# Connect a domain manually with DNS

> Works with any registrar — copy the records SitesPlaced shows you into your DNS settings, then verify.

Guide: https://sitesplaced.com/help/custom-domains/manual-dns · Section: Custom Domains · Last reviewed: 2026-08-23

If your registrar isn't supported by one-click connect — or you simply prefer to do it yourself — you can connect any domain by adding a couple of **DNS records**: an **A** record for `yourbrand.com` and a **CNAME** for `www`, copied from the table SitesPlaced shows you, then clicking **Check Verification Now**. This works everywhere: GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, BigRock, Hostinger and the rest, and it takes about five minutes plus a wait for the records to spread.

> **What is DNS?:** DNS is the internet's address book — it tells the world which server your domain points to. To connect your domain, you add a few entries that point it at SitesPlaced.

## Add the records SitesPlaced shows you

After you save your domain, the panel headed **Add these DNS records in your domain provider** lists a **Required Records** table with three columns — **Type**, **Name / Host** and **Value / Points to** — plus a short **Optional Records** table. Each name and value has a copy button. Always copy the values shown on your own screen rather than from this article: they're generated for your domain, and the exact values can differ.

### The records, explained

- **A record — Name `@` → Value `76.76.21.21`** (or whatever address your screen shows). This points the bare `yourbrand.com` at your site. It's the record that matters most; the label under it reads *Points yourbrand.com to your site*.
- **CNAME — Name `www` → Value `cname.vercel-dns.com`** (your screen may show a slightly different target). This makes `www.yourbrand.com` work too.
- **TXT — Name `_vercel`** — only listed if your domain is still attached to another Vercel account (for example an old site you hosted on Vercel yourself). If you see it, add it exactly as shown; it clears an ownership check.
- **TXT — Name `_sitesplaced-verify`** — listed under *Optional Records*. It proves ownership on its own but doesn't send any visitors to your site, so the A or CNAME record is still needed. Add it if your registrar makes that easy; skip it if not.

1. In SitesPlaced, go to **Settings → Store details** (stores) or the **Custom Domain** section of the website builder, type your domain in **Your Domain**, and click **Save**.
2. Leave that screen open — it lists the **exact records** to add. If SitesPlaced recognises your DNS provider, it says *We detected your DNS is managed by Hostinger — follow the steps below* (with your provider's name) and adds a short **How to add these records on …** guide with an **Open … DNS settings** link.
3. In a new tab, sign in to your **registrar** (where you bought the domain) and open its **DNS settings** (sometimes called *DNS management*, *Advanced DNS* or *DNS zone*).
4. Add each **Required** record exactly as SitesPlaced shows it — match the **Type**, **Name/Host** and **Value** carefully. If a record of the same type and name already exists, **edit** it rather than adding a second one.
5. Save the records at your registrar.
6. Back in SitesPlaced, click **Check Verification Now**. The button reads *Checking DNS…* for a moment; once the records are found, the badge changes to **yourbrand.com is verified and active** and your domain is connected.

> **Copy the exact values:** DNS records must match exactly, character for character. A small typo, or a missing/extra dot, will stop verification from succeeding. When in doubt, copy and paste straight from the SitesPlaced screen.

## Reading the status column

Each required record has a status on the right of the table, refreshed every time you click **Check Verification Now**:

- **Set** (green tick) — this record is correct. Leave it alone.
- **Add it** (red cross) — nothing of this type exists yet for that name. Add a new record.
- **Replace** (amber warning) — a record already exists with the wrong value. The table shows *Currently …* with what's there now. **Edit that existing record** to the value above; don't add a second one, and don't delete it outright or the domain stops resolving entirely.

## Give it a little time

After you save the records, the change needs to **propagate** — spread across the internet. This is usually quick (minutes), but the dashboard warns it can take *5 minutes to 48 hours*. If **Check Verification Now** comes back with *No DNS records found for yourbrand.com. The domain may not exist or DNS hasn't propagated yet…*, wait ten minutes and try again. Your free `yourname.sitesplaced.com` address keeps working throughout.

