# Your own domain

Give your site its own address, like `www.maisoncafe.co.uk`. Your AI can find a name that's free, tell you where to buy it, and connect it. You own the domain; Page Lemon hosts the site on it.

## Say this to your AI

No domain yet:

```prompt
Find me a domain for my café
```

Already have one:

```prompt
Connect www.maisoncafe.co.uk to my site
```

## What happens

1. **Find:** once you have a free account, your AI checks which names look free and gives you plain links to buy one at Porkbun or Namecheap, with a rough yearly price. We only link to domain companies that can also run the [bare domain](#bare-domain). Page Lemon doesn't sell domains or take a cut.
2. **Buy:** you open a link, create an account at that domain company and pay there. The domain is yours; you renew it with them each year.
3. **Connect:** say "connect" and the domain name. Your AI adds it to your site and gives you a link. Open it, sign in at your domain company and click **Connect**.
4. **Live:** Page Lemon sets up the secure padlock (https) for you and emails you when the site is live on your domain, usually within minutes. Your `pagelemon.dev` address keeps working.

> **Plans:** custom domains come with every paid plan: 3 domains on Prompter, 5 on Builder, 10 on Team and 25 on Company, across all your sites. On Free, your AI can offer a 14-day free trial of Prompter with no card, and asks before starting it.

## Use www {#use-www}

Connect the `www` address, like `www.maisoncafe.co.uk`; the one-click link does this for you. It works with every domain company. To make the bare name (`maisoncafe.co.uk`) work too, turn on "forwarding" (sometimes "redirect") at your domain company, from `maisoncafe.co.uk` to `https://www.maisoncafe.co.uk`.

Want the bare name itself as the address? See [Using the bare domain](#bare-domain).

Names with accents or other scripts, like `café.fr`, work too.

## Using the bare domain (example.com without www) {#bare-domain}

The bare domain is the name with nothing in front, like `maisoncafe.co.uk`. Pointing it at Page Lemon needs a special kind of DNS record, called `ALIAS`, `ANAME` or "CNAME flattening" depending on the company. Not every domain company has it.

These DNS hosts handle the bare domain directly (checked October 2026):

| DNS host | What they call it |
|---|---|
| Cloudflare (free plan) | CNAME flattening (automatic: add a `CNAME` with the name `@`) |
| Porkbun | `ALIAS` record |
| Namecheap | `ALIAS` record (in **Advanced DNS**) |
| Dynadot | `ANAME` record (in **DNS Settings**, under **Domain Record**) |
| Gandi | `ALIAS` record (on LiveDNS, Gandi's standard DNS; not on its old "classic" DNS) |
| DNSimple | `ALIAS` record |
| DNS Made Easy, Constellix | `ANAME` record (DNS services only: they don't sell domains) |
| Google Cloud DNS | `ALIAS` record (a preview feature, set with the `gcloud` command line only) |

Our buy links only go to domain companies on this list (Porkbun and Namecheap), so a domain bought through your AI can always use the bare name.

If yours is one of them, ask your AI to connect the bare domain (for example "Connect maisoncafe.co.uk to my site"). It adds the record with the name `@` and the value it gives you.

If your domain company isn't on the list, you have two choices:

- **Use www** (easiest): connect `www.maisoncafe.co.uk` and forward the bare name to it, as described in [Use www](#use-www).
- **Move your DNS to Cloudflare's free plan**, below. Your domain stays registered where it is; only the DNS (the address book for your domain) moves.

### Move your DNS to Cloudflare (free) {#cloudflare}

About 20 minutes, plus waiting time. You keep your domain company and pay nothing extra.

> **Important:** copy your email records first. Your current DNS host holds records that deliver your email (`MX` records, and `TXT` records such as `v=spf1…`, `_dmarc` and DKIM keys). If they don't come across to Cloudflare, your email stops arriving. Take a screenshot or export of every record at your current DNS host before you start.

1. **Create a free Cloudflare account** at cloudflare.com and confirm your email.
2. **Add your domain:** in the Cloudflare dashboard, choose **Add a domain**, type your domain (like `maisoncafe.co.uk`) and pick the **Free** plan.
3. **Check the records Cloudflare found.** Cloudflare copies the records it can see. Compare them with your screenshot, line by line. Add anything missing, especially every `MX` record and every `TXT` record. Leave the values exactly as they were.
4. **Note the two nameservers** Cloudflare gives you, like `ada.ns.cloudflare.com` and `bob.ns.cloudflare.com`.
5. **Turn off DNSSEC** at your domain company if it's on (look for "DNSSEC" in the domain's settings). You can turn it on again in Cloudflare later. Leaving it on while you switch can make the domain stop working.
6. **Change the nameservers at your domain company.** Sign in where you bought the domain, open the domain's settings and find **Nameservers** (sometimes "Custom nameservers" or "Use my own nameservers"). Replace the ones listed with the two from Cloudflare, and save.
7. **Wait for Cloudflare's email** saying your domain is active. It's often within an hour; it can take up to a day. Your website and email keep working on the old DNS meanwhile.
8. **Connect the bare domain:** ask your AI "Connect maisoncafe.co.uk to my site". In Cloudflare, set the new records to **DNS only** (grey cloud).

