First, what is a Custom Domain?
A Custom Domain is a uniquely branded name attached to your website’s IP address - in this case, your own Beacons page! So instead of beacons.ai/yourusername, its anything you want!
You have a couple options for custom domains here with Beacons! You can acquire a domain through us (whom uses name.com), purchase a domain through a domain provider (like Google or GoDaddy), or link your existing domain or subdomain with us! Let me show you all of these options 🙂
Acquiring your domain through us!
On Beacons, you can instantly claim and link a domain to your page once you upgrade to the paid subscription plan.
b) Search for your desired domain (one with your own personal flair… like wowilovebeacons.page) to see if your favored name is available.
Please check the domain- yes, the spelling- as well as the annual renewal fee before you grab it since renewal fees tend to be higher than the initial registration fees (by using our toggle stating “auto-renew”!)
c) And just like that! You have yourself a shiny new domain for your Beacons page! No need to do anything on your part - here at Beacons, we help you with all of the difficult leg work and manage this domain for you!
Setting up your existing domain to your Beacons page
If you have an existing domain you’d like to link, edit your DNS records to help direct your domain to your Beacons Page! Let me help 🙂
Now, what ARE DNS records?
DNS, or Domain Name System, records are instructions that live in DNS servers and provide information about a domain including what IP address is associated with that domain and how to handle requests for them.
You can think of a set of DNS records like a business listing. That listing will give you a bunch of useful information about a business such as their location, hours, services offered, etc. All domains are required to have at least a few essential DNS records for a user to be able to access their website using a domain name, and there are several optional records that serve additional purposes.
There are two ways to set up your external domain/subdomain to your Beacons page
* FYI: Setting up a sub-domain means that you want to use something like bio.mywebsite.com or omg.ilovebeacons.com for an existing mywebsite.com or ilovebeacons.com.
1. Click here if you use a password to log into your domain provider:
1. Click here if you use a password to log into your domain provider:
* Please follow along with the lengthy gif below for visual aid!
Click on "Already own a domain you want to connect?"
Type in your custom domain and click "submit"
The Entri pop-up will help you link your domain
Sign in with your username/password used for your domain provider (Squarespace, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Hostinger, etc.) Keep in mind that it may take a couple of minutes to authenticate and verify in they send you a confirmation code.
If you are unable to sign in, try the steps below for manually changing your DNS records.
You're good to go! 🥳
2. Click here if you use socials/Google to sign into your domain provider. If so, you will need to change your DNS records so that it points at one of our servers
2. Click here if you use socials/Google to sign into your domain provider. If so, you will need to change your DNS records so that it points at one of our servers
* Please follow along with the gif below for visual aid (keep in mind that this is an example using Namecheap specifically)!
Click on "Already own a domain you want to connect?"
Type in your custom domain and click "submit"
The Entri pop-up will help you link your domain
If you can't log in and/or you signed up with your domain provider (Squarespace, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Hostinger, etc.) using a social account and/or Google, you'll need to go to our manual setup by clicking so at the bottom
Go to the page where you can set your DNS records in your website provider. If you need help, you can google search the name of your DNS provider and "add DNS record" to find documentation.
First, look through your existing records and delete all existing A, AAAA, and CNAME records on your domain. These records, if left around, will conflict with Beacons and causes browsers to reject your website for security reasons.
Please copy the records and paste them into your own DNS records + click on the blue button once finished!
You will need to add the DNS records one by one, as instructed by this pop up, to your domain settings. It should look like this:
A record / Host name:
*/ Value:34.49.161.242A record / Host name:
@/ Value:34.49.161.242@means "root domain". Some systems will not recognize this and you'll need a record where the host is blank.
CNAME record / Host name: _acme-challenge / Value: This will be a unique value to you, used to authorize and confirm you own the domain.
if the CNAME Value is producing an error, try taking off the "." at the end of "goog"
When you are done, you should have at least 3 DNS records, two A records and one CNAME record. If you see other A, AAAA, or CNAME records from the Beacons ones you copied over, make sure to delete them. If you see other types of records, like TXT, or MX records, those should be fine to leave.
You're all set! 🥳
FAQ
Will my website be secured?
Yes! We setup and provide HTTPS automatically for your domain so that your visitors will always know that their privacy is protected with the lock icon 🔒 in the address bar. Advanced users: We provide the SSL certificate so if you already provide your own and run into errors, you should use the one that we issue.
Should I use a domain or a subdomain?
If you own mywebsite.com and don't have anything there yet, like your blog or shop, then we suggest using your domain! On the other hand, if mywebsite.com already points to something like your Wordpress, Blogger, or Shopify, then we suggest using a subdomain like bio.mywebsite.com or links.website.com so that you can use both websites at the same time.
Do you have a specific guide for other domain sites?
If you are transferring from Shopify, Wix, GoDaddy, 1-1-ionos, Namecheap, Hover, or Hostgator, please visit our help center or find these links down below in the descriptions!
If you have any questions, please contact our customer support
team by emailing [email protected].