### Common gotchas

- **Wrong host name** — for the root/apex, the host is `@` (some registrars want it left blank, or want the full `yourbrand.com`); for `www` it's just `www`, not `www.yourbrand.com`. SitesPlaced tells you which to use.
- **The registrar's parking record** — new domains at GoDaddy, Hostinger and others come with an A record on `@` that points at the registrar's own parking page. SitesPlaced flags this as *Wrong A record detected!* and marks the row **Replace**. Edit that record's value to the one in the table. This is the number-one cause of a security warning on the new domain.
- **Namecheap's URL redirect** — delete Namecheap's default *URL Redirect* record on `@` before adding the A record; the two can't coexist.
- **Cloudflare proxy on** — set **Proxy status** to *DNS only* (grey cloud) for both the A and CNAME records. The orange *Proxied* setting breaks HTTPS on your site.
- **Only the TXT record is in** — you'll see *Ownership verified via TXT, but your domain is not pointing to Vercel yet*. That means the A or CNAME is still missing; add it.
- **Nameservers point somewhere else** — if your domain's DNS is managed by a different service than the one you bought it from (for example you moved it to Cloudflare), add the records there, not at the registrar. The *We detected your DNS is managed by …* line tells you where SitesPlaced is looking.
- **Connecting a subdomain** such as `shop.yourbrand.com` — enter the full subdomain as your domain, then at your registrar use `shop` as the host instead of `@` for the A record (or a CNAME from `shop` to the CNAME value shown). The `www` row isn't needed for a subdomain.

### Provider-specific steps

SitesPlaced detects your DNS provider from your domain's nameservers and tailors the instructions for GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, Hostinger, BigRock, IONOS, Wix, Squarespace (Google Domains), Amazon Route 53, DigitalOcean, Vercel, Porkbun, Name.com, Network Solutions and OVH — including a direct **Open … DNS settings** link to the right page. If your provider isn't recognised you'll see the generic paths instead: Hostinger *Domains → DNS / Nameservers → DNS Records*, GoDaddy *My Products → DNS → DNS Records → Add*, Namecheap *Domain List → Advanced DNS → Add New Record*.

> **Prefer to skip the manual steps?:** If your DNS provider has enabled SitesPlaced's Domain Connect template — you'll see an **Automatic setup available** box after saving your domain — [One-click Domain Connect](https://sitesplaced.com/help/md/custom-domains/one-click-domain-connect.md) does all of this for you automatically.

Tried everything and it still won't verify? [Contact support](https://sitesplaced.com/contact) with your domain name and a screenshot of your DNS records, and we'll help you get it live. For other things that can look like a domain problem — an unpublished site, a stale browser cache — see [Troubleshooting](https://sitesplaced.com/help/md/account-and-support/troubleshooting.md).

**Q: Do I need the A record and the CNAME, or just one?**

Both are listed as required: the A record makes `yourbrand.com` work and the CNAME makes `www.yourbrand.com` work. Verification passes once the bare domain points at SitesPlaced, but add both so neither address fails for a customer.

**Q: My registrar won't let me add a CNAME on the root domain. What do I do?**

You don't need to. The root (`@`) uses an A record; the CNAME is only for `www`. If your DNS host offers ALIAS or ANAME on the root, that works too.

**Q: Is the _sitesplaced-verify TXT record required?**

No — it's under *Optional Records*. It proves ownership, but the domain is only verified once the A or CNAME record points at SitesPlaced. Add it if it's easy; it does no harm.

**Q: Verification says my A record points to the wrong address. Should I delete it?**

Edit it, don't delete it. Change the existing record's value to the one in the table. Deleting leaves the domain with no address at all until you add the new record.

**Q: How do I know which company manages my DNS?**

Look for the line *We detected your DNS is managed by …* in the records panel. If it isn't shown, check your registrar's nameserver settings — that's where the records must go.