// A step-by-step DNS setup guide f

How to Connect Your Domain to WebMarlin

Learn how to connect a custom domain you already own — such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Google Domains / Squarespace — to your WebMarlin site. Setup takes under 5 minutes, and SSL is provisioned automatically.

Open WebMarlin Dashboard
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The DNS Records to Add

Copy these exact values into your domain registrar's DNS zone editor

Record Type: CNAME

Subdomain & www Record (Recommended)

Points your www or custom subdomain directly to WebMarlin's edge network:

  • Type: CNAME
  • Host / Name: www (or your subdomain, e.g. shop)
  • Target / Value: sites.webmarlin.com
  • TTL: Automatic or 3600 (1 hour)

Do not include https:// or trailing slashes in the target value.

Record Type: ALIAS / CNAME Flattening or Forwarding

Root / Apex Domain (yourname.com)

For visitors typing your domain without www:

  • On Cloudflare / Namecheap / DNSimple: Add an ALIAS or ANAME (or root CNAME with flattening) pointing @ to sites.webmarlin.com.
  • On GoDaddy / standard registrars: Use Domain Forwarding to redirect yourdomain.com to https://www.yourdomain.com (301 Permanent Redirect with SSL enabled).

4 Steps from Start to Live

The exact process for connecting your domain in minutes

  1. Add Domain in WebMarlin

    1 minute

    Log in to your WebMarlin dashboard, select your site, go to Settings → Domains, click Connect Custom Domain, and enter your domain name (e.g. www.yourdomain.com).

  2. Open Your Registrar DNS

    1-2 minutes

    Log in to your domain provider (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Google Domains, etc.), open your domain list, and navigate to DNS Management, DNS Zone, or Advanced DNS.

  3. Add CNAME & Remove Conflicts

    2 minutes

    Add a new CNAME record with Host: www and Target: sites.webmarlin.com. Make sure to delete any pre-existing default parking A records or conflicting redirects for the same host.

  4. Verify & SSL Auto-Provision

    15 to 60 minutes

    Save your changes. Once DNS propagation completes, WebMarlin automatically generates and activates a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate. Your site is now live on HTTPS!

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Registrar DNS Dashboards & Screenshots

Follow the specific walkthrough for your domain registrar

Namecheap: Advanced DNS

Host Records Dashboard

Namecheap: Advanced DNS

Steps in Namecheap:

  1. Log in and go to Domain List → click Manage next to your domain.
  2. Click the Advanced DNS tab at the top.
  3. In the Host Records section, click Add New Record.
  4. Select CNAME Record, enter Host: www, Target: sites.webmarlin.com, TTL: Automatic.
  5. Click the green checkmark icon to save.
Namecheap: Remove Parking Records

Delete Conflicting Default Records

Namecheap: Remove Parking Records

Avoid conflict errors:

New Namecheap domains often come with default parking records (such as URL Redirect Record or parking A records pointing to 198.54.117.x). Look through your Host Records and click the Trash icon to delete any existing records for @ or www before adding your WebMarlin record.

GoDaddy: DNS Management

DNS Records & Forwarding

GoDaddy: DNS Management

Steps in GoDaddy:

  1. Sign in to your GoDaddy Domain Portfolio.
  2. Select your domain name, then click DNS (or scroll to Manage DNS).
  3. In the DNS Records table, click Add New Record.
  4. Select Type: CNAME, Name: www, Value: sites.webmarlin.com, TTL: 1 Hour.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Under the Forwarding section, set domain forwarding from yourdomain.com to https://www.yourdomain.com with 301 Permanent redirect.

DNS-Only & CNAME Flattening

Cloudflare: DNS Records

Steps in Cloudflare:

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard and select your zone.
  2. Go to DNS → Records in the left navigation sidebar.
  3. Click Add record.
  4. Select Type: CNAME, Name: www, Target: sites.webmarlin.com.
  5. Set Proxy status to DNS only (gray cloud) during initial SSL certificate issuance.
  6. Click Save. Cloudflare's built-in CNAME flattening automatically handles root apex requests.

DNS Troubleshooting & Questions

Help with propagation delays, error messages, and verification

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Still Need Help Connecting?

Send us your domain name and registrar — our team will check your DNS settings.

WebMarlin Technical Support

If you encounter difficulties with your registrar's dashboard, reach out to our team at support@webmarlin.com with your domain name and registrar details.

We will verify your DNS propagation and confirm your SSL provisioning.