Domain & DNS Setup Guide

Every account gets a free branded subdomain. This guide explains how to use it, how to connect a domain you already own, and how our Pro Plan handles everything for you automatically.

Your free subdomain

The moment you create an account you get a free, publicly accessible web address in this format:

yourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com

You choose the yourbusiness part when you sign up (and can change it anytime in Settings). This URL is live immediately — share it on business cards, social profiles, and anywhere you list your inventory.

What's included for free:

  • ✓ Full inventory catalog with photos
  • ✓ Business hours, contact info & social links
  • ✓ Logo, hero image & gallery
  • ✓ 4 layout themes, custom accent color
  • ✓ Mobile-ready PWA (installable on any phone)

Pro Plan: managed custom domain

The easiest way to get a custom domain is to upgrade to the Pro Plan. We register and configure the domain for you — no DNS editing required on your end.

What you get

  • ✓ A brand-new domain (e.g. yourbusiness.com)
  • ✓ SSL certificate — automatic, always renewed
  • ✓ Up to 5 professional email addresses
  • ✓ Domain pointed to your site — we handle everything

Pricing

  • → $49 one-time setup fee
  • → $30/year domain registration
  • → +$10/month added to your base plan

How to upgrade

  1. 1 Go to Billing in your dashboard.
  2. 2 Under Upgrade to Custom Domain, search for the domain you want (e.g. davesauto.com).
  3. 3 Enter up to 5 email name prefixes (e.g. sales, service, parts).
  4. 4 Complete checkout. We receive your request, register the domain, configure DNS and email routing, and email you when it's live (usually within 24 hours).
Note: You do not need to own a domain beforehand. We purchase and fully manage it on your behalf.

Bring your own domain (manual DNS)

If you already own a domain and want to point it — or a subdomain of it — at your equipmentsaleswebsite site yourself, you can do that with a DNS CNAME record. This is more technical but works with any domain registrar.

Two common scenarios

Scenario A — Point a subdomain you own

You own mycompany.com and want inventory.mycompany.com to show your equipment catalog.

→ Create a CNAME for inventory pointing to your platform subdomain.

Scenario B — Point your root domain

You want mycompany.com itself to go directly to your catalog.

→ Most registrars require an ALIAS or ANAME record for the root. See registrar-specific instructions below.

Before you start: After setting up DNS, email us at support@equipmentsaleswebsite.com with your custom domain so we can add it to your account. This step is required — without it, visitors will see an error.

What value to use for the CNAME target

Your CNAME target is your current free platform subdomain:

yourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com

Replace yourbusiness with your actual subdomain slug (visible in Settings).

DNS setup — Cloudflare

Cloudflare is the recommended registrar. It has a free DNS tier and the fastest propagation.

  1. 1 Log in to dash.cloudflare.com and select your domain.
  2. 2 Click DNS → Records → Add record.
  3. 3 Fill in the form:
    FieldValue
    TypeCNAME
    Nameinventory (or @ for root)
    Targetyourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com
    Proxy statusDNS only (grey cloud) — not proxied
    TTLAuto
  4. 4 Click Save. Changes in Cloudflare typically propagate in under 5 minutes.
  5. 5 Email us your custom domain at support@equipmentsaleswebsite.com so we can link it to your account.
Root domain on Cloudflare: For the root (@), set the type to CNAME with Name @. Cloudflare supports CNAME flattening, which makes root CNAME records work automatically.

DNS setup — GoDaddy

  1. 1 Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Products → DNS next to your domain.
  2. 2 Click Add New Record and choose type CNAME.
  3. 3 Fill in:
    FieldValue
    TypeCNAME
    Nameinventory (subdomain prefix only)
    Valueyourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com
    TTL1 Hour
  4. 4 Click Save. Allow up to 1 hour for GoDaddy to propagate.
Root domain on GoDaddy: GoDaddy does not support CNAME on the root. Instead, use their Domain Forwarding feature (with masking disabled) to redirect yourdomain.com → inventory.yourdomain.com, then set the CNAME on the inventory subdomain.

DNS setup — Namecheap

  1. 1 Log in to Namecheap, go to Domain List, and click Manage next to your domain.
  2. 2 Click the Advanced DNS tab, then Add New Record.
  3. 3 Fill in:
    FieldValue
    TypeCNAME Record
    Hostinventory
    Valueyourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com
    TTLAutomatic
  4. 4 Click the green checkmark to save. Propagation is usually 15–30 minutes.
Root domain on Namecheap: Use ALIAS Record with Host @ and Value yourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com. Namecheap's ALIAS resolves the CNAME target at the root level.

DNS setup — Google Domains / Squarespace

Google Domains was acquired by Squarespace in 2023. Domains registered there are now managed at domains.squarespace.com.

  1. 1 Log in at domains.squarespace.com and select your domain.
  2. 2 Go to DNS → Custom records → Manage custom records.
  3. 3 Click Create record and fill in:
    FieldValue
    TypeCNAME
    Host nameinventory
    Datayourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com.
    TTL3600 (1 hour)
  4. 4 Click Save. Squarespace DNS typically propagates within 30 minutes.
Note: The trailing period (.) at the end of the Data value is standard in DNS notation and required by some registrars. Include it if the field accepts it.

Business email addresses (Pro Plan)

When you upgrade to the Pro Plan and request a custom domain, you can request up to 5 professional email addresses like sales@yourbusiness.com or parts@yourbusiness.com.

How it works

  1. 1 During Pro checkout, enter up to 5 email name prefixes (just the part before the @). For example: sales, service, parts.
  2. 2 Also provide the real inbox each address should forward to (e.g., your Gmail or personal email). All messages sent to your business address arrive at your existing inbox — no new email app needed.
  3. 3 We configure Cloudflare Email Routing and the required MX, SPF, and DKIM records on your domain. This happens within 24 hours of your upgrade.
  4. 4 Your new business email addresses will appear in your Settings page once active.
Want to add or change email addresses later? Go to Billing → Update business emails. A $49 service fee applies for email changes after initial setup.

Example email routing setup

Business addressForwards to
sales@davesauto.comdave@gmail.com
service@davesauto.comservice@gmail.com
parts@davesauto.comdave@gmail.com

DNS propagation & troubleshooting

DNS changes don't take effect instantly. The time it takes for the internet to recognise your new records is called propagation.

RegistrarTypical propagation time
CloudflareUnder 5 minutes
Namecheap15–30 minutes
Squarespace / Google30–60 minutes
GoDaddyUp to 1 hour
Other registrarsUp to 48 hours (worst case)

Common issues

My domain shows "site not found" or a connection error

This usually means either the CNAME record hasn't propagated yet, or we haven't linked the domain to your account. Check both:

SSL certificate error (browser says "Not Secure")

SSL certificates are issued automatically after your domain is linked to our platform. This can take up to 15 minutes after propagation completes. If it persists beyond an hour, contact support.

My root domain works but www. doesn't (or vice versa)

You need a separate CNAME record for www. Add a second CNAME: Host = www, Value = yourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com. Let us know so we can whitelist both.

How do I verify my CNAME is set up correctly?

Run this command in your terminal (replace with your actual subdomain):

dig inventory.yourdomain.com CNAME +short

It should return your platform subdomain (yourbusiness.equipmentsaleswebsite.com). On Windows, use nslookup -type=CNAME inventory.yourdomain.com instead.

Still need help?

Send us an email and we'll walk you through your specific setup — whether you're on Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or a less common registrar.

Email support

We typically respond within one business day. Include your subdomain slug and domain name when you write.

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