Connecting or buying a domain

What this is for

Your site works from the day you sign up at an address like yourkennel.whelpify.com. A domain of your own, such as happypawsgoldens.com, is easier to say on the phone and easier to print on a business card. You can connect one you already own, or buy one here.

Where to find it

In the left sidebar, open Website, then Domain.

You are asked one question first. Choose I already own a domain and click Connect my domain, or choose I want to buy one and click Search for a domain. Your whelpify.com address keeps working either way, and you can always see it under Site address in your site settings.

Connect a domain you already own

1. Click Connect my domain.
2. Type the domain exactly as you own it, such as happypawsgoldens.com, and click Continue.
3. Choose how to connect it. Copy a couple of settings is the recommended option: two small edits where you bought the domain, with your email and everything else untouched. Hand the whole domain to us changes your nameservers instead, which is only safe if nothing else runs on that domain.
4. If you are asked to prove you own the domain, copy the single verification record shown into your domain provider.
5. Copy the settings from the table into the DNS page at your provider. Each row gives you the Type, Name, and Value to enter.
6. Click Check status.

Whelpify checks your domain while you work and tells you what it finds. If a setting is already correct, it says so. If a setting points somewhere else, it warns you to edit that existing row rather than adding a second one, because two rows with the same name conflict. It also names your domain provider and links you straight there when it can recognize it.

Changes at your provider can take a few minutes to a few hours to travel. You do not have to sit and wait. Whelpify keeps watching and finishes the connection on its own, and your security certificate is set up for you.

Buy a domain here

1. Click Search for a domain.
2. Type the name you want and search.
3. Review what is available and pick one.
4. Enter the registration contact details the registry requires, then click Continue to payment.
5. Enter your card details and finish the payment.

Whelpify registers the domain, connects it to your site, and handles the security certificate. There is nothing to copy and no DNS to edit.

A domain you buy here renews automatically each year so your site never goes dark. Open the Domain screen to see the renewal date and price, and use Cancel auto-renewal if you do not want it to renew. If renewal is already off, the same button reads Turn auto-renewal on. A domain with renewal turned off expires at the end of its registration.

After it connects

Your site answers on the new address, and the links Whelpify builds for you, including your sitemap, use it. See getting found on Google. Your whelpify.com address keeps working, so anything you shared earlier still finds you.

Common questions

Will my email break?

Not if you use Copy a couple of settings. Those edits move your website only. The nameserver option hands over the whole domain, and email set up on it would need to be rebuilt, so avoid that one when email matters.

How long does it take?

Often a few minutes. Some providers take a few hours to publish changes. The Domain screen shows the current status, and Check status rechecks on demand.

Do I need to buy an SSL certificate?

No. The certificate that gives visitors the padlock is issued and renewed for you.

Can I use a domain I bought somewhere else and still let Whelpify handle everything?

Yes, with Hand the whole domain to us. Replace the nameservers at your provider with the two values shown. Only do this when nothing else, especially email, depends on that domain.