Connect my own web address (domain) to my site
Your domain name — like www.yourname.com — is a bit like a street address. Right now
it points to wherever you bought or built your old site. Connecting it to bernard just
means updating that address so it points to your new bernard site instead. You make a few
small changes where you bought your domain, and bernard does the rest.
You add these where you manage your domain (your "registrar" — Squarespace, GoDaddy, Namecheap, and so on). In bernard, open your site and go to Custom domain: it shows you the exact values to copy, already filled in for your address. There are three:
- A forwarding instruction — sends visitors who type your address to your bernard
site. (Technically a "CNAME" record with the name
www, pointing atcustomers.bernardhosts.com.) - A proof-of-ownership note — shows bernard the domain is really yours, like showing ID. (A "TXT" record; bernard gives you the exact code to paste.)
- A security-certificate helper — lets bernard put the padlock 🔒 on your site automatically, so visitors see it's secure. (Another small record; copy it as shown.)
Two things to know before you start
- This will not touch your email. These records only point your website address.
- You're not moving your domain anywhere. It stays where you bought it — you're just adding settings. And don't change your nameservers — that's the one setting that breaks things; you don't need to.
How to do it
- Open Custom domain in bernard and type the address you want to use (e.g.
www.yourname.com). Bernard works out the exact records and shows them to you. - Log in where you manage your domain and find the DNS settings — often called "DNS", "Advanced DNS", or "Manage DNS".
- Add the records bernard shows you, copying each value exactly. Bernard has step-by-step instructions for Squarespace, GoDaddy, Namecheap and others built in.
- Give it a little time. It can take from a few minutes up to a few hours to start working — that's normal. Bernard checks for you and switches you over automatically once everything's in place, padlock and all.
If you get stuck, the Bernard AI assistant can look at your domain's live status, tell you in plain English which records are in place and which aren't yet, and what to do next.
Want to be found more easily once your address is live? See Use the words people actually search for.
The prompt
“Help me connect my own web address to my bernard site. Tell me exactly which records to add where I manage [my domain], in plain English, and check whether they're working yet.”
The [bracketed] parts are yours to fill in. First time? Log in to bernard → your site → Edit with AI → copy your access prompt, paste that into your AI first, then ask the above.
Questions people ask
- Will this affect my email?
- No. The records you add only tell visitors where your website lives — they don't touch your email. Your email keeps working exactly as it does now, as long as you only add the records we show you and don't delete anything else.
- Am I moving my domain away from where I bought it?
- No. You keep your domain exactly where you bought it. You're just adding a few settings there that point it at your bernard site — nothing moves, and you can change it back any time.
- I added the records but my site isn't showing yet — did I do it wrong?
- Probably not. After you add the records it can take from a few minutes up to a few hours for the internet to catch up — that's normal, not a mistake. Bernard checks automatically and switches you over the moment it's ready. Bernard never changes your live site without your approval, so you stay in control the whole way.
- What are nameservers, and should I change them?
- Leave nameservers alone. They're the master switch for your whole domain, and changing them is the most common way people accidentally break their email and website. You only need to add the small records we show you, nothing more.