Domains

Connect a web address you already own (like www.yourclub.com) so members reach your ClubHelix site at your own brand instead of the default address. You'll find this under Domains in the admin sidebar, in the website-management group. SSL certificates are issued automatically once your DNS verifies, so visitors always get the secure padlock.

Who can use this

Only admins can add, verify or remove a custom domain. Moderators can open the page, but the buttons won't work for them — the actions are restricted to admins. You also need access to your domain provider's DNS settings to add the records ClubHelix asks for.

What's on the page

The page is split into three cards:

• Add a domain — a single Hostname field and an Add domain button.
• Configured domains — a list of every domain you've added, each with its status, the exact DNS records to create, and Re-check / Remove buttons.
• How to set the records at your domain provider — a grid of providers (Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Squarespace, Namecheap, VentraIP, Crazy Domains and many more). Pick yours and the step-by-step instructions adapt to that provider's control panel — where to click, what its record fields are called, and the quirks to watch for. There's a search box to find yours quickly, and an Other provider tile with generic steps if it isn't listed.

Step by step

Add your domain

1. In the Add a domain card, type the exact hostname members will use, for example www.yourclub.com.
2. Click Add domain.
3. If you add the apex (yourclub.com), ClubHelix automatically stages www.yourclub.com too (and vice versa). Whichever one you typed becomes canonical; the other one redirects to it.

Point your DNS records

1. Find your new domain in the Configured domains list. It will show a pending verification badge.
2. Each domain shows a table of DNS records — a TXT verification record and either an A record (for an apex) or a CNAME record (for a subdomain). Use the Copy button next to each value.
3. In the How to set the records at your domain provider card, click your provider's tile in the grid (or search for it). The instructions underneath update to match that provider — including a direct link to its DNS console. Your choice is remembered for next time.
4. Follow the tailored steps to add the records in your provider's DNS settings, then save.

Verify the domain

1. Back on the Domains page, click Re-check next to your domain.
2. While it checks, the button shows Checking…. If the record isn't visible yet, you'll see an amber message — DNS changes can take a few minutes to a few hours, so wait and try again.
3. Once it succeeds, the badge turns to verified, SSL is provisioned automatically, and your site is reachable at your domain within a few minutes.

What happens with search engines

You don't have to do anything here — it's automatic — but it's worth knowing what changes:

1. Your domain starts serving its own robots.txt and sitemap.xml (at https://yourclub.com/sitemap.xml), listing every public page at your address.
2. Your pages stop being listed in ClubHelix's own sitemap. That's deliberate: a page advertised from two addresses at once looks like duplicate content to a search engine, so we list each page from one address only — yours.
3. Only the canonical domain gets a sitemap. The companion address serves the same site under a second name, so it advertises nothing of its own — that keeps one club's pages from being offered to search engines twice.
4. If Google Search Console is connected, ClubHelix registers your domain as its own property and submits that sitemap for you.

Remove a domain

1. Click Remove next to the domain.
2. Confirm the prompt. Visitors will stop reaching your site at that hostname.

Field reference

Tips & FAQ

• It's not verifying. Check the record name and value match the table exactly — an extra space or a record in the wrong DNS zone are the usual culprits. Propagation is normally 15 minutes to 2 hours.
• Using Cloudflare? Set the routing records to DNS only (grey cloud), not proxied, or SSL won't provision. The on-page guide covers this.
• Apex vs www. Some registrars can't put a CNAME on an apex — use the A record shown, or an ALIAS/ANAME if your provider supports one. The per-provider instructions already tell you which applies.
• My provider isn't in the grid. Choose Other provider — the generic steps cover the record-name and apex variations most control panels use.
• Bought through Google Domains? Google Domains moved to Squarespace in 2023 — pick the Google Domains tile and it points you at the Squarespace console with the right steps.
• Verify it yourself first. The "Verifying the records yourself" section links to dnschecker.org and shows the dig commands to confirm your records are live before clicking Re-check.
• Which sitemap do I give Google? https://yourclub.com/sitemap.xml — your own address, not a clubhelix.com one. Your robots.txt already points at it, so Google usually finds it without being told. The old /group/{your-slug}/sitemap.xml address redirects there, so an existing submission keeps working.
• My companion address has an empty sitemap. That's correct. Both addresses reach the same site, so only the canonical one is advertised to search engines.

Once your domain is live, set up the rest of your site under Branding, Theme and Navigation. For an overview of all admin tools, see the Admin overview.