Domains
What is a custom domain, and how do you get one?
1 September 2026 · 4 min read
“Custom domain” is one of the most-searched phrases in web hosting, and one of the least explained. Registrars use it to sell you a name. Hosting dashboards use it as a toggle you switch on. Neither tells you what has to actually happen for yourname.com to show your site instead of a blank page. Here's the plain version, plus the two steps MakeMySiteLive uses to make it work.
The short answer
A custom domain is a web address you own outright, like yourname.com, instead of borrowing a slice of someone else's, like yourname.makemysitelive.com. Owning it means two separate things have to happen before it works: you register the name with a company that sells them, and you tell that name where to send visitors. Most of the confusion around the term comes from doing only one of those two things and expecting the other to happen on its own.
Step one: you register the name
Domain names are sold by registrars, not by hosts. You pick a name, check it's available, and pay a yearly fee, typically $10–$15 for a .com, though country-specific extensions like .in or .dev price differently. This step happens entirely at the registrar and has nothing to do with MakeMySiteLive or any other host. It's also the part that keeps costing money every year for as long as you keep the name.
If you already own a domain from an old project, skip straight to step two.
Step two: you point it at your hosting
Owning a name doesn't connect it to anything by itself. A domain sits idle until you add a DNS record telling it where to look, and that's the step that actually makes yourname.com load your site. On a MakeMySiteLive Pro full site it's one record, in one of two shapes depending on what you're pointing.
A bare domain (yourname.com) needs an A record pointing at the IP address your dashboard gives you. A subdomain you're moving over (www.yourname.com, or any other prefix) needs a CNAME record pointing at the target shown there. Use the displayed value rather than copying one from an article, since hosting targets can change. You add whichever record applies, and the domain shows as pending until DNS catches up.
Nothing activates just because you clicked a button in the dashboard. The domain goes live the moment MakeMySiteLive can actually resolve that DNS record and see it pointing at the right place, usually within minutes, occasionally up to a day if your registrar is slow to propagate changes.
The shortcut, if your domain is at GoDaddy or Cloudflare
Adding a DNS record by hand is a five-minute job, but it still means leaving MakeMySiteLive, finding the right settings page at your registrar, and pasting a value correctly. If your domain's DNS is already managed at GoDaddy or Cloudflare, you can skip that: approve the exact record MakeMySiteLive wants to add, and it gets written for you automatically. No password, API key, or account access is ever requested, only that one record, for that one hostname.
Every other registrar still works, it just means the manual path above instead of the one-click one.
SSL isn't a separate step
Whichever path you take on a Pro full site, HTTPS is issued and renewed automatically once the domain verifies. There's no certificate to buy, install, or remember to renew before it expires.
Do you actually need one?
A free yourname.makemysitelive.com subdomain is a fully working, HTTPS-secured address with no time limit, and for a portfolio you're sharing with a few people, or a prototype you're testing, that's often enough. A custom domain starts to matter once the address itself is doing work for you: on a business card, in ad spend, in a brand people should remember without you spelling out a subdomain. If it's the cost you're weighing rather than the mechanics, the full price breakdown is in the post linked below.
Getting a custom domain connected
| GoDaddy / Cloudflare | Any other registrar | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Approve one record | Copy one record into your registrar's DNS settings |
| Time | Under a minute | A few minutes, plus DNS propagation (up to ~24h) |
| Credentials shared | None — only the record is written | None — you add the record yourself |
| SSL | Automatic | Automatic |
Key takeaways
- ✓A custom domain requires two separate steps: buying the name from a registrar, and pointing it at your hosting. Neither happens automatically because of the other.
- ✓On MakeMySiteLive, custom domains are available on Pro full sites, not Free full sites or microsites.
- ✓MakeMySiteLive needs one DNS record: an A record for a bare domain, a CNAME for a subdomain.
- ✓GoDaddy and Cloudflare domains can skip manual DNS entirely through an automatic, one-record setup that never asks for your login.
- ✓A domain only goes live once DNS actually resolves to MakeMySiteLive, not the moment you save it in the dashboard.
- ✓SSL is issued and renewed automatically either way, with nothing to buy separately.
Frequently asked questions
What is a custom domain in simple terms?
A web address you own and control, like yourname.com, instead of a subdomain borrowed from your host, like yourname.makemysitelive.com. Owning it means registering the name with a registrar and then pointing it at whatever hosts your site.
How long does it take for a custom domain to go live?
Usually a few minutes once the DNS record is added correctly. It can take longer, up to about 24 hours, if your registrar is slow to propagate changes, since MakeMySiteLive only activates the domain once it can actually resolve to the right address.
Does MakeMySiteLive support automatic domain setup?
Yes, for domains managed at GoDaddy or Cloudflare. You approve the exact DNS record MakeMySiteLive wants to add, and it's written for you, no password or account access required. Every other registrar uses the same one-record setup, just added manually.
Do I need to buy an SSL certificate separately?
No. On a Pro full site, HTTPS is issued and renewed automatically for a custom domain on both the automatic and manual setup paths.
What's the difference between this and a free subdomain?
A free yourname.makemysitelive.com address works immediately, is fully HTTPS-secured, and never expires. A custom domain also requires a Pro full site, plus the registrar's recurring fee for the name and one DNS setup step.