Your own domain on your link-in-bio page: the DNS records, provider by provider
How to put your page on a domain you own, with the exact steps for Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace Domains, Porkbun and IONOS, and the two mistakes that account for nearly every failed setup.
A link in bio on somebody else’s domain says “here is where I keep my links”. The same page on shop.yourbrand.com says “here is my business”. Same page, same products, same bookings; the address does the talking. If you already own a domain for your email or an old website, pointing a subdomain at your page is a half-hour job, most of it waiting.
This post is the DNS half of that job, written for the providers people actually use. The Keepp side is three records in a dialog and a button that checks them. The how-to guide covers that end to end: Connect your own domain.
Pick a subdomain, not the bare domain
Use shop.yourbrand.com, links.yourbrand.com, page.yourbrand.com, book.yourbrand.com, whatever reads right for you. A subdomain is connected with a single CNAME record, and every DNS provider in the world accepts a CNAME on a subdomain.
The bare domain, yourbrand.com with nothing in front, is different. A CNAME is not allowed at the root of a domain under DNS rules, because that is where your email records live. Some providers work around it with a feature called CNAME flattening. Cloudflare does this by default. If your domain is anywhere else, use a subdomain and save yourself an afternoon.
The three records
Whatever the provider, you add the same three things:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME | shop.yourbrand.com | pages.keepp.link |
| TXT | _cf-custom-hostname.shop.yourbrand.com | a long code from the dialog |
| TXT | _acme-challenge.shop.yourbrand.com | a long code from the dialog |
The CNAME sends visitors to your page. The two TXT records prove you control the name, which is how the https certificate gets issued before a single visitor arrives. There is no window where your domain answers without a padlock.
The two mistakes behind almost every failed setup
Entering the full name where the provider wants only the prefix. Most DNS screens append your domain for you. If your domain is yourbrand.com, the Name field wants shop, not shop.yourbrand.com, and _acme-challenge.shop, not _acme-challenge.shop.yourbrand.com. The tell is a saved record that reads shop.yourbrand.com.yourbrand.com. Cloudflare and Porkbun forgive both forms; GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace and IONOS want the prefix.
Retyping a TXT value. The codes are long and random. One character off and the check never passes. Copy them from the dialog; every value has a copy button next to it.
Provider by provider
Cloudflare
DNS, then Records, then Add record. Type CNAME, Name shop, Target pages.keepp.link, and set the proxy status to DNS only, the grey cloud. Add the two TXT records with Type TXT, the name from the dialog, and the code as Content. Cloudflare applies changes within seconds. Official guide: Manage DNS records.
GoDaddy
Domain Portfolio, pick the domain, DNS tab, Add New Record. CNAME with Name shop and Value pages.keepp.link, then two TXT records with the prefix as Name and the code as Value. GoDaddy says most changes take effect within an hour. Official guides: Add a CNAME record, Add a TXT record.
Namecheap
Domain List, Manage, Advanced DNS, then Add New Record under Host Records. CNAME Record with Host shop and Value pages.keepp.link, two TXT Records with the prefix as Host and the code as Value, then Save All Changes. Namecheap quotes about thirty minutes. Official guides: Create a CNAME record, Add TXT records.
Squarespace Domains
This is where Google Domains customers ended up. Domains dashboard, pick the domain, DNS in the side panel, add a record. Type CNAME, Name shop, Data pages.keepp.link; then two TXT records with the prefix as Name and the code as Data. You confirm with your password. Official guide: Edit your domain’s DNS records.
Porkbun
Account, Domain Management, Details on the domain, the edit icon next to DNS Records, Add Record. CNAME with Host shop and Answer pages.keepp.link, two TXT records with the prefix as Host and the code as Answer. Official guide: How to edit DNS records.
IONOS
Domains & SSL, the gear menu next to the domain, Manage Subdomains, open DNS for the subdomain, Add Record. CNAME with pages.keepp.link in Point to, then the two TXT records. IONOS applies changes immediately on its side. Official guide: Configuring a CNAME record for a subdomain.
Everyone else
Find DNS, DNS zone or Advanced DNS in the domain’s settings and add the three records. The field names change, the shape never does: a type, a name, a value.
How you know it worked
Back on Keepp, Check status fills in two green checks: the hostname is verified, and the certificate is issued. The dialog then says your domain is live and links to it. Open it, tap a product, book a slot, start a chat. Everything your page does at keepp.link it does at your domain, and a link to a single block carries over too, so shop.yourbrand.com/a1b2c3d4 opens the same product as keepp.link/your-name/a1b2c3d4.
Your keepp.link address keeps working the whole time. Print the one you prefer.