📘 Support Doc

Custom Domains: When Should I Use One? PRO

ConvertPages comes with instant publishing built in. Every page you publish gets a clean URL like https://convertpages.co/lp/abc12345/ — no setup needed, SSL is included, ready to share immediately.

For most users, that's all you need. Custom domains are an advanced, optional Pro feature. This doc explains when it's worth setting one up, when it isn't, and what's involved.

You probably DON'T need a custom domain if…

In all these cases, just publish to your convertpages.co URL and start driving traffic. You can always add a custom domain later.

You MIGHT want a custom domain if…

What you need before you start

  1. A domain you own — bought from any registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, etc.)
  2. Access to your domain's DNS settings — usually at the same place you bought the domain
  3. 5–30 minutes of patience while DNS propagates
  4. Basic comfort with adding a DNS record (we'll show you exactly what to add)
⚠️

Don't pre-create the subdomain anywhere. If you're using a subdomain like pages.yourbusiness.com, do NOT set it up as an addon domain or subdomain in cPanel, Plesk, or any hosting control panel first. ConvertPages hosts the page for you — all you need is the CNAME record described below. Pre-creating the subdomain will create conflicting DNS records and the connection will fail.

Two types of custom domain

Subdomain (recommended — works everywhere)

Example: pages.yourbusiness.com

A subdomain is a prefix on your main domain. You can use any prefix — pages, landing, lp, go, whatever you like. The rest of yourbusiness.com stays untouched (you can still have a website on the main domain elsewhere).

Subdomains work with any DNS provider — Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, Cloudflare, anywhere. Setup is one DNS record (a CNAME).

✓

This is the recommended path for almost everyone.

Apex domain (advanced)

Example: yourbusiness.com (no prefix)

This points your whole domain to ConvertPages. Use this when you want your main domain to BE the landing page — common for product launches, single-purpose sites, or affiliates running a "brand" site.

⚠️

Caveat: apex domains require your DNS provider to support CNAME flattening or ALIAS records. Most modern providers do (Cloudflare, Namecheap, DNSimple, Google Domains) but some older or budget providers don't. If yours doesn't, stick with a subdomain.

If you point your apex to ConvertPages, anything else on that domain (a website, email, etc.) will need to be reconfigured. Don't do this on a domain you're already using for other things unless you understand the implications.

Step-by-step: connecting a subdomain

  1. Open ConvertPages → Domains (Pro feature)
  2. Type your subdomain in the form, e.g. pages.yourbusiness.com, click Add Domain
  3. You'll see DNS instructions — copy the CNAME target shown (it'll look like fallback.convertpages.co)
  4. Open your DNS provider (wherever you manage DNS for yourbusiness.com — usually your registrar)
  5. Add a CNAME record:
    Type: CNAME
    Host/Name: pages (just the prefix, NOT the full domain)
    Value/Target: fallback.convertpages.co
    Save the record.
  6. Wait 5–30 minutes — DNS changes take time to propagate worldwide
  7. Back in ConvertPages, click Refresh status on your domain row
  8. Once the status shows Active with a valid SSL cert, you're done!

Step-by-step: connecting an apex domain

Same as the subdomain steps above, but in step 5 add the CNAME at the root of your domain instead of a subdomain:

Type: CNAME
Host/Name: @ (or leave blank, depending on your provider)
Value/Target: fallback.convertpages.co
⚠️

If your provider rejects this with a message like "CNAME not allowed at apex" — your provider doesn't support CNAME flattening. Options:

  • Switch your DNS to Cloudflare (free) or another provider that supports it
  • Use a subdomain instead

Pointing a domain to a specific page

Once your domain is active, you can choose which page displays at the root:

In the Domains panel, find your domain row and use the dropdown to pick which page should show at the root. Save. Visitors hitting the bare URL will see that page.

You can also link to specific pages using the standard slug format:

Troubleshooting

"Status: pending" doesn't change to active

"CNAME and other data" error when saving the DNS record

Your DNS provider is rejecting the CNAME because there are already other records (A, AAAA, TXT, etc.) at that hostname. This usually happens because the subdomain was previously set up as an addon domain or subdomain in a hosting control panel like cPanel.

Fix: use a fresh subdomain that doesn't exist anywhere yet. For example, instead of cp.yourbusiness.com (which you may have set up before), try pages.yourbusiness.com or lp.yourbusiness.com. The CNAME-only requirement is a strict DNS rule — there's no way around it.

"Hostname status: Blocked"

This happens if the domain is already registered with another Cloudflare account or has special restrictions. Contact ConvertPages support.

SSL certificate not issuing

This usually resolves itself within an hour. If it's been longer than 24 hours, hit Refresh status. If still stuck, contact support.

My website at the apex stopped working

Apex domain points overwrite anything else at that level. Switch back to a subdomain if you need to keep your main website intact.

Removing a custom domain

  1. Click Remove on the domain row in your Domains panel
  2. The domain is unregistered immediately
  3. Visitors hitting that URL will see "Not found" until you remove the CNAME record at your DNS provider too

This is reversible — you can re-add the same domain later if needed.

A note on SSL

🔒

ConvertPages auto-issues a free SSL certificate (via Let's Encrypt / Cloudflare) for every custom domain. You don't need to buy or install anything. Renewals happen automatically.

Need help?

If you're stuck, contact support with: