A custom domain is a personal web address (e.g. patriciajohnsonphoto.com) that you can purchase from a domain provider and use for your photography website. If you want to establish a consistent brand identity and stand out in search engine results, a custom domain is a simple but effective upgrade.
You can connect a custom domain you own to your Pixieset Website with any upgraded Website or Suite plan. This is done by pointing your domain’s DNS records to Pixieset, also known as domain mapping, while your domain continues to be registered and hosted by your domain provider.
On this page:
- Before you start
- Step One: Log into your domain provider’s dashboard
- Step Two: Add the CNAME record
- Step Three: Add two A records
- Step Four: Review your new records
- Step Five: Connect to Pixieset Website
- What's next?
- Troubleshooting
Before you start
- An upgraded Website or Suite subscription is required to connect your domain to your Pixieset Website.
- Ensure you have a third-party domain with full access to its DNS settings. If you do not own a domain, you will need to purchase one first from a domain provider like GoDaddy before you can complete the steps in this guide.
- Your domain must remain hosted by a third-party domain provider in order to stay connected to your Pixieset Website. This is because you are connecting your domain to Pixieset, not transferring it.
Step One: Log into your domain provider’s dashboard
Log into your domain provider’s dashboard and locate your DNS records. This section is typically called DNS Settings, but it may also be called DNS Manager, Zone File Settings, Domain Manager, or similar. If GoDaddy is your domain provider, see our dedicated guide here.
Important: When following the guide, do not modify any existing MX records. MX records manage your email address and removing them will interrupt your email service.
Step Two: Add the CNAME record
The first record you need to add is a CNAME Record. If there is already another CNAME record for “www” in your records, delete it first. It can interfere with the new one you’re setting up.
In your DNS settings, add a new CNAME record with the following properties exactly as shown. Do not replace “www” or “domain.pixieset.com” with your username or your personal domain details.
| Type | Host (or Alias) | Points to (or Data/Value) | TTL |
| CNAME | www | domain.pixieset.com | 1 hour (or the minimum time allowed) |
Step Three: Add two A records
The next records you need to add are two A records. If you have other A records already in place, delete them first. They can interfere with the new ones you’re setting up.
In your DNS settings, add two new A records with the following properties exactly as shown. We recommend pasting the values to ensure both records are entered correctly.
| Type | Host (or Alias) | Points to (or Data/Value) | TTL |
| A | @ | 104.16.185.173 | 1 hour (or the minimum time allowed) |
| A | @ | 104.16.186.173 | 1 hour (or the minimum time allowed) |
Tip: If you can’t enter “@” when setting up your A records, try leaving the field blank or entering your domain name.
Step Four: Review your new records
At this point, you should have one CNAME record for “www” and two A records for “@” set up. The exact order may vary depending on your domain provider’s dashboard. If your records’ respective properties do not appear like shown below, modify them according to the previous steps before proceeding.
Step Five: Connect to Pixieset Website
Once your new records are set up, you are ready to connect your domain to your Pixieset Website:
- In your website builder, go to Settings > Domain.
- Under Custom Domain, click the pencil icon and enter your domain.
- Click Next, then Verify and Save.
What's next?
That’s it! If you see the following notice afterwards, then your custom domain was successfully connected. Our system will start generating a security certificate for it, and no further action is required on your end.
Tip: If you are switching your site from another provider and your pages are under different URL slugs, consider setting up redirects to ensure returning visitors and search engines find your new website.
Learn how to set up redirects for your website here. Available on the Pro Website Plan or Pro/Ultimate Suite Plan.
Troubleshooting
- I can’t update my DNS records.
- I updated my DNS records, but it's not working.
- My site is showing as "Not Secure" or is missing the security certificate.
- Your CNAME Record is not pointing to "domain.pixieset.com".
I can’t update my DNS records.
If you can’t modify your DNS records, it typically means that the records are being used for domain forwarding (or a redirect). Check your domain provider’s for a dedicated section called “Forwarding”, “Redirects”, or similar. You will need to delete any forwards or redirects that are set up there.
If there are no forwards or redirects, confirm that your domain is being actively hosted. Some domain providers may “park” your domain if it hasn’t been used so you will need to reactivate it. If you cannot activate the domain yourself, your domain provider’s support team will be able to assist directly.
I updated my DNS records, but it's not working
Provided your domain is actively hosted by your domain provider, any DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate across the entire internet. If you're confident that you have set up the records outlined in the above guide correctly, you may need to simply wait for the DNS changes to propagate.
Keep in mind that you will also need to create your DNS records with the domain provider that is hosting your domain. This may not be the same provider that you purchased the domain from. For example, if you have purchased your domain from GoDaddy but you use Bluehost for hosting, you will need to create the DNS records in Bluehost’s dashboard.
My site is showing as "Not Secure" or is missing the security certificate.
This is expected if you very recently connected your custom domain to Pixieset Website, as SSL security certificates may take some time to generate. We recommend allowing 24 hours for this to complete but it should be much faster.
If your certificate does not generate successfully, review your domain’s DNS records to make sure there aren’t any CAA records saved with your domain host. CAA records can prevent the system from generating a security certificate successfully, so you would want to delete those.
You can always contact support@pixieset.com if your certificate is not in place after a full day.
Your CNAME Record is not pointing to "domain.pixieset.com".
In your domain provider’s dashboard, confirm that you only have one CNAME record for “www” with the following properties:
| Type | Host (or Alias) | Points to (or Data/Value) |
| CNAME | www | domain.pixieset.com |
As for where the CNAME record is pointing to, you must enter domain.pixieset.com exactly as-is into the field. Do not customize it with your username or domain details.
- Correct: domain.pixieset.com
- Incorrect: patriciajohnsonphotography.pixieset.com