# How to Set Up a Custom Domain | Axumind Documentation | Clientlex Connect your agency domain to Axumind so clients can access your agency client portal, service catalog, and intake forms using your agency's domain. # How agency subdomains work When you register an agency on Axumind, a dedicated subdomain is automatically assigned to your workspace: https://your-agency.axumind.com This address provides access to your agency storefront and client-facing portal, including the relevant service, checkout, and login pages. You can use your assigned subdomain immediately without configuring any DNS records. However, if you want clients to interact with your agency through your own domain, you can connect a custom domain instead. For example: - portal.youragency.com - clients.youragency.com - services.youragency.com ## Choosing your custom domain Axumind supports custom subdomains and eligible root domains. ### Option 1: Use a dedicated subdomain (recommended) A dedicated subdomain is usually the simplest option. For example: portal.youragency.com This is ideal when your main website is already hosted somewhere else, such as WordPress, Webflow, or Framer. Your main website continues to use youragency.com, while Axumind powers the client-facing experience at portal.youragency.com. You can also use a different name, such as clients.youragency.com or services.youragency.com. ### Option 2: Use your root domain You can also connect your main domain, such as: youragency.com This option is useful when you want Axumind to serve as the primary website or storefront for your agency. **Our recommendation:** Use a dedicated subdomain such as portal.youragency.com or clients.youragency.com unless you specifically want Axumind to serve your root domain. This allows you to keep your existing marketing website separate from your client portal. ## Step 1: Add your custom domain in Axumind - Log in to your Axumind agency dashboard. - Navigate to **Settings →Catalog Settings** **→Catalog URL and domains.** - Enter the domain you want to connect. - Click **Add Domain**. For example: portal.youragency.com - Submit the domain to continue. Axumind will display the DNS records you need to add with your domain provider. Keep this page open because you will need the record names and values in the next step. ## Step 2: Configure your DNS records DNS records tell your domain provider where requests for your custom domain should be directed. Log in to the account where your domain DNS is managed. This may be Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or another DNS provider. **Important:** Your domain registrar and DNS provider are not always the same company. If your domain uses Cloudflare nameservers, for example, you should make the DNS changes in Cloudflare rather than at your registrar. ### Add the CNAME record For a custom subdomain, create a CNAME record using the details displayed in Axumind. - **Type:** CNAME - **Name / Host:** portal - **Target / Value:** customers.axumind.com - **TTL:** Auto or 300 seconds Replace portal with the subdomain you selected. For example, if your custom domain is clients.youragency.com, the Host field will usually be clients. Some DNS providers ask you to enter the full hostname instead. Follow the format required by your provider. **Important:** Always use the exact DNS target displayed in Axumind. The example above should only be used when it matches the value shown in your domain settings. ### If you use Cloudflare When adding your DNS records in Cloudflare: - Open your domain in Cloudflare. - Navigate to **DNS → Records**. - Add the CNAME record using the values provided by Axumind. - Set the CNAME record to **proxied** (orange cloud) during initial domain verification. - Add the TXT verification record if Axumind provides one. - Save your changes. Once Axumind confirms the domain and activates it, follow any additional proxy configuration instructions provided by Axumind. Do not enable Cloudflare proxying unless it is supported by the current custom-domain configuration. ## Step 3: Verify and activate your domain After saving your DNS records, return to: **Axumind Dashboard → Catalog Settings** **→ Catalog URL and domains.** Find your custom domain and click Activate domain Axumind will check whether the required DNS records are correctly configured. DNS changes may take a few minutes to become visible, although some providers can take longer to update their records globally. Once the required records are detected, complete the activation process if Axumind prompts you to do so. After successful activation, your custom domain should become available for your agency and its clients. For example: https://portal.youragency.com You can also use a DNS propagation checker such as [DNSChecker](https://dnschecker.org/) or [WhatsMyDNS](https://www.whatsmydns.net/) to check whether your CNAME record is resolving correctly. ## Step 4: SSL certificates and HTTPS Axumind automatically provisions an SSL certificate for supported custom domains once the required DNS verification and activation steps are completed. This allows your custom domain to load securely over HTTPS. For example: https://portal.youragency.com Certificate provisioning may take a few minutes after successful verification. Once HTTPS is active, check that your custom domain loads correctly and that the browser displays a secure connection. Certificate issuance and renewal are handled automatically, so you do not need to purchase or manually renew a separate SSL certificate. ## Troubleshooting custom domain issues Having trouble connecting your custom domain? Here are a few things to check. ### Domain verification is still pending If your domain remains in **Pending Verification** status, check the following: **1. Check your DNS records** Make sure the CNAME and any required TXT records match the values displayed in Axumind. Pay particular attention to the hostname and target. A small typo can prevent verification. **2. Check your DNS provider** Make sure you are editing the DNS records at the provider managing your domain's authoritative nameservers. For example, if your domain uses Cloudflare nameservers, adding the records at GoDaddy will not update the DNS configuration that visitors actually use. **3. Check Cloudflare proxy settings** If you use Cloudflare, make sure the custom-domain CNAME is set to **DNS Only** during initial verification. Cloudflare proxying can interfere with some third-party domain-verification checks. **4. Allow time for DNS propagation** DNS changes are not always visible immediately. Wait a little longer and check your records again using a DNS propagation checker. Depending on your provider and DNS configuration, updates may take longer to appear globally. ### SSL certificate is not active If your custom domain has been verified but HTTPS is not working: - Confirm that Axumind has completed domain activation. - Check that the CNAME record still points to the correct target. - Check whether the domain is showing any SSL provisioning or activation status in Axumind. - Allow additional time for certificate provisioning. If the issue persists, contact Axumind support with your custom domain and the current status displayed in your dashboard. ### Conflicting DNS records Make sure there are no conflicting DNS records for the exact hostname you are connecting. For example, if you are connecting portal.youragency.com, check for existing A, AAAA, or other CNAME records using the same hostname. Remove or update conflicting records only after confirming that they are no longer required by another service. **Important:** Do not delete DNS records belonging to your main website, email service, or other applications. Only change the records necessary for your Axumind custom domain. ### Root domain connection is not working Some DNS providers do not support ordinary CNAME records at the root of a domain. Depending on your provider, you may need an ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME flattening configuration. For this reason, follow the specific DNS instructions shown by Axumind for your root domain rather than copying the subdomain CNAME configuration. If your provider does not support the required configuration, consider using a dedicated subdomain instead. ## Need help? If you have followed these steps and your custom domain is still not working, contact Axumind support. Include the following information so the issue can be investigated: - Your agency name. - The custom domain you are connecting. - Your DNS provider. - The current domain verification status. - A screenshot of the DNS records you configured. Our team can use this information to help identify the problem.