How to Connect a Custom Domain to Your Draftly Site
Publishing your website to a custom domain is the moment your site truly feels real. Instead of sharing a link like yourname.draftly.space, you get yourname.com — professional, memorable, and entirely yours.
The process involves a few steps in your domain registrar's DNS settings, which can feel intimidating if you have not done it before. But it is simpler than it looks, and this guide walks you through every step for the four most popular domain registrars: GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, and Hostinger.
By the end of this tutorial, your custom domain will point to your Draftly site, your SSL certificate will be active, and you will be live on HTTPS.
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What You Will Need
Before starting, make sure you have:
- A registered domain name (if you have not bought one yet, see the registrar guides below for recommendations)
- Access to your Draftly account with a published or draft site
- Login credentials for your domain registrar account
Step 1: Find Your DNS Values in Draftly
- Log in to your Draftly dashboard at draftly.space
- Select the site you want to connect a domain to
- Go to Settings > Domains
- Click Add Custom Domain
- Type your domain name (e.g., yourwebsite.com) and click Verify
- A record pointing your root domain (yourwebsite.com) to Draftly's IP address
- CNAME record pointing www.yourwebsite.com to your Draftly subdomain
- Both an A record and a CNAME record (most common setup)
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Step 2: Add DNS Records at Your Registrar
Follow the instructions for your specific registrar below.
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GoDaddy
- Log in to your GoDaddy account and go to My Products
- Find your domain and click DNS (or Manage DNS)
- Scroll to the Records section and click Add
- To add the A record:
- To add the CNAME record:
- If there is an existing A record for @ pointing to GoDaddy's parking page, delete it first before adding the new one
Namecheap
- Log in to Namecheap and go to Domain List
- Click Manage next to your domain
- Select the Advanced DNS tab
- Under Host Records, click Add New Record
- To add the A record:
- To add the CNAME record:
- Click the green checkmark to save each record
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Google Domains (now Squarespace Domains)
Google Domains was acquired by Squarespace in 2023. If you registered through Google Domains, you may now be managing your domain through Squarespace Domains.
- Go to domains.squarespace.com and log in
- Select your domain
- Click DNS in the left sidebar
- Scroll to Custom Records and click Add Record
- Add the A record:
- Add the CNAME record:
- Click Save
Hostinger
- Log in to your Hostinger hPanel
- Go to Domains and click on your domain name
- Select DNS / Nameservers from the menu
- Click Add Record
- Add the A record:
- Add the CNAME record:
- Click Save
Step 3: Verify the Domain in Draftly
Once you have added your DNS records, return to Draftly:
- Go back to Settings > Domains
- Click Verify DNS next to your domain
If the verification fails, double-check the values — a common mistake is copying the records with an extra space, or accidentally leaving a trailing dot off a CNAME value.
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Step 4: Wait for DNS Propagation
DNS propagation is the process by which your new DNS records spread across the global network of DNS servers. This typically takes 15 minutes to 2 hours, but can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.
You can check propagation status using tools like:
- whatsmydns.net — shows propagation status from servers around the world
- dnschecker.org — another reliable option
Once propagation is complete globally, your domain will load your Draftly site from anywhere in the world.
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Step 5: SSL Certificate Activation
HTTPS is non-negotiable for modern websites. It protects visitor data, improves search rankings, and builds trust (browsers display a padlock icon for secure sites).
Draftly automatically provisions an SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt once your domain is verified and DNS is propagating. You do not need to purchase or configure an SSL certificate separately.
To confirm SSL is active:
- Visit your domain in a browser
- Look for the padlock icon in the address bar
- The URL should begin with https://
If HTTPS is not working 2–3 hours after DNS propagation completes, visit Settings > Domains in Draftly and click Renew SSL to trigger a new certificate request.
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Setting Up Domain Redirects
You will also want to make sure both the www and non-www versions of your domain point to the same place. For example:
- www.yourwebsite.com → yourwebsite.com (or vice versa)
Without this redirect, you technically have two different URLs for your site, which can split SEO value and confuse visitors. In Draftly's domain settings, you can set your preferred primary domain and all other variants will redirect to it automatically.
For a deeper look at how domain setup affects your search rankings, see our guide: SEO for 3D Websites: The 2026 Guide.
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Troubleshooting Common Issues
"Domain already in use" error in Draftly: The domain may be connected to another site or a previous Draftly account. Check for existing connections and remove them before adding the domain to the new site.
Site loads but shows "Not Secure": SSL has not activated yet. Wait a few more hours and then trigger a renewal in the domain settings.
DNS records saved but verification keeps failing: Some registrars cache DNS changes and take longer to update. Try clearing your local DNS cache (on Mac: `sudo dscacheutil -flushcache`) and retrying.
www version redirects but root domain does not work: Ensure your A record is set to @ (not www). Some registrars use a blank field instead of @ — check your registrar's documentation.
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Final Thoughts
Connecting a custom domain is a one-time task that makes an immediate difference to how professional your site looks and how seriously people take your brand. Once it is set up, it runs silently in the background — you never have to think about it again.
If you have just gone live with your custom domain, make sure your site is ready for the world. Work through our pre-launch checklist to verify everything is in order before you start driving traffic: 3D Website Design Checklist: 12 Things to Do Before You Go Live.
And if you have not customised your AI-generated site yet, now is a great time: How to Customise Your AI-Generated 3D Website.
