If you are on the Pro plan and above, you can set up your own domain - a custom domain for your New Zenler site. This will replace newzenler.com from your site URL with your own branded domain.
Custom Domain Pre-requisites
To set up a Custom Domain you need:
a. A domain purchased from a domain host (Namecheap, Bluehost, GoDaddy, etc).
b. A paid Zenler plan.
What is a Custom Domain?
When you signup for New Zenler, you will be accessing your New Zenler site through, a New Zenler URL, eg my-site.newzenler.com.
Once you set up a custom domain you and your users can access your New Zenler site with a domain that you own.
So that you can replace your NewZenler.com URL with a branded domain such as www.your-site.com or courses.your-site.com instead!
There are 2 steps involved in setting up a Custom Domain.
Set a Custom Domain value in New Zenler Dashboard.
Set Up a CNAME record in your domain provider's dashboard.
1. Set a Custom Domain value in New Zenler Dashboard
a. Login to your New Zenler site.
b. Select the ‘Site’ menu and go to the ‘Site Settings’ sub-menu (on the left bar).
c. Click the ‘Custom Domain’ tab and in the space provided enter the custom domain you own (eg. www.your-site.com or courses.your-site.com).
d. Click the ‘Update’ button to enable the custom domain.
Then complete Step 2 (Set Up a CNAME record) to finish the custom domain setup.
2. Set Up a CNAME record
For the custom domain to work, you need to create a CNAME record in your domain provider's dashboard. A CNAME record tells the browser to load the New Zenler site when you enter your domain for eg. www.your-site.com or courses.your-site.com in the browser.
Each domain provider will have a different screen to create the CNAME record.
You can use the links below to set up a CNAME record for corresponding providers.
IMPORTANT Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for your custom domain to propagate throughout the world wide web so please do not rush it (after setting up your CNAME record).
If your domain provider is not listed above, then the following general instructions apply to all domain hosts:
1. Log in to your domain provider's dashboard.
2. Locate the DNS (Domain Name Settings) for your domain
(usually under something like domains, manage domains etc...)
3. Select to create a new DNS record.
This will usually be available in a menu titled something like:
Zone Settings
Zone Editor
DNS Zone File
Advanced DNS
Once there, create a new CNAME record.
4. Name Your CNAME record
The name for your CNAME record must be a subdomain. A subdomain precedes your main domain name.
For example:
in www.your-site.com, www is the subdomain.
in courses.your-site.com, courses is the subdomain.
in school.your-site.com, school is the subdomain.
This setting will often be in a field named:
Host
Hostname
Alias
Most domains will not require you to include your domain within this field. For example, you can simply add www instead of www.your-site.com or courses for courses.your-site.com.
5. Point your CNAME record to your New Zenler site
The CNAME record needs to point to your current New Zenler URL. Copy the exact URL of your NewZenler site, for example, my-site.newzenler.com
Add the New Zenler URL you copied and paste it into a field often named:
Points to
Target
Value
6. Set the TTL Field
TTL stands for Time To Live (in seconds).
If TTL can be set, then select the lowest available value (usually 3600 seconds). If you can't choose a value, skip this step.
7. Save your changes
You need to save the changes by clicking on the SAVE or EDIT button. Once your record has been successfully saved, you are all set in your domain host!
If you are changing values on an already existing CNAME record then it can take up to 24 hours or more before it has changed on servers worldwide. If that's the case, you'll need to wait until you see it reflected live!
How to Test Your Custom Domain
Once you've created your CNAME record and set it up in New Zenler, make sure to test out your custom domain. Wait for an hour or so and input your new custom site address in the URL of your browser (and remember that it can take up to 24 hours or more to work). If everything has been completed correctly, you should see your New Zenler site load!
If you are not able to view your New Zenler website when you enter your domain name then try the custom domain FAQ section.
How to Set Your Custom Domain to Primary
Important: Do this step only after making sure your custom domain is working properly.
When adding your custom domain in New Zenler, there is an option to Set as Primary. Your primary URL is the only URL that will be visible within the browser bar when someone navigates to your site. If your custom domain is Set as Primary, this means if someone typed in either your New Zenler URL (eg. your-site.newzenler.com) or your custom domain (eg. www.your-site.com), they will see your custom domain in the browser bar (eg. www.your-site.com).
Follow the steps below to set your Custom Domain as Primary:
1. Log in to your NewZenler school
2. In the admin page go to Site -> Custom Domain
3. Turn on the toggle button, "Set as Primary"
4. Click on the OK button on the form "Are You Sure you would like to set this as your Primary domain?"
Frequently Asked Questions - Custom domain troubleshooting
Please click on the link below to go to the FAQ page