Domains
Why isn't HTTPS showing up on my custom domain?
10 August 2026 · 3 min read
You added your domain, pointed the DNS record, and expected a clean padlock. Instead you're staring at “can't connect,” a certificate warning, or, confusingly, your old host's site still loading. Almost none of this means anything is broken. It almost always means one specific, common thing, and there's a short list of usual suspects to check before assuming the worst.
Start with timing, not the setup
SSL isn't issued the moment you add a domain. It's issued after your DNS record resolves correctly, and DNS changes aren't instant. Until that record propagates, whatever's currently answering for your domain (nothing, your old host, a registrar parking page) is what visitors see, which is exactly what produces a timeout or a certificate warning that has nothing to do with MakeMySiteLive itself.
Propagation time depends on your DNS provider and the TTL (time-to-live) your previous record had, sometimes minutes, occasionally longer. Check the dashboard's own verify step before concluding the setup is wrong; a “not verified yet” state that clears on its own after a wait is normal, not a bug.
The DNS mismatches that cause this
The most common cause by far is a leftover record from wherever the domain used to point. Adding the new record MakeMySiteLive shows you doesn't automatically remove an old one. If your previous host's A or CNAME record is still sitting in your DNS settings alongside the new one, resolvers can pick either, which produces exactly the “sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't” symptom people report.
The second most common cause is a typo or a guessed value, typing in an IP address you found somewhere instead of the exact target shown in your dashboard. DNS doesn't validate that a record “looks right”; a single wrong character just quietly fails.
The third is a registrar's own parking or forwarding feature, which some registrars turn on by default when you buy a domain. That intercepts traffic before your DNS records are even consulted, so the domain looks “connected” in your registrar's UI while never reaching MakeMySiteLive.
www vs. the bare domain
yourbrand.com and www.yourbrand.com are two separate DNS records, not one setting with two names. MakeMySiteLive shows an A record for the bare (apex) domain and a target for www or other subdomains. If you only add one, the other will keep failing even though “the domain” looks connected. Pick the version you want to be canonical and either set up both records or redirect one to the other, rather than expecting one record to cover both automatically.
How to confirm it's fixed
Don't just refresh the same browser tab. Your own device or ISP may still be serving a cached DNS answer for a while after the record elsewhere has already updated. Check the dashboard's verify status first, since that's reading the real, current DNS state, and if the browser still disagrees, try a different network or device before assuming the setup itself is wrong.
Quick symptom check
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “Can't connect” or times out | DNS hasn't propagated yet, or the record is missing | Re-check the exact record shown in your dashboard, then wait and re-run verify |
| Certificate / “not secure” warning | DNS resolves, but SSL hasn't finished issuing yet | Wait for the dashboard to show the domain as verified — the certificate follows right after |
| Works on www but not the bare domain (or the reverse) | Only one of the two has a record — the other points nowhere | Add the missing record, or redirect one version to the other |
| Worked yesterday, broken today | A leftover or parking record was added back alongside yours | Check your DNS settings for anything besides the one record MakeMySiteLive gave you |
| Works on phone, not on laptop (or the reverse) | That device or network is using a cached DNS answer | Try a different network, or wait out the old record's TTL |
Key takeaways
- ✓Most “HTTPS isn't working” reports are a DNS record problem, not an SSL problem: the certificate can't be issued until DNS resolves correctly.
- ✓A leftover record from your previous host is the single most common silent cause. Check for one specifically, not just whether you added the new record.
- ✓Different devices can show different results for a while after a change. That's normal DNS caching, not a broken setup.
- ✓SSL itself is free and automatic on MakeMySiteLive once DNS is correct. There's nothing to buy or configure separately.
Frequently asked questions
How long should this take?
Usually minutes once the record shown in your dashboard is saved correctly, but propagation depends on your DNS provider and the previous record's TTL, which can occasionally take longer. Check the dashboard's verify status before assuming something's wrong.
It works on my phone but not my laptop — is something broken?
Probably not. That's typically one device or network still holding a cached DNS answer from before your change. Try a different network, or give it more time for that specific resolver's cache to expire.
I removed my old host's records, but it's still showing their site.
Double-check for a record you missed — some registrars add a default parking or forwarding record when you buy a domain, which has to be manually deleted rather than just added around.
Do I need to buy an SSL certificate separately?
No. SSL is issued and renewed automatically for connected custom domains, the same as for subdomains — there's no separate certificate to purchase or install.