdomain but haven't bought the main domain yet, buy it from your preferred domain provider first.

Set up the subdomain in the platform whose nameservers your domain is pointed to (more info on this below). Then, come back to this Add Custom Domain window to fill out the subdomain you want to use.

Optional: If you'd like, use the Homepage field to select the landing page that should appear when people visit the custom domain you've provided.

For example, if you set your Creator Profile as the homepage for your yoursite.com custom domain, people will see your Creator Profile when they visit yoursite.com.

Click Next when you're done.

2. Add DNS records to your domain

You'll see a table with three DNS (Domain Name System) records in it:

The DNS record values are IP addresses, which may look like a bunch of random numbers. But they are the addresses for our servers—on which your Kit pages live!

So, first, log in to your account with the platform whose nameservers your domain is pointed to.

This platform is responsible for directing your domain's visitors to the servers hosting the content they want to see. It is usually the domain provider from which you bought the domain.

But if you bought your domain from one platform and are hosting the website for that domain using another platform, you’ll need to add the DMARC record via that other platform instead.

Once you've logged in to the right platform, add three new DNS records to your domain using the Type, Host, and Value DNS record information we've provided in the table.

The exact process will vary based on the platform to which you're adding the DNS records. Here are the instructions for adding DNS records for some major platforms:

If your platform isn't listed here, try finding the instructions by searching for "Add DNS records to [your platform]" in your preferred search engine. Alternatively, contact your domain provider for help.

NOTE: If you aren't using a subdomain and your domain provider requires an entry in the Host field, filling out this field with @ will usually work. (But we'd recommend double-checking with the platform if that doesn't work.)

3. Validate your DNS records

After adding your DNS records to your domain provider, come back to Kit and click Validate on the window showing your DNS records:

Or, if you've already closed that window, go to your Domains settings in Kit.

You'll see a DNS record table with the "Unverified" status next to each DNS record. Click the Verify button and we'll try validating your DNS records again.

NOTE: It may take up to 24 to 48 hours for your DNS records to take effect. So, if the DNS records in the table still say "Unverified" after you've refreshed their statuses, try validating them again 24 to 48 hours later.

If that still doesn't work, try following this troubleshooting guide.

Once we've verified your custom domain, the statuses next to your DNS records will say "Verified":

With that, your custom domain is ready for use in Kit!

Check out these guides to learn how to use your custom domain for your:

Updating your custom domain

If you want to update your custom domain, remove it first. Then, add your updated custom domain to Kit using the steps above.

And don't forget to update the URLs for all the Kit pages for which you've used your custom domain!

Removing your custom domain

You can remove your custom domain from Kit anytime by clicking the Remove this domain button under it in your Domains settings:

It's also a good practice to remove our DNS records from the platform you've added them to after that.

If you're having trouble validating your custom domain after adding it to Kit, this troubleshooting guide may help 👇

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