Connecting a custom domain

Publishing on your own domain keeps the address consistent with your brand and your ads. Custom domains are included on paid plans: Starter includes 1, Pro 5 and Team 20.

Before you start

You need access to the DNS settings for the domain — usually at your registrar (where you bought it) or your DNS host (for example Cloudflare). We recommend a dedicated subdomain such as go.example.com or offers.example.com rather than your main website’s address: your main site keeps working, and you can publish many pages under one subdomain.

One domain can be connected to one workspace at a time.

Step 1: add the domain

Open Domains in the app, click Add domain and enter the full hostname, for example go.example.com. The domain appears as Pending.

Step 2: create the CNAME record

At your DNS provider, create a record:

Some providers want the full name (go.example.com) in the Name field; their form usually makes it clear. Leave the TTL at the default.

Delete any other record on the same name first — an existing A, AAAA or CNAME record for go will conflict with the new one.

If your Domains page also lists a TXT record, add it exactly as shown as well. It proves you control the domain so a certificate can be issued, and it’s only needed until the domain is active.

Cloudflare users: turn the proxy off

If your DNS is on Cloudflare, set the record’s proxy status to DNS only (the gray cloud), not Proxied (the orange cloud). With the proxy on, the record points at Cloudflare instead of at us, so verification fails and certificates can’t be issued.

Step 3: wait for verification

DNS changes take time to spread. Most records are visible within minutes, but it can take up to 48 hours depending on your provider and the previous record’s TTL. We check pending domains automatically, and you can click Check now at any time.

The domain becomes Active once your pages answer on it securely over HTTPS — we check that end to end, so “Active” means visitors can really reach it. Setting up HTTPS can take a few extra minutes after the DNS record appears. While a domain is still pending, the Domains page explains what we found, for example a missing record or one pointing somewhere else. Then choose the domain in a page’s settings and publish.

Using a root domain (example.com)

DNS standards don’t allow a CNAME record on a root (apex) domain such as example.com, because the root already holds other records. You have three options:

1. Use a subdomain instead (recommended). go.example.com or www.example.com works with a normal CNAME, and you can redirect the root to it at your registrar.
2. Use CNAME flattening, ALIAS or ANAME. Some DNS providers — Cloudflare among them — can point the root at a hostname. Create that record with the root as the name and cname.hooksites.com as the value.
3. Redirect the root. Many registrars offer URL forwarding: forward example.com to https://www.example.com and connect www with a CNAME.

Troubleshooting

• Still pending after an hour? Look the record up yourself. In a terminal, dig CNAME go.example.com +short should print cname.hooksites.com. Online DNS lookup tools show the same.
• It prints nothing. The record hasn’t been saved, is on the wrong name, or hasn’t propagated yet. Check for typos — go.example.com.example.com is a common one when the provider appends the domain automatically.
• It prints a different value. Another record is winning, or the record is proxied. Remove conflicting records and switch Cloudflare to DNS only.
• Error mentioning a certificate. If your domain has CAA records, they must allow the certificate authority used for your pages. Removing restrictive CAA records or asking us which authority to allow fixes this.
• “Already connected”. The hostname is active in another workspace. Remove it there first.

If it still won’t verify, email support@hooklander.com with the hostname and a screenshot of the DNS record.