Connecting a domain

Your page always has its free address, yourname.hydlnk.com. On Pro and Studio you can also serve it from a domain you already own. It takes one DNS record, and the rest, including SSL, happens on its own.

Before you start

• A Pro plan (one custom domain) or Studio (fifteen).
• A domain you already own, bought from any registrar. HYDLNK doesn’t sell or register domains.
• Access to the DNS settings for that domain, usually your registrar’s dashboard.

Subdomain or root domain

If your website already lives at yourbrand.com, use a subdomain such as links, go or hello, so the website keeps working. If the domain is only for your link page, the root domain is fine.

Step by step

1. Add the domain. In the editor, open Domains and enter the domain you want to use.
2. Copy the record. The editor shows the exact record to add: its type, its name and its value. The value is specific to your setup, so copy it from the editor, not from a screenshot or another guide.
3. Add it at your DNS provider. Sign in where your domain’s DNS is managed, open the DNS settings, add a new record with the type, name and value from the editor, and save.
4. Wait for verification. The editor shows Waiting for DNS until it finds the record, then Verified. Most changes appear within minutes; some take a few hours. Press Check DNS now to look again straight away.
5. Let SSL arrive. After verification a certificate is issued automatically, and your page loads over https at your domain. Certificates renew on their own.

Finding your way around a DNS provider

Every provider’s dashboard looks different, but the fields are the same:

• Type: choose CNAME or A, as the editor says.
• Name (sometimes Host): for links.yourbrand.com enter just links; most providers add your domain for you. For the root domain, enter @ or leave it empty, whichever your provider asks for.
• Value (sometimes Target, Points to or Data): paste the value from the editor exactly, without spaces.
• TTL: leave the default.

If it doesn’t verify

• Check the name. links.yourbrand.com.yourbrand.com is the most common mistake: enter only links if your provider appends the domain.
• Look for old records. A name with a CNAME can’t have any other record. Remove or edit existing A, AAAA or CNAME records for the same name.
• Turn off proxying. If your provider can proxy a record through its own network, switch that off for this record.
• Give it time. Changes can take up to 48 hours to reach every DNS server, though most are much faster.
• CAA records. If verification succeeds but https doesn’t start working, CAA records on your domain may be limiting who can issue certificates.

Still stuck? Email support@hydlnk.com with the domain and a screenshot of your DNS records.

Changing or removing a domain

Remove the domain in the editor’s Domains tab whenever you like. Your page stays live at yourname.hydlnk.com. Then delete the record at your DNS provider so the name doesn’t point anywhere unexpected. To switch to a different domain, remove the old one and add the new one. For background on how DNS works, see DNS in plain words.