How to add a custom domain to landing pages and websites

Once you've created a landing page or website using the MailerLite website builder, a random URL is generated for you automatically. For instance, your landing page URL might be something like https://your-landing-page.subscribepage.com, and your website URL could appear as https://your-website.mailerpage.com.

However, you may want to replace this default domain with your custom domain for a more personalised and professional look. We offer two methods to make this process smooth and straightforward: the automatic setup and the manual setup.

Whether you choose automatic or manual setup, the initial steps are the same:

1. Start by logging in to your MailerLite account and navigating to the Account settings page.

2. Once you're in the Account settings, click on the Domains tab

3. Under the Sites section, click the Add domain button.

4. In the provided field, enter the domain you’d like to connect.

5. If your domain is already in use, include a subdomain when entering your domain URL, and click Save.

6. Under Status, click the Manage DNS button.

If your custom domain doesn’t have a functioning website published on it, you can use the root domain for your landing page or website built in MailerLite. For example, yourdomain.com.

If your custom domain already has a functioning website published on it, you can still add it, but you will have to add it with a subdomain because a root domain cannot be connected to more than one page. For example, blog.yourdomain.com.

1. After you’ve followed the steps above, you’ll be prompted to log in to your DNS hosting account under the Automatic tab.

2. If you wish to redirect 'www' traffic to your connected domain, check the provided checkbox (If you don't have a website on your domain yet, we recommend redirecting "www" traffic to your domain).

3. Log in to your DNS host account using the instructions provided.

4. Next, you'll see the DNS records that MailerLite will configure for you. Click the Authorize or Connect button to proceed.

5. MailerLite will attempt to verify the correct setup of your DNS records. You can check the status by clicking the Manage DNS button under Status and then clicking Verify domain. Alternatively, you can refresh the page.

6. Once the DNS configuration is successful, the button will display Active.

7. This process can take up to 24 hours.

If you don’t see the Automatic tab or prefer a more hands-on approach, we've got you covered with a manual setup.

1. After adding your custom domain, start in the Manual tab. Here you’ll find the Name and Value fields to create an A record. Keep this page open; you'll need it.

2. If you don't have a website hosted on your domain, select the option to redirect 'www' traffic to your domain. This will enable you to add both an A and a CNAME record.

3. Access the DNS settings page on your domain management platform.

4. To ensure users can access your landing pages and websites with or without typing "www" in the address bar, add both A and CNAME records to your DNS settings.

5. After correctly configuring the records, click the Check DNS records button to verify your setup.

When the CNAME or A-type records have been approved, the process of enabling SSL will automatically begin. You can find the status of your SSL in the SSL column. The process of fully enabling the SSL certificate may take a few hours. 

After your custom domain is added to the Sites section and your hosting provider has accepted all the necessary records, you can proceed to link the custom domain to your landing page or website. Remember, custom domains can be connected only when they are Active and SSL is enabled.

To connect a domain to your landing page or website:

1. Navigate to the Sites page.

2. Click the Overview button for the landing page or website you wish to connect your domain to.

3. Scroll down to Settings and click Edit Settings. 

4. Under Landing Page URL, use the dropdown arrow in the URL field to change the default subscribepage.io URL to one of your available custom domains.

5. Click Save and continue.

Once you have created a landing page or website using the MailerLite website builder, a random URL is generated for you with our default domain subscribepage.com for landing pages, and mailerpage.com for websites.

1. Navigate to Domains by clicking on the top-right arrow on the page and selecting Domains.

1. Scroll down to the Sites section and click on Add domain.

1. Enter the custom domain you wish to connect.

If your domain is already in use, include a subdomain when entering your domain URL.

If your custom domain doesn’t have a functioning website published on it, you can use the root domain for your landing page or website built in MailerLite. For example, my-domain.com.

If your custom domain already has a functioning website published on it, you can still add it, but you will have to add it with a subdomain because a root domain cannot be connected to more than one page. For example, subdomain.my-domain.com.

We use only use my-domain.com and subdomain.my-domain.com for example purposes only. You should not use them and use your own custom domain instead.

After adding your domain, click on Manage DNS. A window will appear.

Under Create a CNAME record, you will find 2 fields: Name and Value.

Add the values of these fields to the DNS page on your domain management platform.

If you’re adding a root domain, you can type in your domain in the first step (yourdomain.com) and continue to the next step to obtain A record.

If you currently do not have any website hosted on your domain, we strongly suggest selecting the option to redirect your ‘www’ traffic to the domain you are connecting. This will give you the option to add a CNAME record as well as an A record.

In short, if you want users to reach your website or landing page whether or not they type “www” in the address bar, we suggest you add both A and CNAME records to your DNS page.

Once the records have been correctly set up with their respective Name and Value fields, click Check DNS records. 

Remember it may take up to 24 hours for your DNS settings to become active worldwide, depending on your hosting provider.

When the CNAME or A-type records have been approved, the process of enabling SSL will automatically begin. You can find the status of your SSL in the SSL column.

The process of fully enabling the SSL certificate may take a few hours. 

The next steps have to be completed on the DNS settings of your domain. For assistance with these steps, we recommend contacting your hosting provider. 

1. Log in to your domain provider (usually on your hosting).

2. Find the DNS settings for your domain. You can find instructions on how to do this by searching “DNS settings” + the name of your hosting provider, on any search engine (such as Google). 

3. Create a DNS record with CNAME type or A-type, depending on how you choose to link your domain to our servers, and fill out the Name and Value fields that are given to you on your MailerLite account.

Keep in mind that hosting providers may refer to the Name and Value TXTs differently. They can be referred to as:

• Name and Host

• Domain and Value

• Domain and Host

In some cases, the CNAME record might be referred to as the Domain Alias record.

Once your custom domain has been added to the Sites area, and all of the records have been accepted by your hosting provider, you are ready to add the custom domain to your site. Custom domains can only be connected to sites once they are both Active and have SSL enabled. 

To connect a domain to your site:

1. Navigate to the Sites page.

2. Click on the name of the Landing page or Website you wish to connect your domain to. 

3. In the Landing page URL and favicon section, click Edit.

4. Under Landing Page URL, use the dropdown arrow in the URL field to change the default www.subscribepage.com/ URL to one of your available custom domains. 

5. Scroll down and click Save and continue.