Connect your own domain

Connect your own domainBy default your website lives at a SamuraiDesk address. If you already own a domain — yourgym.com, or a subdomain like join.yourgym.com — you can point it here so visitors never see our address at all.What you need first

The domain, already registered with a provider (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains, your web host…).

Access to that provider's DNS settings — usually called "DNS", "Nameservers" or "Advanced DNS".

About 10 minutes, plus waiting time. DNS changes are not instant.

Step 1 — Enter the domainIn your admin, go to Website ▸ Settings ▸ Web Address and type the domain into Custom domain. Enter it plainly — yourgym.com, not https://yourgym.com/. Save.The screen will then show you the exact DNS records to create, filled in with your own values. Keep that page open — the next step uses it.Step 2 — Add two DNS recordsIn your domain provider's DNS settings, add both records shown on that screen:

A TXT record — this proves the domain is yours. Nobody can connect a domain they don't control.

A CNAME record pointing at samuraidesk.com — this is what actually sends visitors to your website. If you are connecting the bare domain (yourgym.com rather than www.yourgym.com), your provider will need an A record instead, because the DNS standard does not allow a CNAME on a bare domain. The setup screen tells you which case applies to you and shows the right value.

Leave any existing email (MX) records alone. Connecting your website here does not affect email sent to that domain.Step 3 — VerifyBack on the settings screen, press Check DNS. It queries your domain live and reports each record separately, so you can see exactly which part has caught up and which has not.It is completely normal for the TXT record to be found before the CNAME, or the other way round. Providers publish changes at their own pace — typically a few minutes, occasionally up to 24 hours. Nothing is broken while you wait; press Check DNS again later.Step 4 — It goes liveOnce the TXT record is confirmed, your domain is verified and we will serve your website on it. Visitors reaching yourgym.com land on your gym's page, and your sign-up and member login links work on your own domain too.If it is not working

Check DNS says the TXT is missing — most often the record was added with the wrong name. The name should be @ (or blank, or the domain itself, depending on the provider), not "TXT" or the token.

Check DNS says the domain does not point here yet — the CNAME or A record hasn't propagated, or it was added to a different subdomain than the one you entered.

You entered www.yourgym.com but people type yourgym.com — add a redirect at your provider from the bare domain to www, which every provider supports.

The browser shows an old page — your own computer caches DNS. Try a different network or a private window before assuming it failed.

HTTPS certificates are issued for your domain automatically once it points here. If your browser warns about the certificate in the first few minutes after connecting, give it a little longer before worrying.

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