GUIDE

How to connect a domain to your website

Your own web address makes you look real. Here is how to connect a domain to your site, and how to skip the DNS headache most guides put you through.
THE SHORT ANSWER

Point your domain, hosting is handled

The simplest way is a platform that hosts your site and connects your domain for you. You start on a free address, then point your own domain at it, or hand it over and the team migrates it. SSL and hosting come with it. Instinctor includes hosting, so there is no separate host to wire up.
STEP BY STEP

Six steps to your own address

1. Launch on a free address
Your site goes live on a free Instinctor address from day one, so you are online while you sort the domain.
2. Have a domain ready
Own a domain already, or register one. It is usually about ten to twenty dollars a year from a registrar.
3. Point it at your site
Add your domain in settings and follow the short instructions, or send it to support and they connect it for you.
4. Get SSL automatically
The secure padlock is set up for you, so your site loads on https with no certificate to buy or renew.
5. Skip the hosting bill
Hosting is included, so there is no separate host to pay, configure or keep updated.
6. Move any time, free
Your free address keeps working, and you can switch to your own domain whenever you are ready, at no cost.
BUILT IN VS BOLTED ON

Why not host it separately?

You could buy hosting from one company, a domain from another, and an SSL certificate from a third. It works, but it is three bills, three logins, and a DNS setup that trips up most owners.
No separate hosting bill
Hosting is part of your plan, so there is no host to choose, pay or troubleshoot on top of everything else.
SSL and security handled
The padlock and updates are managed for you, instead of buying certificates and patching a server yourself.
We can migrate it for you
Not comfortable with DNS? Hand the domain to support and they connect it, so you never touch a records table.
WHAT CONNECTING A DOMAIN TAKES

Your own name, done right

Your own domain, yourbusiness.com, is what makes a site look like a real business rather than a hobby, and it is the address customers remember and trust. Connecting one means pointing the domain's DNS at your site and making sure it loads securely over https. It sounds technical, and on many platforms it genuinely is, but it does not have to be. The goal is simple: your site lives at your name, loads securely, and just works, so customers and Google both treat you as the established business you are.
WHERE DOMAINS TRIP PEOPLE UP

The mistakes that cost you a clean launch

The first is wrestling with confusing DNS settings and getting a half-broken setup. The second is forgetting the secure certificate, so browsers warn visitors your site is not safe. The third is long propagation surprises with no clear guidance. Point the domain correctly, ensure https is on, and follow a clear process, and your name goes live cleanly.
THE RIGHT WAY

Connect your domain without the headache

Point your domain at your site with a guided setup and automatic secure https, so your business lives at your own name and just works. Instinctor makes connecting a custom domain straightforward, on a site you own, so you look like the established business you are.
COMMON QUESTIONS

Questions about connecting a domain

No. Hosting is included in the flat monthly price, so there is no separate host to pay for or configure. You just connect your domain.
You go live on a free Instinctor address right away, and can register and connect your own domain whenever you are ready.
It is a short set of steps in your settings, and if you would rather not touch DNS, support will migrate and connect the domain for you, free.
Yes. The secure padlock is set up automatically, so your site loads on https with no certificate to buy or renew.
Yes. Your free address keeps working, so links never break, and you can point your own domain at the same site.
A domain is usually about ten to twenty dollars a year from a registrar. Hosting and SSL are already included in your plan.
KEEP READING

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