Custom Domains

Serve sitemaps from your own subdomain with automatic SSL

Why Custom Domains?

We recommend serving your sitemap from a subdomain of your main website (e.g., sitemap.yoursite.com) for several reasons:

  • Brand consistency - Your sitemap URL matches your domain
  • Trust signals - Search engines see it as part of your site
  • Professional appearance - Looks better than a third-party URL
  • No vendor lock-in - Change providers without updating submissions

Setup Guide

1. Choose your subdomain

Common choices include:

  • sitemap.yoursite.com (most common)
  • xml.yoursite.com
  • seo.yoursite.com

Tip: We recommend using "sitemap" as it's descriptive and widely recognized.

2. Add CNAME record

Log into your DNS provider and add a CNAME record:

TypeNameTarget
CNAMEsitemapcname.sitemaphost.app

DNS propagation typically takes a few minutes but can take up to 24 hours.

3. Add domain in dashboard

In your SitemapHost dashboard:

  1. Go to your project settings
  2. Click "Add Custom Domain"
  3. Enter your full subdomain (e.g., sitemap.yoursite.com)
  4. Click "Verify"

4. Wait for SSL provisioning

Once DNS is verified, we automatically provision an SSL certificate. This usually takes 1-5 minutes.

You'll see a green checkmark when your domain is fully configured and HTTPS is active.

SSL Certificates

All custom domains receive free SSL certificates, automatically provisioned and renewed. We use Cloudflare for SaaS to manage certificates, providing:

  • Automatic provisioning - Certificate issued within minutes
  • Auto-renewal - Renewed automatically before expiration
  • Modern TLS - TLS 1.2 and 1.3 support
  • Universal compatibility - Works with all browsers

You don't need to purchase or configure SSL certificates. Everything is handled automatically once your DNS is properly configured.

DNS Provider Examples

Cloudflare

  1. Go to DNS settings for your domain
  2. Click "Add record"
  3. Select Type: CNAME
  4. Name: sitemap
  5. Target: cname.sitemaphost.app
  6. Proxy status: DNS only (grey cloud)
  7. Click "Save"

Important for Cloudflare users: Make sure the proxy is disabled (grey cloud, not orange). Our SSL provisioning requires direct DNS resolution.

Namecheap

  1. Go to Domain List, then Manage, then Advanced DNS
  2. Click "Add New Record"
  3. Type: CNAME Record
  4. Host: sitemap
  5. Value: cname.sitemaphost.app
  6. TTL: Automatic
  7. Click the checkmark to save

GoDaddy

  1. Go to My Products, then DNS
  2. Click "Add" under Records
  3. Type: CNAME
  4. Name: sitemap
  5. Value: cname.sitemaphost.app
  6. TTL: Default
  7. Click "Save"

Verifying DNS Configuration

You can verify your DNS is correctly configured using these commands:

# Check CNAME record
dig sitemap.yoursite.com CNAME

# Or use nslookup
nslookup -type=CNAME sitemap.yoursite.com

You should see cname.sitemaphost.app in the response.

Troubleshooting

Domain not verifying -- DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate. Wait and try again, or check that your CNAME record is correctly configured.

SSL certificate not provisioning -- Ensure DNS proxy is disabled (Cloudflare users) and the CNAME points to the correct target. SSL provisioning requires direct DNS resolution.

Getting 522 or timeout errors -- This usually indicates DNS isn't properly configured. Double-check your CNAME record and wait for propagation to complete.

Next Steps