By default, every site created on Bettermode receives a random subdomain under bettermode.io or bettermode.de. You can continue using this subdomain free of charge. However, if you already own a domain and want to fully bring your site under your own brand, you can do so by following the steps laid out in this tutorial.
Disclaimers
We recommend transferring to your domain before publishing and sending any real traffic to your site.
If you are using SSO, we recommend that you set up your custom domain before implementing SSO. The SSO settings are dependent on your domain URL. If you change your domain after you have successfully set up SSO, your settings will need to be updated.
We don’t offer any address-parking policies. Once you move your site away from the Bettermode subdomain, it becomes available for other Bettermode customers to use.
Before you begin...
Make sure you have access to the domain DNS settings. This is usually your domain registrar or a CDN provider.
Check to see if your site’s plan supports a custom domain. (See available plans)
Root Domain Considerations
If you decide to use a root domain (a.k.a apex domain) for your site (e.g. example.com), instead of a subdomain (e.g. site.example.com), you should know that many DNS providers have restrictions on adding CNAME records to root domains. We can only recommend:
Cloudflare via CNAME Flattening
So, if your current DNS provider does not offer a solution for this matter and you are unable to switch to a different provider, consider using the www subdomain for your site.
1. Initiate the transfer by visiting Administration > Settings > Domain
In the domain settings, you’ll find an input field where you can provide the desired domain or sub-domain that you'd like your site to be transferred to. Press Check transferability after you’ve entered the new address. If the domain is valid, and it isn't taken by any other site on Bettermode, you’ll receive a different prompt, and you'll be presented with the option to start the migration process.
Press the Start migration to... in order to receive the DNS instructions.
Please DON'T enter the records in the picture above. Use the values that are shown on this page on your site. You DON'T need to append your domain to the end of these values. These are unique values for your domain for your site.
2. Update the DNS settings of your domain
Add DNS records to your domain per the instructions provided in the previous step:
CNAME record is used to route the traffic from your domain to Bettermode platform
TXT record helps us validating the domain ownership.
3. Wait for the DNS changes to take effect
Once, you’ve verified the DNS setting and ensured that they match the instructions provided by Bettermode, go back to the domains settings page, and press Revalidate DNS Settings button.
If all settings are set correctly, and after DNS changes have fully propagated, you’ll see the OK status (green checkmark) on all the records and will be able to make the switch to the new domain.
Beware that DNS settings take time to fully propagate. During this time, you may get flip-flopping results between Missing and Ok as we query different DNS servers to validate the settings.
4. Finalize the transfer
Press the Switch to... button to finalize the transfer. You’ll be redirected to the new address automatically. Keep in mind that after the transfer, your site will no longer be accessible using the previous domain.
You can remove the TXT record after the migration is done, but the CNAME record must remain intact.
Subfolder Subdomains
Bettermode supports subfolder URLs (ex: https://domain.com/community) only on Enterprise plans. To learn more, please contact Bettermode Support or your Customer Success Manager.