Linking Your Third-Party Domain: A Simple Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction: Understanding Web and Domain Hosting for Your Site
• Connecting Your Third-Party Domain to Your Website
• Adding A and CNAME Records: A Straightforward Guide
• How to add an "A" record for your root domain?
• How to add a CNAME record?

Introduction: Understanding Web and Domain Hosting for Your Site

With our easy-to-use website builder, we aim to make building and launching your website as seamless as possible. Before diving into the specifics of connecting a third-party domain, it's worth understanding the difference between web hosting and domain hosting, and why you need both for a fully functional website.

Web hosting provides the infrastructure that lets your site exist online and be accessible to users. Domain hosting gives you a unique, memorable web address so visitors can find your site. These are two separate services — but you need both to have a fully functional website.

Connecting Your Third-Party Domain to Your Website

To connect a domain purchased from a third-party provider:

1. Enter the domain name in this format: example.com.
2. Click Connect.
3. Publish the site.
4. Go to your domain provider's page to start adding or adjusting the essential DNS records.

The A record points your root domain to our servers. For example, if you want to host your website as example.com, follow these steps:

2. Add or edit your A record. Click Add to create a new A record.

If you already have a root @ record pointing to a different IP address, edit that existing record instead of adding a new one.

3. Set up and save 

Select the type A, enter @ as the name, and add the IP address 35.161.126.63. Make sure the A record points to the IP address provided by Renderforest, then save your changes.

How to add a CNAME record?

The CNAME record connects your domain to your Renderforest site. For example, if you want the www version of your website to be automatically configured, follow these steps:

1. Select your domain 

Go to My Products from the homepage, find your domain, and click DNS.

2. Add or edit your “CNAME” record

Click “Add” to add a new “CNAME” record․ If you already have a www record pointing to a different address, edit that existing record instead of adding a new one.

3. Set up and save 

Select the type "CNAME", enter www as the name, and add your website address in the format example.renderforestsites.com — without the http:// protocol. Save your changes.