Connect a domain with DNS

Connect a domain with DNS

Open your site's DNS settings in SG-Dashboard. Under DNS Setup Instructions, SGEN lists the records to add — A records for your root (@) and www, both pointing at 34.144.203.31. Add them at your registrar, then click Check DNS. Once they resolve (up to 48 hours), your site shows DNS configured and SSL active, and serves on your domain over HTTPS — no certificate to buy.

Two A records do the work

SGEN lists the records to add: an A record for @ and one for www, both with Value 34.144.203.31. An A record sends your domain straight to SGEN.

Check DNS confirms it

Click Check DNS in the A Record Checker and SGEN verifies your domain. Once your records resolve, the site shows DNS configured and SSL active. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate.

HTTPS is handled for you

Force HTTPS is Always On, and SGEN secures connected domains. There is no certificate to buy or install — once the domain resolves, the site loads with a padlock.

What this page covers

Use this page when you are pointing a domain you own at an SGEN site — your root domain (yourdomain.com) and www, or a subdomain that runs its own SGEN site. The connection works by DNS A records: you point your domain at SGEN's address, confirm it with the built-in Check DNS, and SGEN serves your site over HTTPS.

It does not cover: domain registration (SGEN does not sell domains), email routing (mail records live in your DNS provider and are not affected), or arbitrary redirect rules (your canonical www-vs-non-www choice is set on this page; other redirects are best handled at your registrar).

For a first-time custom-domain launch walkthrough, see Set up a custom domain.

Sandbox note. The DNS settings open on a paid (live) site. On a free sandbox site the DNS area shows "Coming Soon" — sandbox sites run on their SGEN address and do not take a custom domain. Connect your domain once the site is on a paid plan.

Before you start

Confirm these four items before you open the DNS settings.

Plan
A paid (live) site

Custom-domain DNS is available on a paid site. A sandbox site shows "Coming Soon" in its DNS settings.

DNS Access
Where your DNS is managed

You can sign in and edit DNS records for the domain — usually at your registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Google Domains), sometimes a separate DNS host.

Access
Site-admin access

You are signed in with admin access to the SGEN site you are connecting the domain to.

Records
The records SGEN lists

A records on @ and www, both pointing at 34.144.203.31. Each has a copy button.

Step 1 — Add the A records at your registrar

In SG-Dashboard, open your site and go to its DNS settings. Note the two Required A Records under DNS Setup Instructions — each has a copy button. Then sign in to your DNS provider, open the DNS records area for the domain, and add both.

Record 1 — root

Type A · Name @ · Value 34.144.203.31

Record 2 — www

Type A · Name www · Value 34.144.203.31

TTL

Use 300 seconds while setting up so changes spread quickly. Raise it once the domain is stable.

No A on the root?

Use the provider's ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME-flattening on @ instead — as long as it resolves to 34.144.203.31, the check passes.

DNS settings — DNS Setup Instructions listing the A records to add and the Check DNS button

Where the DNS records area lives in common providers:

Cloudflare

Dashboard → domain → DNS → Records

Namecheap

Domain list → Manage → Advanced DNS

GoDaddy

My Products → DNS → Manage Zones

Google Domains / Squarespace DNS

DNS → Custom records

AWS Route 53

Hosted zones → select zone → Create record

Step 2 — Run the DNS check

Back on the DNS settings page, in A Record Checker, click Check DNS. SGEN verifies your domain and confirms whether it is correctly configured. If the records have not spread yet, give it time and click Check DNS again — DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though they often complete much sooner.

Once your records resolve, the site shows its status:

DNS configured

Your domain is pointing at SGEN.

SSL active

SGEN has secured the domain over HTTPS — no certificate to buy or install.

SGEN site card showing DNS configured and SSL active once the domain resolves

Step 3 — Set your preferred domain and confirm HTTPS

Under Canonical Rules, choose your Preferred Domain — whether the site serves on www or the bare domain. Force HTTPS is Always On, so every visit is secured automatically.

With the status reading DNS configured and SSL active, open your domain in a fresh browser tab. The site loads on your domain with a padlock in the address bar. If the padlock does not appear within a short while of the status turning green, wait a little and reload. If it persists, contact support — certificate setup is handled by SGEN.

What success looks like

After the records propagate, all of the following should be true:

Check DNS passes

The A Record Checker confirms your domain is configured.

DNS configured / SSL active

The site status shows both, and the site loads over HTTPS with a padlock.

Correct domain

The address bar stays on your domain — no bounce back to the default address.

Old host retired

For a move-in, traffic now reaches SGEN and the old platform no longer serves the domain.

What to do if it does not work

The most common causes are a record that has not yet propagated or one entered with the wrong value. Work through the relevant item below.

Check DNS still reports not-configured

Give DNS time to propagate (up to 48 hours), then click Check DNS again. Look your domain up in a public DNS lookup tool and confirm both @ and www resolve to 34.144.203.31.

Records resolve to a different address

Confirm both A records point at 34.144.203.31 and that no leftover record from a previous host is still in the zone. Delete stale records and save.

Configured but "Not secure" in the browser

HTTPS settles shortly after DNS resolves. Wait a little and reload in a fresh tab. If it persists once the status reads SSL active, contact support — certificates are handled by SGEN.

A subdomain is not connecting

A subdomain that runs its own SGEN site needs that subdomain set as the site's domain, then its A record pointed at 34.144.203.31 the same way.

Switch-over is taking a long time

A high TTL on the old record (for example 86400, a full day) means caches hold the previous value for that long. Wait out the window; lower the TTL before future changes.

Good to know

HTTPS

Handled for you — Force HTTPS is Always On, and the site shows SSL active once the certificate is in place. Nothing to buy or install.

www vs non-www

Set your canonical name under Canonical Rules → Preferred Domain. Other redirect rules are best handled at your registrar today, or ask support.

Record summary

Quick reference for the records to add.

Root domain — A

Host: @ · Value: 34.144.203.31

www — A

Host: www · Value: 34.144.203.31

Root, where A on @ is not allowed

ALIAS / ANAME / CNAME-flattening on @ resolving to 34.144.203.31

Subdomain on its own SGEN site

Host: <subdomain> · Value: 34.144.203.31

Heads up If the domain is currently live on another platform, plan the cutover during low-traffic hours. DNS propagation takes up to 48 hours — some visitors reach the old platform during that window. A record with a high TTL (86400) can take up to a day to switch over fully.

What to do next