Onboarding: Connect Domain
Point your own domain name at your OnePilot website.
Overview
Connecting a domain points your own web address (like yourbusiness.com) at the website you built in OnePilot, replacing the default subdomain you started with.
The domain connection screen showing DNS records to add
Screenshot coming soon
Why it exists
A subdomain works fine for testing, but a custom domain is what makes a website feel like a real, established business online — and it's usually required before running paid ad traffic or printing a web address on business cards.
Benefits
- Keeps your existing domain registrar — you don't need to move your domain anywhere, just point it.
- Automatic HTTPS/SSL is handled for you once the domain is connected.
- Email and website can both use the same domain without conflicting.
Step-by-step guide
- Go to Website Builder → Domains and click Connect Domain.
- Enter the domain you already own (if you don't own one yet, register it with any domain registrar first).
- OnePilot shows you the exact DNS records to add — copy them into your domain registrar's DNS settings.
- Save the records at your registrar and return to OnePilot; propagation is usually fast but can take up to a few hours.
- Once OnePilot shows the domain as Connected, your site is live at your own address.
Existing DNS records
If your domain currently has default "parking" records from your registrar (common right after buying a new domain), you'll need to edit or delete those first — new records usually can't be added alongside them at the same name.
Tips
- Add the records exactly as shown, including any subdomain records (like
www) — partial setups are the most common cause of a domain getting stuck as "Pending." - If your registrar's interface only lets you edit one field per record, edit the record's value directly rather than deleting and recreating it when possible.
Best Practices
- Make DNS changes during a quiet period for your business if you're replacing a domain that's already receiving traffic, in case of a brief propagation delay.
Common Mistakes
- Trying to add a new record over a conflicting default one. Registrars often block this — remove the old record first, then add the new one.
- Assuming it's broken immediately after saving DNS changes. DNS propagation isn't instant; give it time before troubleshooting further.
Troubleshooting
If a domain stays "Pending" for more than a few hours, double check the exact record values against what OnePilot shows — a single incorrect character in a DNS value is the most common cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
No — connect any domain you already own from any registrar; OnePilot doesn't require you to transfer it.
No, as long as you keep your existing email-related DNS records in place alongside the new ones OnePilot asks you to add.