Managing domains

By default your TribeNest website lives at the address you picked when you created it. If you own a domain, or want one, you can point it at your site so fans land on your own address.

Adding a domain

1. Go to My Website then Domains.
2. Click Add Domain.
3. Choose how you want to add it:
   • I already own a domain points a domain you bought elsewhere at your TribeNest site.
   • Buy a new domain searches for and registers a domain that TribeNest then manages for you.

Both paths are covered below.

Connecting a domain you already own

1. Choose I already own a domain.
2. Type your domain into the Domain Name field, for example myband.com or shop.myband.com.
3. If you have more than one website, pick which Website the domain should point at.
4. Click Add Domain.

The domain appears in your list with a Pending status. That is normal. TribeNest needs to confirm you own it before it routes traffic, and you confirm that by adding a DNS record.

Adding the DNS records

The pending entry shows the records TribeNest needs. For each one you get:

• Type, the record type, usually CNAME.
• Name/Host, the part of your domain the record applies to. For a root domain like myband.com this is @. For shop.myband.com it is shop.
• Value, the address the record should point to.

You add DNS records wherever your domain is registered. Open your registrar's dashboard and look for a section called DNS, DNS records, DNS settings, or Manage DNS.

1. Open the DNS settings for your domain.
2. Add a new record.
3. Set the Type to what TribeNest shows.
4. Set the Name or Host field to the value TribeNest shows.
5. Set the Value (sometimes called Points to or Target) to the value TribeNest shows.
6. Save the record.
7. Repeat for every record listed.

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours to spread across the internet. Most of the time it is quick.

Buying a domain through TribeNest

1. Choose Buy a new domain, or go to My Website then Domains and open the purchase page from Add Domain.
2. Type what you are looking for in the search box, something like mybandlive or mybandlive.com. Type at least two characters.
3. Results appear with a price per year. Each one is marked Available, Taken, or Premium, and shows what it renews at.
4. Click Buy on the one you want.
5. Fill in the Registration contact form. Domain registration rules require a real name, address, phone number, and email. TribeNest turns on privacy protection by default, so these details are not published publicly.
6. Click Continue to checkout and pay.

When the payment goes through, TribeNest registers the domain and points it at your site for you. There are no DNS records for you to copy anywhere.

Checking the status

Each domain in your list shows a status:

• Pending, TribeNest is still waiting to confirm the records are in place.
• Verified, the domain is connected and your site is reachable at the new address.

Click the refresh button (the circular arrow) next to a domain to check again after you have made a change at your registrar.

Domains you bought through TribeNest also carry a Purchased badge and a DNS chip showing whether their records are configured, partial, pending, or in conflict. If something is not right, an Auto-configure button appears that re-points the domain at your site in one click.

If a domain stays Pending for more than a few hours, check that:

• The record Type matches what TribeNest asked for.
• The Host is exactly right, especially @ for a root domain.
• The Value was copied with no extra spaces or characters.
• You actually saved the record. Some registrars need an explicit save step.

Managing a domain you bought

Click Manage on a purchased domain to open its own page, with two tabs.

Details

• The domain, its status, when it was registered, and when it expires.
• Auto-renew, a switch. Leave it on unless you plan to let the domain go. A lapsed domain can be bought by anyone.
• A DNS configuration card showing whether the record is set, whether it resolves, whether it points at your site, and whether the secure certificate is active. If anything needs attention there is an Auto-configure DNS button and, if some existing record is clashing, a list of exactly which ones to fix.

DNS

The full list of DNS records for the domain, which you can edit here rather than anywhere else.

• Click Add record to create one. Pick a Type, set the Host (use @ for the root domain, or a subdomain prefix), fill in the Answer, and optionally a TTL and a Priority.
• Use the edit and delete controls on any row to change or remove a record.
• Changes are applied within seconds.

This is what you need if you want your email, a newsletter tool, or another service verified on the same domain as your site.

Removing a domain

1. Go to My Website then Domains.
2. Find the domain you no longer want connected.
3. Click the trash icon and confirm.

Afterwards, go to your registrar and remove the DNS records you added, so they are not pointing at nothing.

After it is verified

Your site is reachable at the new address. Links to your original TribeNest address keep working, so nothing you have already shared breaks.

If you have not published a version yet, the custom domain will show your site as soon as you do. See Publishing your website.