Connecting Your Renderforest Domain: A Complete Walkthrough

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Purchasing a Domain from Renderforest: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Connecting Your Domain: Exploring All Available Options
• Connecting the domain to your website from the My Domains page
• Connecting the domain from the website editor page
• Configuring DNS for Extra Records: A Comprehensive Tutorial

Purchasing a Domain from Renderforest: A Step-by-Step Guide

Purchasing a domain directly from Renderforest comes with several advantages that make the process more convenient and efficient. You can manage your domain and your Renderforest website in one centralized location, making it easy to keep track of your online presence. Renderforest also offers seamless integration, so you can connect your domain to your website without dealing with third-party domain registrars. 

Now let's walk through how to purchase a domain from Renderforest.

1. Navigate to the domain purchasing section. Once logged in, hover over your profile avatar and click the Domains tab, located under My Projects. This will take you to the domain purchasing section.

2. Search for and select an available domain On the My Domains page, click Buy New to open the purchasing section.

Enter your desired domain name into the search bar and click the search icon. Renderforest will show the availability status based on your search.

• If the domain is available, click Get Now

• If the domain is already taken, Renderforest will suggest a list of similar available domains. Browse the list and click Get Now next to the one that suits you best.
  

3. Complete the purchase. After selecting your domain, you'll be redirected to the purchase page, where you'll need to fill in several required sections: Registrant, Administrative, Technical, and Billing.

Review your order to confirm the correct domain and price are listed, then click Buy Now.

Connecting Your Domain: Exploring All Available Options

Once your purchase is complete, you'll receive a confirmation email with your new domain's details. To access the domain management dashboard, go back to your Renderforest profile avatar and click the Domains tab under My Projects. Your newly purchased domain will now appear under My Domains, where you can manage its settings and connect it to your Renderforest website.

Connecting the domain to your website from the My Domains page:

Before diving into the process of connecting your domain, it's essential to understand the differences between connecting a domain purchased from Renderforest and one purchased elsewhere. When you purchase a domain directly from Renderforest, the platform automatically handles the necessary DNS configurations for you, streamlining the connection process. In contrast, when using a domain purchased from a third-party provider, you'll need to manually set up the DNS records at the domain registrar to point to your Renderforest website.

Here's how to connect a Renderforest-purchased domain — just two simple steps:

Once you are in you "Domains" page, you can connect your domain to a website with 2 simple steps:

1. Choose the domain and click Connect to Website
   
   
   
2. Select your website from the list and click Connect
   
    

Connecting the domain from the website editor page

You can also connect your domain directly from the website editor:

1. Enter the website editor from your Websites page.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Select Domain from the window that opens.
4. Click My Domains.

5. Select the domain from the list and click Choose.

Your domain name will automatically appear in the URL field.

6. Click Connect to finalize the process.

 

Do not forget to publish the site, in order to have the changes applied to your website.

Configuring DNS for Extra Records: A Comprehensive Tutorial

In some cases, you may need to configure additional DNS records for your custom domain — for example, to set up email services, subdomains, or other third-party integrations.

Once you are in you "Domains" page, you can manage DNS settings for your domain.

1. Choose the domain and click Manage
   

   
   

    
2. Choose DNS from the tabs
   

   
   

   
   
3.  Add a new DNS record: Select the type of DNS record you want to create from the dropdown menu. 
   Common DNS record types include A, CNAME, MX, and TXT. Consult your email service provider or third-party integration documentation for specific instructions on which record type to use.  
   
   
4.  Enter the record details: Fill in the required information for the DNS record you are creating and save it