Custom Domains

How to setup custom domains for our RentSites and Guest Card Links.

Choose a subdomain

Only subdomains can be used to serve your RentSite or Guest Card landing page. It's not possible to use an apex domain via a CNAME mapping. If you do want to use your apex domain, you will need to setup domain forwarding, that is available at your registrar. Please note, you will still need to setup the CNAME record in order for it to work.

Here are some examples of what you could and could not choose - just replace example.com with your own domain:

Domain type	Example	Supported
Apex domain	* example.com
www subdomain	www.example.com
Custom subdomain	`rent.example.com` `apartments.example.com` `anything.example.com`

* Apex domains are only supported via domain forwarding via your registrar.

Once you've chosen your subdomain, you can can move move to configuring DNS.

Configure DNS

Configuring DNS happens outside of WebListers, at the DNS provider you are using for your domain.

This step is super important because the correct DNS configurations are what allow us to connect the subdomain to your RentSite or Guest Card Landing Page in step 3.

There are three parts to this step:

Configure a CNAME record

The short answer: point your subdomain to WebListers via a CNAME record.
For RentSites point to rentsites.weblisters.com and for Guest Cards point to guestcards.weblisters.com.

The names of the fields and what to actually enter to configure the record may differ between DNS control panels, but we've covered the most common options here. If you're in any doubt, check with your DNS provider.

The type is the kind of DNS record that you want to create. Here, you need to choose CNAME.
The Host Name or Name or Host or DNS entry is where you enter your subdomain. You might need to enter it in full (e.g. rent.example.com) or you might just need to enter the part before your apex domain (e.g. rent). If you're not sure which to use, check with your DNS provider.
The target or value or data is where the subdomain should be pointed.

You might also see a field named TTL, which stands for Time To Live. It's the number of seconds that the DNS record can be cached for. If you're not sure what to set, look at the TTL for your existing DNS records. You could set the same number.

Here's an example of how a correct configuration looks in Namecheap's DNS control panel:

CNAME Example

Here are helpul links on how to create a CNAME entry at the following registrars:

Note: a CNAME record cannot co-exist with another record for the same name. If you already have an A record, AAAA record, TXT record, or any other type of record for your chosen subdomain, you would need to remove those first, before adding the CNAME record.

Check for a CAA record

The short answer: either don't have a CAA record, or have one that explicitly allows Let's Encrypt.

CAA records enable you to specify who can issue an SSL certificate for the domains that you own. We use Let's Encrypt to issue an SSL certificate for your custom domain, so this needs to be allowed. There are two ways to do this.

Have no CAA record. Without a CAA record, there are no limitations on which SSL providers are allowed to issue an SSL certificate for your domain.
Have a CAA record that explicitly allows Let's Encrypt. Any providers that are not explicitly allowed will be blocked. The following is the value that would need to be included in a CAA record to explicitly allow Let's Encrypt:

					0 issue "letsencrypt.org"

Wait for the changes to take effect

The short answer: you might need to wait 1-48 hours for the DNS changes to take effect.

Remember the TTL (Time To Live) field we mentioned earlier? DNS records are cached for a period of time - which is usually a very good thing for performance reasons, because they typically don't change very often. When they do change, there is a period of time (the TTL value) where DNS cache servers need their cache to expire before they will check for any changes and behave accordingly.

In most cases, it's best to allow at least an hour for changes to take effect. Sometimes it could all update a bit more quickly, or it could take longer. It's rare for this to take longer than 48 hours.

Want to check how this process, known as propagation, is progressing? You could use a DNS lookup tool, such as WhatsMyDNS. Enter your full subdomain, select CNAME from the dropdown list, and press the Search button. DNS cache servers around the world will respond to let you know what their cached result is. You'll want to periodically check these results until the vast majority respond with your assigned CNAME.

Once DNS propagation has completed, your RentSite and/or Guest Card Landing Pages will work.

Forward my Apex Domain

After you have created your subdomain CNAME record, you'll need to forward your Apex Domain to it. This is so that your website can also be accessed without having to type the subdomain. In the following examples, based on Namecheap and GoDaddy's domain control panel, we are forwarding the apex domain example.com to the subdomain www.example.com.

@ Namecheap

@ GoDaddy

Here are helpul links on how to forward your domain at the following registrars:

Registars not supported

We do not support the following registrars due to their limitations with domain forwarding.

register.com
squarespace.com
Formerly Google Domains

If you are using a registrar listed above and can not transfer your domain, please contact us to discuss alternative options.

We recommend transferring your domains to a registrar that offers more flexibility and features, such as Namecheap. By transferring your domain, you can take advantage of their advanced features, reliable services, and support.