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Connect a Domain

Connect a custom domain when you want Atomicat pages to appear under a branded URL such as yourbrand.com, www.yourbrand.com, or offer.yourbrand.com.

A custom domain is recommended for professional campaigns because it improves trust, consistency, and conversion quality.

Before you connect a domain​

Make sure you have:

  • Access to your Atomicat account
  • A paid plan or domain access if required by your subscription
  • A site already created in Atomicat
  • Access to your domain provider or DNS manager
  • A domain or subdomain you want to use
  • No active conflicting DNS record for the same host

Connect a custom domain​

  1. Open Sites in Atomicat.
  2. Find the site that should receive the custom domain. Make sure this is the correct site before continuing, because the domain will be connected to this publishing destination.
  3. Choose the connect-domain action for that site.
  4. Enter the domain you want visitors to use. If you are connecting your main domain and it is not a subdomain, add www at the start, such as www.yourbrand.com. If you are using a subdomain, enter the full subdomain, such as offer.yourbrand.com.
  5. Confirm the domain in Atomicat. Atomicat will show the DNS record that must be created or updated at your domain provider.
  6. Copy the full DNS record exactly as Atomicat shows it. Check the record type, host or name, and value or target before leaving the page.
  7. Open your domain provider or DNS manager in a new tab. This may be where you bought the domain, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Hostinger, Registro.br, or another DNS service.
  8. Add the DNS record shown by Atomicat. Use the same record type and value. For the host or name field, use the host Atomicat expects, such as www, offer, or another subdomain label.
  9. Save the DNS record at your provider. If there is an old record for the same host, remove or update the conflicting record so only the correct Atomicat record remains.
  10. Return to Atomicat and select the option to check or verify DNS.
  11. Wait for verification. DNS changes can take a few minutes, and sometimes longer depending on the provider. If verification fails, compare the DNS record in your provider with the values shown in Atomicat.

Atomicat checks whether the domain points to the expected destination. If DNS is correct, the domain can be attached to the site and prepared for SSL.

Domain format​

Enter the domain without protocol or paths.

Use:

yourbrand.com
www.yourbrand.com
offer.yourbrand.com

Do not use:

https://yourbrand.com
yourbrand.com/offer
yourbrand.com?id=123

The page path is configured later as the publishing slug.

Root domain vs subdomain​

Domain typeExampleUse when
Root domainyourbrand.comThe whole domain should point to your Atomicat site.
WWW domainwww.yourbrand.comYou use www as the public website URL.
Subdomainoffer.yourbrand.comYou want Atomicat for a specific campaign or funnel only.

If your main website is hosted somewhere else, use a subdomain such as go.yourbrand.com, offer.yourbrand.com, or pages.yourbrand.com.

If the domain is not a subdomain, use the www version when connecting it in Atomicat, for example www.yourbrand.com.

How to add a DNS record​

The exact layout changes by provider, but the same fields usually appear in every DNS manager.

  1. Sign in to the account where your domain DNS is managed.
  2. Open the domain you want to connect.
  3. Find the DNS area. It may be named DNS, DNS records, Advanced DNS, Zone editor, or Manage DNS.
  4. Choose Add record or edit the existing record for the same host.
  5. Select the record type shown in Atomicat, usually CNAME for www or a subdomain.
  6. In the Host, Name, or Subdomain field, enter only the host part. For www.yourbrand.com, enter www. For offer.yourbrand.com, enter offer.
  7. In the Value, Target, or Points to field, paste the destination shown in Atomicat.
  8. Leave TTL on Automatic or the provider default unless your provider requires another value.
  9. Save the record.
  10. Return to Atomicat and run DNS verification again.

Do not paste the full domain into the host field unless your DNS provider specifically asks for it. Most providers expect only the host label, such as www or offer.

What Atomicat verifies​

Atomicat checks whether DNS points to the expected destination.

Depending on the site setup, Atomicat may verify:

  • A CNAME record
  • An alias-like configuration
  • A hosting destination
  • Additional SSL validation records
  • CAA-related requirements when certificate issuance needs them

If the record is missing or points somewhere else, Atomicat will show an error and ask you to update DNS.

Best practices​

  • Decide whether you want to use the root domain, www, or a subdomain before editing DNS.
  • Avoid changing DNS for an active website unless you understand the impact.
  • Remove conflicting records for the same host when necessary.
  • Wait for DNS propagation before retrying verification.
  • Request or verify SSL after DNS is correct.
  • Test the final HTTPS URL before sending traffic.

Troubleshooting​

ProblemWhat it usually means
DNS record not foundThe record was not added, was added to the wrong domain, or has not propagated yet.
CNAME points to the wrong valueThe record exists but does not point to the destination Atomicat expects.
www not added at the start of the domainThe domain was entered as a root domain instead of the required www version. Enter www.yourbrand.com unless you are using a subdomain such as offer.yourbrand.com.
Domain already in useThe domain may already be connected to another site or account.
SSL not active yetDNS may be correct, but certificate validation is still pending.
Domain input rejectedThe domain may include unsupported characters, protocol text, slashes, or invalid formatting.

Frequently asked questions​

Can I connect a domain I bought elsewhere?

Yes. You can use a domain from another provider as long as you can edit its DNS records.

Do I need to transfer my domain to Atomicat?

No. You only need to add or update DNS records at your domain provider.

How long does DNS propagation take?

Some changes are quick, but DNS can take minutes or hours depending on the provider, TTL, and previous records.

Why does Atomicat say the domain is already in use?

The domain may already be connected to another Atomicat site or another user account.