How to point your domain to Flywheel from GoDaddy

Domains registered with GoDaddy can take advantage of Flywheel’s partnership with Domain Connect, which allows Flywheel to set up DNS records with GoDaddy on your behalf. If you’d like to point your domain manually instead, you can follow the steps in this help article.

Table of Contents

1. Add the domain to your Flywheel site
2. Log in to GoDaddy and authorize changes
3. Complete the domain setup
4. Verify the domain(s) are pointed
5. FAQ

Add the domain to your Flywheel site

1. From the site’s Overview tab, click the (+) icon in the Domains list to add the domain you’d like to point to Flywheel.
   
2. Fill out the domain information:
   
   • Enter the URL in the Domain field
   • Check the box to set the domain to Primary (if this will be your site’s main URL)
   • By default, the www version of the domain will be added (uncheck the box to skip this step)
   • Select Yes for “Have you purchased this domain?”
   • Click Next

   Note

   In the background, our system will automatically update all appropriate URL references in the database to this new primary domain.

Log in to GoDaddy and authorize changes

1. Click the Log in to GoDaddy button, which will take you to your GoDaddy dashboard to sign in.
   
2. Once you’re signed in, click Connect to authorize Flywheel to make DNS changes.
   
3. If the www version of your domain was added as well, click Point www in GoDaddy to authorize changes for this subdomain.

Complete the domain setup

1. Once DNS is updated at GoDaddy, you’ll be taken back to the Flywheel dashboard. Click Back to Site to return to the Overview page.
2. Repeat the steps above (leaving Primary unchecked) to add any secondary domains.

FAQ

My domain is registered through GoDaddy, but Domain Connect isn’t working. What do I do?

If you run into any snags, it’s a good idea to double-check the following first:

• Make sure you complete the entire process. After you log in to GoDaddy and approve the DNS changes, you should be taken back to the Flywheel dashboard and see a “Success! Your domain is now connected to Flywheel.” message. If that doesn’t sound familiar, try adding your domain again.
• Make sure you log in to the correct GoDaddy account. If not, you’ll be unable to authorize the changes.
• Make sure you’re using GoDaddy’s nameservers. If you have custom nameservers specified, Flywheel will not be able to make changes. You can view and edit your domain’s name servers by following this GoDaddy help article.
• Make sure your GoDaddy domain contains a CNAME record for _domainconnect. If not, you can create one using the settings pictured below. If this CNAME record is missing, Flywheel will not be able to connect with GoDaddy.

If all else fails, you can reach out to Flywheel support or point your GoDaddy domain manually by following the steps in this help article.

I pointed my domain successfully, but my site isn’t loading in my browser. What do I need to do?

Most likely, you just need to wait a few minutes, as there is a delay between the time DNS changes are made and when they go into effect. This is known as propagation time.

DNS changes by nature can take 24-48 hours to fully update across the entire internet, though it’s generally much quicker. By default, GoDaddy sets the Time to Live (TTL) setting for each record to 1 hour, so you should see your changes go live within that timeframe.

Still need help?

If you get stuck, or have any questions along the way, we’d love to help! Reach out to our support team and we’d be glad to assist.