Documentation
Add the domain in your account, update two DNS records, and it's live - apex or www, SSL issued automatically, for 99¢ a month more.
Pointing a custom domain at a Lemonade Host site is a two-part process: add the domain in your account, then update two DNS records at whichever registrar you bought the domain from. Once those records resolve, SSL is issued automatically and the domain is live.
In your account, type in the domain you already own. There's no transfer and no change of registrar - you keep the domain exactly where it is, and just point where it resolves to. Bought the domain from us? Then there is nothing to do here: it is connected to your site for you. For an overview of using your own domain, see custom domains.
After you add the domain, we show you the exact records to add and where - copy, paste, save at your registrar's DNS settings. For yoursite.com, they look like this:
| Type | Host / Name | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
CNAME | @ | yoursite.lemonhosted.com | Your address, the name you typed. Required. Some registrars call this an ALIAS or ANAME record on a bare domain. |
CNAME | www | yoursite.lemonhosted.com | The other half of the pair, which redirects to your address. Optional, and worth doing. |
TXT | _lemonade-challenge | lemonade-verify=... | Only if your account asks for it, to prove the domain is yours. Copy the exact value from your account. |
The value is your own site's free .lemonhosted.com address, and your account shows the exact records for your domain with a Copy button beside each one. Leave your other records alone, especially anything marked MX, so your email keeps working. Most registrars apply the change within minutes, though it can take longer depending on your registrar and how long your previous records were cached elsewhere. Propagation isn't something we control on our end; it's the nature of DNS itself.
A domain has two common front doors - the bare apex (yoursite.com) and the www subdomain (www.yoursite.com). Point either one at us, and we redirect the other to it, so a visitor lands in the same place no matter which they typed.
| Example | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Apex domain | yoursite.com | Shorter, and what most people type from memory |
| www subdomain | www.yoursite.com | The older habit - still what some visitors type first |
The moment your DNS records resolve, a certificate is issued for the new domain automatically - nothing to buy separately, nothing to install by hand. It renews itself before it expires, the same as the certificate on your free subdomain. Full detail on how certificates are issued and renewed is on the SSL page.
A custom domain adds 99¢ a month to a site's bill on a yearly plan, on top of the base 99¢ (or $2.99 a month on a monthly plan). More names for the same site? Domain Plus covers up to 10 more for $2.99 a month billed yearly, or $4.99 monthly. That's the whole cost - no separate DNS fee, no SSL add-on, and no charge for switching which domain points at a site if you change your mind later. See it alongside every other price on the pricing page.
The step-by-step version, including what to check when a record won't resolve, is in the help center: point your own domain at your site.
Keep reading
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Every article, one question per page.
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