Our custom URL feature allows you to create your own branded URL like dashboard.metropolis.gov rather than ClearPoint's default URLs like
metropolis.clearpointstrategy.com to provide a more customized branded experience to your users.
There are two DNS records you will need to add to use a custom URL:
Adding a CNAME
Think of it as an "alias" that tells the browser to present the content from the target when the visitor hits your page. The CNAME (canonical name) record is a resource record used in the Domain Name System (DNS) to map one domain name (alias) to the canonical domain name (primary domain).
If you run multiple services with different subdomains, you must create a CNAME record in your domain DNS settings to point the URL to the primary URL. When you create a CNAME record, the URL in the record becomes an alias for the primary domain.
For example, let’s say your canonical URL (main URL) is ascendantsmg.com. The most common example of an alias domain name, in this case, will be dashboard.ascendantsmg.com.
If you want dashboard.ascendantsmg.com to point to ascendantsmg.clearpointstrategy.com you need to create a CNAME record for dashboard.ascendantsmg.com in your DNS settings:
Adding a CNAME record isn't a complex task, but the process can be different for each hosting provider. Follow the steps discussed below to create a CNAME record in your domain’s DNS settings.
How to add a CNAME record in AWS?
Log into your AWS account.
Go to Registered domain and click on your domain name.
Click on Manage DNS and then on your domain name. A list of DNS records will appear.
Click on Create Record Set. A new interface will open.
Fill in the needed fields, including the Name, Type, TTL, Value, and Routing Policy. Select the Alias option as No.
Click on Create.
That’s it. A new CNAME record will be added.
How to add a CNAME record in GoDaddy?
Sign into your GoDaddy account.
Go to the list of your domain and names and click on the domain name you want to access. The Domain Settings page will open.
Click on Manage DNS to open the zone file. Now, click on Add and set the type to CNAME.
Enter the CNAME record details, including the Name, Value, and TTL. Then, click on Add Record to save the CNAME record.
That’s it. The CNAME record will be updated in less than 48 hours.
How to add a CNAME record in Google Domain via Google Cloud?
Head to the Cloud Identity Setup Wizard and copy the CNAME record.
Visit your domain host website and log into your domain’s account.
Select the domain, and go to the section containing the domain’s DNS records. This section could be called Manage DNS, DNS Management, Name Server Management, etc.
Find the CNAME records for the domain.
Paste the CNAME record you copied earlier in the records section.
Save your changes.
Depending on the domain host, the changes could take up to 72 hours to reflect.
How to add a CNAME record in HostGator?
Follow these steps to add a CNAME record in Hostgator:
Log into your Hostgator control panel.
Head to Domains, and then click on Zone Editor.
Click on the + CNAME Record button.
Enter the needed details, including the Name and CNAME.
Click on Add a CNAME Record to save the changes.
That’s it. Your CNAME record will be created.
If you’re a Web Hosting Manager or Plesk user, visit this page for specific steps to add CNAME records.
How to add a CNAME record in Bluehost?
Follow these steps to create a CNAME record in Bluehost:
Log into your Bluehost hosting account.
For the Legacy interface, go to the Domains section and click on DNS Zone Editor. For the Rock interface, go to Domains and click on Zone Editor.
Select your domain name. Then, scroll down and click on Add DNS Record.
Enter the record name in the Host Record field.
Click on the Type drop-down menu and click on CNAME.
Enter the URL that the CNAME record should point to in the Points To field.
Update the other fields as needed or leave them to default.
Click on Add Record to save the changes.
That’s all. The new CNAME record will be added.
How to add a CNAME record in Namecheap?
Follow these steps to create a CNAME record in Namecheap:
Sign in to your Namecheap account.
Head to Domain List from the left side menu. Find the domain name and click on the Manage button next to it.
Go to Advanced DNS and click on Add New Record.
Select the Type as CNAME Record and fill in the Host, Value, and TTL fields.
Click on Save All Changes.
That’s it. The new CNAME Record will be created.
How to add a CNAME record in Hetzner?
Log into your Hetzner account.
Select the DNS zone for which you want to create a CNAME record.
Click on Records and select the type CNAME from the dropdown menu.
Fill in the needed fields, including the Host, Alias, and TTL.
Click on Add record to create the record.
The newly created record will be visible in the record list.
How to add a CNAME record in Cloudflare?
Log into your Cloudflare dashboard.
Select your domain from the top-left dropdown menu.
Head to the DNS settings page.
Click on the Add Record button beside the Search DNS bar. Enter the record details and select the type CNAME.
Click on Add Record to save the record.
The new CNAME record will appear in the DNS records list.
How to add a CNAME record in WordPress?
Visit your site’s dashboard and navigate to Upgrades → Domains to view all the domains associated with that site:
Click on the domain and then click on DNS records.
Here, you will find a list of the current DNS records. You can then click on the Manage button to make changes.
Click on the Add a record button in the upper right corner.
Click on the Type dropdown to select the type of DNS record you wish to add. Choose CNAME.
Fill in the remaining information including Name, Host, and Value.
The new CNAME record will appear in the DNS records list.
How to add a CNAME record to another hosting provider?
Creating a CNAME record is different for each domain hosting provider, but the process is similar overall. If the steps for your domain host aren’t mentioned above, follow these general steps:
Sign in to your domain host provider.
Open your domain’s settings, and look for DNS management settings.
There, you’ll find the option for creating DNS records.
Domain Ownership Validation
We use CloudFlare's "pre-validation" method to securely generate a SSL certificate for your aliased site. But, to do so, we need permission from you to do so. This permission takes the form of a TXT record in your DNS file. Once we get the domain name (like dashboard.metropolis.gov that you would like to use, we will generate a unique key for you that we use to validate the certificate.
For full technical details on how this all works, please visit CloudFlare's Hostname Verification support article.
Add a TXT Record
The method to add a text record to your domain will vary with hosts, but is basically the same as the steps above to add a CNAME. The only difference is that you will be selecting TXT instead of CNAME in the dropdown where you select the type of record you will be adding.
The generic steps to add a text record to your domain are listed below.
Sign in to your domain's account at your domain host.
Locate the page for updating your domain's DNS records. (The page may be called DNS Management, Name Server Management, or Advanced Settings).
Locate the TXT records for your domain on this page.
Add the TXT record for the (see below)
Save your changes and wait until they take effect, which can range from a few minutes to up to 72 hours.
TXT Record Content
The content of your new TXT record will allow us to confirm that we have your permission to issue a SSL certificate. The ClearPoint support team will provide these values, but they will look something like this:
Name: _cf-custom-hostname
Value: 0e2d5a7f-1548-4f27-8c05-b577cb14f4ec
Once you have added these records, please let ClearPoint Support know and we will finish the setup on our side.