How to Connect a Custom Domain to Your Website in 2026 (Step by Step)

How to Connect a Custom Domain to Your Website in 2026 (Step by Step)

The complete guide to putting your site on your own domain: buying the domain, the one DNS record you need, SSL, www vs root domain, and the errors everyone hits.

To connect a custom domain to your website: buy the domain at a registrar, open your site's domain settings at your host and enter the domain, then create the DNS record they give you, usually a single CNAME pointing at the host's address (on Krater it points to krater.site). Wait a few minutes to a few hours for DNS to update. SSL certificates are issued automatically by modern hosts, so https works with no extra setup.

How to Connect a Custom Domain to Your Website in 2026 (Step by Step)

Key takeaways

1. What you need first

Two things, in order: a published website (an address the host gave you, like mysite.krater.site), and a domain you own. If you are missing the site, publish it first; how to publish a website covers it. If you are missing the domain, the next section is a two-minute purchase.

2. Buy the domain (about 2 minutes, $10 to $20/year)

Any registrar works: Namecheap, Cloudflare Registrar, Porkbun, GoDaddy, or your country's local option. Search for the name, pick an extension (.com if it is free and cheap; otherwise .co, .io, .net or your country code all work the same for hosting), and register it in your own name with your real contact details. Turn on auto-renew and WHOIS privacy if offered. Two tips: avoid buying the domain through a bundled upsell in your builder's checkout if you can get it cheaper direct, and skip the registrar's hosting add-ons, you already have hosting.

3. Tell your host which domain you will use

Every host has a "custom domain" or "add domain" step. In Krater: open Keep, then Sites, select your site, open the Domains tab, and enter the domain exactly as you will use it, for example www.yoursite.com. Entering www versus the bare domain matters, see section 5. The host then generates the DNS record(s) you need. On Krater there is exactly one.

4. Add the DNS record at your registrar

This is the only technical step and it takes about two minutes:

  1. In a new tab, open your registrar's DNS management page for the domain (often called "DNS settings", "Advanced DNS" or "Zone file").
  2. Create a new record with these values, substituting your details: Type: CNAME, Host/Name: www (or the exact value the host showed you), Value/Target: krater.site (or the target your host gave), TTL: automatic or 3600.
  3. Save it. Do not delete any other records unless a guide told you to.

That is it. You are telling the internet: "when someone asks for www.yoursite.com, send them to the servers at krater.site."

5. www or the bare domain?

There are two forms of every domain: www.yoursite.com and yoursite.com. A CNAME record is allowed on www (and on subdomains like app.yoursite.com), but most registrars will not let you put a CNAME on the bare domain itself, because of a DNS rule called CNAME flattening. Two workable patterns:

If in doubt, publish on www. Everyone understands it and every registrar supports it.

6. SSL: you do nothing

The padlock (https) requires a certificate, and modern hosts issue it automatically once the DNS record resolves, usually within minutes of verification. On Krater, Cloudflare handles it behind the scenes; there is nothing to buy and nothing to renew manually. If your site shows "not secure" after a day, see the troubleshooting section.

7. Waiting and verifying

DNS changes spread across the internet over minutes to a few hours (rarely up to 24). Check by visiting the domain yourself and by asking a friend on another network or using your phone on mobile data. On Krater the Domains tab shows verification status, from pending to dns_verified once it resolves correctly.

8. Troubleshooting the usual errors

Frequently asked questions

Do I need hosting AND a domain?

Yes. The domain is the address, hosting is where the site lives. You pay for both, usually to different companies, and DNS connects them.

How much does it cost to connect a domain?

The domain itself is about $10 to $20 per year. Connecting it is free; the cost is whatever your hosting plan charges for the custom-domain feature, on Krater it is included on Ultra and Max.

Can I connect one domain to different hosts?

One domain serves one site at a time. But subdomains can point to different places: www at your builder, app at your tool, docs somewhere else, each with its own record.

Will moving my site to a new domain hurt SEO?

Done cleanly (301 redirects, same content) rankings usually recover fully. Do the move before the site has real organic traffic if you can.

What is DNS propagation and how long does it take?

It is the time for every resolver on the internet to learn your new record. Usually minutes to a few hours, rarely up to 24-48 hours.

Try it yourself

Publish the site first, then come back here: the whole domain step is one CNAME record. Open Krater, type /build and describe what you want. Publishing to a live URL and connecting your own domain is included on Ultra ($49/month, 2 sites and 2 custom domains) and Max ($119/month, 5 and 5), together with 500+ AI models for everything else you do.

Bottom line

Connecting a custom domain is one record at your registrar: a CNAME pointing at your host. Buy the domain yourself, publish the site first, prefer www, and give DNS an hour before assuming anything is broken.

Sources: Krater Sites and domain documentation; ICANN/Cloudflare DNS references. Prices and plan limits checked October 2026.