A custom domain such as yourbrand.com or yourbrand.com.sa makes your site look established and easier to remember. Connecting one takes about ten minutes of work, but DNS changes can take time to take effect, which is where most worry comes from.
This guide explains the steps and the mistakes that most often delay activation.
Publish your site, add your domain in the domain settings, copy the exact DNS records Uttra shows you into your registrar, wait for propagation, and SSL is issued for the connection.
Choose and buy the domain
Buy from a registrar you can log in to easily, and keep the account on an email you control. Local extensions each have rules: a .sa domain requires eligibility through the Saudi NIC and a registrar accredited for it, while .ae, .com.tr, .fr, .de, .es, .pk, .in and .bd have their own registration conditions. A .com is the simplest if you want no local requirements.
Add the domain in Uttra
Publish your project, then open the publish or domain settings and enter your domain. Uttra shows you the exact records to add. Do not guess values from another guide; copy the ones shown for your project.
Add the DNS records at your registrar
In your registrar's DNS panel you will usually add an A record for the root domain and a CNAME record for www, using the values Uttra gives you. Save and wait.
- Root domain (yourbrand.com): usually an A record.
- www subdomain: usually a CNAME record.
- Delete old conflicting records for the same name, such as a parking page.
Wait for propagation and SSL
Propagation can take anywhere from minutes to a day or more depending on the previous settings. During this time the site may work for you and not for others. Once the records are detected, the secure HTTPS connection is set up for your domain.
Common mistakes
Most failures come from a short list.
- Adding records in the wrong place, for example at the registrar when your nameservers point elsewhere.
- Leaving an old A record next to the new one.
- Typing the domain with a trailing space or including https://.
- Forgetting the www version.
- Checking before propagation has finished.