Connect your custom domain to your Carrot site

Connect your domain in Carrot, then update its DNS records at your domain provider. DNS records are the settings that direct visitors to your site. These steps are the same for every Carrot site.

Connect your domain

You need access to administer the site and to edit your domain’s DNS. If you don’t own a domain yet, choose and purchase one first.

1. Open Domain settings and choose your account.

2. Check the site name. If it’s the wrong site, select the site name to choose another, then open Site Admin → Domain if needed.

3. Check any billing notice before connecting. Review the charge shown for your account. If the page asks you to contact support, use the help drawer’s Support tab before continuing.

4. Under Custom Domain, enter a domain you own, such as example.com, in Domain, then select Add domain. Adding the name alone does not finish the connection.

5. At the provider that manages your DNS, save both records your Domain page shows. Use those values for your site. Follow your registrar’s instructions to use its DNS editor.

   If you can’t access the DNS settings or aren’t sure which existing records to change, ask your DNS provider before saving. Keep email and unrelated records.

6. Return to the Domain page to check the DNS and certificate states. DNS configured means Carrot has detected DNS pointing to the site. Certificate pending means the HTTPS security certificate isn’t ready; Certificate issued means it is ready. New connections start certificate setup automatically.

Check the connection

Add both records your Domain page shows, then open both example.com and www.example.com to check they reach your site. Use your own domain in place of example.com, and test both addresses using HTTPS without a security warning. The bare address without www is also called the apex domain.

If the Domain page shows the records aren’t correct, compare them with your provider’s saved records. Ask your DNS provider if you need help changing them.

Once the Domain page shows the records are correct, allow up to 24 hours for DNS and HTTPS setup. If either address still fails after that, use the help drawer’s Support tab or start a chat. Include the domain, the failing address, and the status or warning you see.

Your registrar’s instructions

Your registrar is the company where you bought the domain. If another provider manages your DNS, use that provider’s help instead. These official guides explain how to add or edit records; use the values your Carrot Domain page shows.

• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• IONOS (formerly 1&1)
• Bluehost
• Domain.com
• Name.com
• Network Solutions
• Hover
• Squarespace Domains (Google Domains’ successor)
• Cloudflare

Using another provider? Search its help for “add DNS record”.