Domains

Connecting your domain

Attach your own domain to a PageFork site, with automatic SSL.

To connect a custom domain to PageFork, open your site’s Domain sheet, add the domain, and create the two DNS records PageFork shows you. SSL is issued automatically once DNS resolves, usually within a few minutes.

Every PageFork site with an active hosting subscription supports custom domains with automatic SSL. The exact DNS records you need depend on whether you’re pointing an apex (yourbrand.com), a subdomain (www or launch), or both.

1. Open the domain sheet

In the editor, click Domain in the toolbar. The sheet shows:

  • Your free *.pagefork.ai subdomain.
  • A Custom domain section — this is where you add a domain you own.

Custom domains require an active hosting subscription for this site. See Hosting subscriptions if you haven’t set one up yet.

2. Enter your domain

Click Add custom domain and type the domain. You can enter:

  • A subdomain, e.g. launch.yourbrand.com or app.yourbrand.com.
  • The www subdomain, e.g. www.yourbrand.com.
  • An apex, e.g. yourbrand.com (no prefix).

PageFork branches based on what you entered:

  • Subdomain that isn’t www → skip to step 5 — you only need one record.
  • www. subdomain → PageFork asks whether the apex should also reach your site (step 3).
  • Apex → PageFork asks about your DNS provider’s capabilities (step 4).

3. “Do you also want the apex to work?” (www only)

When you type www.yourbrand.com, the UI asks whether yourbrand.com (the apex, no prefix) should also serve your site.

  • No, www only — one DNS record. Skip to step 5.
  • Yes, include apex — continue to step 4.

4. “Does your DNS provider support CNAME flattening or ALIAS records?”

This step appears whenever an apex is involved (you entered an apex directly, or you said “include apex”). The answer depends on your registrar:

  • Yes — providers like Cloudflare, DNSimple, Netlify DNS, Route 53, and a few registrars support a CNAME or ALIAS at the apex. You’ll add one record.
  • No — most traditional registrars (GoDaddy, Namecheap, many others). You’ll add two records: a CNAME on www pointing at PageFork, plus an A record at the apex pointing at PageFork’s redirect service (which 301-redirects the apex to www).

If you’re unsure, pick No — the two-record path works everywhere.

5. Copy the DNS records from PageFork

After confirming your answers, PageFork shows the exact records to paste into your registrar. Each record has a copy button.

What you’ll see depends on the case:

Case A — Subdomain (not www)

One CNAME:

TypeNameTarget
CNAME(your subdomain, e.g. launch)sites.pagefork.ai

Case B — www only

One CNAME:

TypeNameTarget
CNAMEwwwsites.pagefork.ai

Case C — Apex with ALIAS / CNAME flattening

One record at the apex:

TypeNameTarget
CNAME (flattened) or ALIAS@ (or blank)sites.pagefork.ai

Case D — www + apex, without ALIAS / flattening

Two records:

TypeNameTarget
CNAMEwwwsites.pagefork.ai
A@(redirect IP shown by PageFork)

The A record only routes traffic to PageFork’s redirect service — all it does is 301-redirect the apex to www. It does not serve the site itself; the CNAME on www does.

The redirect IP shown in the app is authoritative — copy the value from the UI, not from this page.

6. Wait for verification and SSL

PageFork polls DNS automatically. Your domain moves through:

  • Pending — records haven’t been seen yet.
  • Validating — records found; Let’s Encrypt is issuing a certificate.
  • Active — HTTPS is live.
  • Failed — something went wrong; the error tells you what.

Typical time: 1–10 minutes. Click Refresh status to poll immediately.

Common issues

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