After the switch, make any future DNS changes in Cloudflare, not at your domain company.

## One-click connect

Your AI's link opens your domain company's own Connect screen (this uses Domain Connect, an open standard). Sign in, check it names Page Lemon, and click **Connect**. It adds only what your website needs and leaves your email alone: nothing to copy or paste.

> **Note:** some domain companies don't support one-click connect yet. If yours doesn't, your AI gives you the records to add by hand instead (about 5 minutes, below), or you can send the [share link](#someone-else-runs-your-domain) to whoever runs your DNS.

## Add the records by hand

Only if one-click connect isn't available. You'll get records like these, with your own code:

| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| `CNAME` | `www` | `customers.pagelemon.dev` |
| `TXT` | `_pagelemon.www` | `pl-verify-…` (your code) |

1. Sign in where your domain's DNS is managed. **Don't know where you bought it?** Page Lemon looks up your domain's name servers and your AI tells you which company to sign in to, and which menu to open there.
2. Open the domain's DNS settings. They may be called "DNS", "DNS records", "Manage DNS" or "Advanced DNS".
3. If there's already an `A`, `AAAA` or `CNAME` record named `www` (an old website or a "parking" page), edit it or delete it first. Two records with the same name block each other.
4. Add the `CNAME` record, then the `TXT` record. Copy each value exactly.
5. Add any other records you were given, the same way. Some domains need one more for the security certificate.
6. Save. If a box asks for "TTL", leave it as it is.

> **Important:** leave every other record alone, especially ones called `MX`: they deliver your email. Page Lemon only ever needs the records named above, and one-click connect never touches anything else.

| Domain company | Where the DNS settings are |
|---|---|
| Porkbun | Domain Management → **DNS** next to the domain |
| Namecheap | Domain List → **Manage** → **Advanced DNS** |
| GoDaddy | My Products → the domain → **DNS** |
| Cloudflare | The domain → **DNS** → **Records**. Set the new records to **DNS only** (grey cloud) |

**Name box only wants part of it?** Most companies add your domain to the end for you, so type just `www` or `_pagelemon.www`. If yours wants the whole name, type `www.maisoncafe.co.uk` and `_pagelemon.www.maisoncafe.co.uk`.

## Is it working yet?

```prompt
Is my domain working yet?
```

Ask any time, in the same chat or a new one. Page Lemon re-checks the domain and your AI tells you what it sees in DNS: the domain is live, or exactly what's still missing, such as:

- a `www` record that still points at your old website;
- a `TXT` record with a mistyped value;
- no records visible yet (new records can take a few hours to reach everyone);
- a domain that doesn't exist in DNS, which usually means it was only just bought or wasn't renewed;
- a `CAA` record that blocks the security certificate.

You can also open the site → **Domains** in your account and click **Check now**. Asking to connect the same domain again is safe: it repeats the steps and adds nothing.

When the domain goes live, Page Lemon emails you. Your `pagelemon.dev` address keeps working the whole time.

> **Note:** a domain that isn't connected within 7 days of being added is released. You can add it again whenever you're ready.

## Someone else runs your domain?

If a web designer, your IT person or a company manages your domain, you don't need their password. Send them the link from your AI: they open it and click **Connect**. If one-click connect isn't available, your AI, or **Someone else runs your DNS?** on the **Domains** tab, gives you a share link with the records and live status. Send them that link.

## Move a domain to another site {#move}

To put your domain on a different one of your sites:

```prompt
Move www.maisoncafe.co.uk from my old site to my new site
```

1. Remove the domain from the old site first ("Disconnect www.maisoncafe.co.uk from my old site"). Your AI asks you to confirm.
2. Add it to the new site. The `CNAME` record stays as it is; you get a new `TXT` value to replace the old one.

**Handing a site to someone else?** When you [transfer a site](/docs/co-editors#hand-a-site-to-a-client), its domain moves with it and keeps working: nothing to redo in DNS. The domain's registration stays in the account where it was bought. To put the registration in the new owner's name, use the domain company's own "transfer to another account" (or "change of registrant") steps.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Still not live after a few hours | Check each record's name and value letter by letter. Look for a second `www` record and remove it |
| The domain company won't accept a CNAME | You're probably adding it on the bare domain. Use `www`, or see [Using the bare domain](#bare-domain) |
| The name ended up doubled, like `www.maisoncafe.co.uk.maisoncafe.co.uk` | Your company adds the domain itself. Type just `www` |
| "You've used all your domains" | Remove a domain you don't use, or move to a bigger plan |
| "Connected to your other site" | Remove it from that site first, then add it here ([Move a domain](#move)) |
| "Being connected to another Page Lemon site" | Another account has added it. If it's your domain, email support@pagelemon.com |
| Email stopped arriving | An `MX` record was changed or removed. Put it back as your email provider says |

More fixes: [Fix a problem](/docs/fix-a-problem#my-domain-isnt-working).