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Domain setup

Connect your own domain to an Ionia site without interrupting your website or email.

This guide is for site owners connecting their own domain. If you manage domains for several clients, use the separate Agency domain handoff guide.

For most sites, the simplest and most compatible setup is:

  1. Connect www.example.com to Ionia with a normal CNAME record.
  2. Redirect example.com to https://www.example.com at your current DNS provider.

Add this record after replacing example.com with your own domain:

Type Name or host Target or value TTL
CNAME www edge.ionia.sh Auto or default

Do not add https://, a slash, or a page path to the target. Ionia may also provide unique verification records for your domain. Add those exactly as supplied.

Root Domain And www

Your root domain is the short address without anything before it:

example.com

It is also called the apex domain. www.example.com is a subdomain.

Normal CNAME records work cleanly on subdomains such as www, docs, or offers. DNS standards do not allow a normal CNAME at the root domain because the root must also hold other records.

Some DNS providers solve this with a feature named ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME flattening. If your provider does not offer one of those features, use www and redirect the root domain to it.

Choose A Connection Path

Option 1: Use www And Redirect The Root

This is the recommended option for most customers.

  1. Add the www CNAME shown above.
  2. In your DNS provider, create a permanent redirect from example.com to https://www.example.com.
  3. Preserve the path and query string when the provider offers that option. For example, example.com/contact should open www.example.com/contact.

This approach is broadly compatible and keeps the DNS change easy to reverse.

Option 2: Connect The Root Directly

Use this only when your authoritative DNS provider supports an arbitrary external ALIAS, ANAME, or flattened CNAME at the root.

Type Name or host Target or value TTL
ALIAS, ANAME, or flattened CNAME @ edge.ionia.sh Auto or default

The exact record name depends on the provider. A provider-specific Alias feature is not automatically equivalent. In particular, Amazon Route 53 Alias records can target supported AWS resources and Route 53 records, but they are not a general way to point the root to an arbitrary external hostname such as edge.ionia.sh.

Option 3: Keep www Or Move Authoritative DNS

If your provider supports neither root forwarding nor an external root alias:

  • Keep www.example.com as the public site address, or
  • Move authoritative DNS to a provider that supports the connection you need.

Changing authoritative DNS means changing nameservers. It does not require transferring the domain registration or changing where the domain is renewed.

Do not change nameservers until every existing DNS record has been copied. Missing mail records can stop business email.

Registrar, DNS, And Website Host Are Different

These services may be provided by the same company, but they do different jobs:

  • Registrar: owns the registration and renewal relationship for the domain.
  • Authoritative DNS provider: controls the domain’s nameservers and DNS records.
  • Website host: stores or publishes the website.

For example, a site can be hosted by Squarespace while its DNS is managed by Cloudflare and the domain is registered at GoDaddy. Make changes where the authoritative DNS is managed, not necessarily where the website was built.

To identify the authoritative DNS provider:

  1. Open ICANN Lookup.
  2. Search for your domain.
  3. Find the Nameservers section.
  4. Match those nameservers to the provider that manages your DNS.

If you are unsure, send a screenshot of the nameservers to your Ionia or agency contact before changing records.

Common DNS And Website Providers

Current provider behavior is summarized below. Website platforms such as Webflow can be separate from the DNS provider, so check the nameservers first.

Provider www CNAME External root alias Root-to-www forwarding Recommended path
Cloudflare DNS Yes Yes, with CNAME flattening Yes, with a redirect rule Use either path. Root redirects require the root record to be proxied.
Squarespace Domains, including migrated Google Domains Yes No general external root alias documented Yes Use www plus domain forwarding.
GoDaddy DNS Yes No general external root alias documented Yes, when GoDaddy nameservers are active Use www plus forwarding.
Namecheap BasicDNS, FreeDNS, or PremiumDNS Yes Yes, with ALIAS URL redirect is available Use a root ALIAS when the root must connect directly; otherwise use www.
Wix-managed DNS Yes No general external root alias documented No general external root forwarding verified Use an available subdomain such as www, or plan a DNS move if the root must connect directly.
Shopify-managed DNS Yes, for an available subdomain No general external root alias documented Shopify redirects domains to the store’s primary domain, not an arbitrary external site Use a separate subdomain or plan a coordinated cutover. Do not replace records used by an active Shopify store.
Webflow-hosted site Depends on the DNS provider Depends on the DNS provider Depends on the DNS provider Make the change at the provider shown by the domain’s nameservers, not in Webflow unless Webflow also manages DNS.
Amazon Route 53 Yes No arbitrary external Route 53 Alias target Requires additional AWS infrastructure Use www with a CNAME. Do not treat Route 53 Alias as a general external apex alias.
DNSimple Yes Yes, with ALIAS Yes; HTTPS redirects depend on plan support Use a root ALIAS for a direct root connection.
DNS Made Easy Yes Yes, with ANAME HTTP redirection is available; confirm HTTPS behavior before relying on it Use a root ANAME for a direct root connection.

Official Provider Instructions

Provider features and interfaces change. If a control is not present in your account, stop and confirm the current provider instructions before changing nameservers.

Before Moving Nameservers

A new DNS provider may not import old records automatically. Before changing nameservers:

  1. Export the current DNS zone when possible.
  2. Capture screenshots of every DNS record.
  3. Recreate all required records at the new provider, including:
    • A and AAAA
    • CNAME
    • MX
    • TXT, including SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and verification records
    • CAA
    • SRV
    • Records for every active subdomain
  4. Confirm which records power the current website, email, forms, and third-party services.
  5. Change nameservers only after the replacement zone is complete.
  6. Test the website and both incoming and outgoing email after the change.

Namecheap, for example, warns that DNS records are not added automatically when nameservers change. Treat every nameserver migration as a planned cutover. The domain registration can remain at the current registrar.

Verify The Connection

After saving the records:

  1. Wait for DNS propagation. Changes often appear quickly but can take up to 24-48 hours.
  2. Open both https://www.example.com and https://example.com in a private browser window.
  3. Confirm the expected Ionia site appears.
  4. Confirm the browser shows a secure HTTPS connection.
  5. Test the primary form, booking, ordering, or call action.
  6. Test an interior URL to confirm redirects preserve the path.
  7. Confirm business email still sends and receives.

Cloudflare for SaaS provisions the secure certificate after the custom hostname and validation records are in place. A short certificate delay after DNS resolves can be normal.

Troubleshooting

The Domain Cannot Be Found

The record may still be propagating, the host may be entered incorrectly, or the change may have been made at a provider that is not authoritative for the domain. Check the nameservers in ICANN Lookup.

www Does Not Resolve

Remove conflicting A, AAAA, or CNAME records for www. A hostname should not have a CNAME and another address record at the same time.

The Root Domain Does Not Open www

Confirm that the forwarding rule is enabled, uses https://www.example.com, and preserves paths. Some providers require their own nameservers or a paid HTTPS forwarding feature.

The Browser Shows A Certificate Warning

Certificate provisioning may still be in progress. Confirm that every ownership or SSL TXT record supplied by Ionia was added exactly as shown. Do not reuse a verification value from another domain.

The Wrong Site Appears

Stop changing DNS. Send the public URL and a screenshot to Ionia or your agency so the hostname can be checked against the correct workspace.

Email Stops Working

Restore the previous MX and email-related TXT records immediately. Website setup does not require removing SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Google Workspace, or Microsoft 365 records.

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