Addresses and your own domain
Your free ellibo.com address, connecting your own domain step by step, the DNS records, the security certificate and what the status words mean.
Your free address
Each website of its own opens at yourname.ellibo.com from the start, on every plan. If that name is taken by another business, it opens at yourname-site.ellibo.com. Change the name under Websites, on the website's Address line.
An online store's website keeps the store's own address and domain. See Your store inside your website.
Your own domain
From Standard, a website can also open at a domain you already own, such as www.yourbusiness.com. Standard has 1 own domain, Professional 2 and Business 5. Only an Admin can connect one. The security certificate is free and renews by itself.
The four steps
| Step | Who does it | Usually takes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Domain entered | You type the domain and click Connect domain | A moment |
| 2. Records added | You add a few records where you bought the domain | A few minutes of your time; the records can take up to an hour (sometimes a day) to show |
| 3. Connected and secured | We add the domain and get its security certificate (for https) | Usually under an hour, sometimes up to a day |
| 4. Live | Nothing more to do |
You can close the page at any point. We keep checking by ourselves.
Before you start: choose the address
| You have | Connect | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| A domain with nothing on it | yourbusiness.com | The website opens at yourbusiness.com and www.yourbusiness.com |
| Another website you want to keep | site.yourbusiness.com | The website opens at that one address; the other stays as it is |
Connecting the domain itself replaces that website, because the domain's records then point here. To keep it, connect a subdomain instead.
Step 1: enter your domain
- Open Settings > Your own domain (or the website's Address line under Websites).
- Pick the website, type your domain and click Connect domain.
The page now shows the records to add, each with a Copy button.
Step 2: add the records
Sign in where you manage your domain's DNS - usually the company you bought it from.
First, remove old records: any A or CNAME record with the same name as the ones you are adding. Otherwise the old address keeps answering.
Your email uses its own records: MX, and TXT records for SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Don't touch them, and your email keeps working.
Then add these, exactly as the page shows them. The value of each is shown on your page.
For yourbusiness.com:
| Type | Name | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXT | _ellibo | Your code from the page | Proves the domain is yours |
| A | @ | Our server address from the page | Opens your website at yourbusiness.com |
| CNAME | www | The address shown on the page | Opens your website at www.yourbusiness.com |
For site.yourbusiness.com:
| Type | Name | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXT | _ellibo.site | Your code from the page | Proves the domain is yours |
| CNAME | site | The address shown on the page | Opens your website at that address |
If a screen asks for TTL, leave the value it suggests.
Open Someone else manages your domain? Send them this on the same page. It has a ready message with all the records to send them.
Where to find the DNS settings
These come from each company's help pages; if a screen looks different, search their help for "DNS records".
GoDaddy - open your domain portfolio, select the domain, open DNS, add a record, pick the Type, enter the Name and Value. Use @ for the domain itself.
Namecheap - Domain List, Manage next to your domain, Advanced DNS, Add New Record. Remove any Redirect record on @ or www.
Hostinger - Domains, DNS, pick the domain, choose the Type, enter Name and Value, Add Record. This works only while the domain uses Hostinger's nameservers.
BigRock - open your domain, Manage DNS, and add each record on the A, CNAME and TXT tabs.
Cloudflare - DNS > Records, Add record. Set Proxy status to DNS only (the grey cloud) for the A and CNAME records, or the check and the certificate can't work.
Some screens add your domain to the name by themselves, so _ellibo becomes _ellibo.yourbusiness.com, which is right. If you then see _ellibo.yourbusiness.com.yourbusiness.com, enter only _ellibo.
Step 3: check
Click Check now. Each record shows Found, Not found yet (wait - changes can take from minutes to hours) or Wrong value (follow the note; often an old record is still there). Ellibo also keeps checking by itself.
What the status words mean
| Status | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for your records | We can't see all the records yet | Add or fix them, then wait |
| Being added | Your records are right and we are adding your domain | Nothing |
| Setting up security | We are getting the security certificate | Nothing; usually under an hour |
| Live | Your domain opens your website | Nothing |
| Problem found | Something stopped it | Contact Ellibo support |
A domain only shows a website that is live. While the website is a draft, visitors see an "Opening soon" page.
After it is live
- Your website always opens with
https, at one main address. Visits tohttp://, to the ellibo.com address and to your other domains are sent to it. - Choose whether the main address has
wwwor not. The other sends visitors to your choice.
Disconnect a domain
Click Disconnect next to the domain and confirm. The website keeps opening at its ellibo.com address. Then remove the records at your domain company.
After a downgrade
If your plan no longer includes own domains, the domain sends visitors to your ellibo.com address. Nothing is removed: upgrade and the domain works again.