Feature
Custom domain: your gallery site at yourgallery.com
Collectors trust a URL that matches your letterhead. Website Studio publishes on a domain you already own; you point DNS once and the app handles certificates, apex and www, and campaign email verification. This guide walks Settings → Domain from first entry through a live site.
When you need a custom domain
Every workspace gets a preview subdomain for drafting. A custom domain (for example `yourgallery.com`) is for the public site collectors bookmark, share, and find in Google.
Custom domains require an Advanced or Max plan with Website Studio. Core covers inventory, CRM, rooms, and invoicing without a public site on your own URL.
You can import catalogue data and run private sales on Core first, then connect the domain when the gallery website is ready to replace Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify.
Open Settings and enter your domain
Sidebar → Settings → Domain tab (or Website Studio → Publish → Connect domain). Type the apex domain you own, without `https://` (for example `example.com`).
Click Check DNS before connecting. The app detects your registrar and existing records (email MX, verification TXT, common subdomains) so nothing silently breaks on cutover.
If the domain already hosts Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 mail, paste a zone export or follow the Cloudflare token prompt when shown. Preserving MX records matters more than speed.
Connect and update nameservers
Click Connect domain. The app provisions hosting and returns four nameservers. Log in to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare Registrar, Squarespace Domains, and similar) and replace the current nameservers with those four. Do not add them as extra records.
After you save at the registrar, click I updated the nameservers. Propagation usually takes minutes to a couple of hours; the page keeps checking automatically.
When connection completes, both apex (`example.com`) and `www` serve your published site over HTTPS. No manual certificate upload.
Verify the live site and email domain
Open your domain in a private browser window and confirm the homepage matches your last Publish update in Website Studio. Check one artist page and one exhibition page while logged out.
Campaign email from `@yourdomain.com` verifies separately. When SendGrid finishes DNS checks, the Domain tab shows email ready. Until then, campaigns still send from the platform default.
Manage extra DNS records (verification TXT, third-party subdomains) on the same Domain tab once status reads Connected.
Wire Website Studio to the domain
Website Studio → Publish shows live status and Publish site / Publish update actions. Content toggles under Content (artists, works, exhibitions, events) control what appears after publish.
Set Site → Header navigation to match how collectors browse. Password-protect drafts under Site → Site password while directors review before On web toggles go live.
Enable storefront checkout on Site → Storefront when you sell editions or tickets on the same domain.
Migration habits that save pain
Map old URLs in Website Studio → Site → Redirects before you cancel the previous host. Exhibition and artist paths from Squarespace or Wix are the usual gaps.
Run the old site and the new domain in parallel for one to two stable weeks when traffic is high. Toggle On web gradually if you prefer a soft launch.
See migrate from Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify for inventory import and redirect checklists.
FAQ
- Which plan includes a custom domain?
- Advanced and Max include Website Studio on your own domain. Core has no public site builder. See pricing for the current matrix.
- Do I need to add DNS records manually?
- Usually no. Replace nameservers at your registrar with the four the app provides. Manual CNAME steps appear only on legacy setups without automatic provisioning.
- Will my email stop working?
- Not if you preserve MX records. Use Check DNS and paste a zone export when the app detects existing mail services. Add or edit records on the Domain tab after connect.
- How long until the site is live?
- After nameservers propagate and status reads Connected, publish from Website Studio. DNS propagation is typically under two hours; some registrars take longer.
- Can I connect a domain before the site is designed?
- Yes. Use Site password on the draft site while you build templates. Connect the domain early if you want email verification running in parallel with design work.
Explore the full capability matrix on Features, compare modular plans on Pricing, or contact the team with workflow questions.