Docs

Connect a custom domain

Every smartPress publisher gets a free subdomain like acme.smartpress.app. To serve your readers from your own brand — e.g. read.acme.com — add one DNS record.

Step 1 — Add the CNAME at your DNS provider

Log into your registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Route 53, etc.) and add this record:

Type	Host	Value	TTL
CNAME	read (or @/www)	your-slug.smartpress.app	Auto / 3600

Replace your-slug with the subdomain from your Publisher Console.

Step 2 — Verify in your Publisher Console

Go to Console → Settings → Domains, paste your custom hostname, and click Verify. We check the CNAME, then automatically provision an SSL certificate (usually within a minute).

Your readers will hit your custom domain directly — no redirects, no branding drift.

Troubleshooting

Verification pending > 15 min: DNS propagation can take up to 24 hours. Use dnschecker.org to confirm the CNAME resolves worldwide.

SSL failed: ensure no old A records for the same host remain, and that any CAA records allow Let's Encrypt.

Using Cloudflare? Set the record to DNS only (grey cloud) until SSL provisions, then optionally enable proxy.