Custom Domain Name

Custom domains let you host your Parade site with a URL like “www.mywebsite.com”. This can be tricky to set up, and is only recommended for advanced users. Really — our staff isn’t able to support many of the issues that may crop up when setting up a domain name. So please ask a friend who’s done this before if you’re uncomfortable with any of the instructions.

1. Get a Domain Name

Buy a domain from a registrar like GoDaddy, pairNIC, or Register. This usually costs $10—$40 per year.

2. Set Your A Record

Next, you’ll need to follow the registrar’s instructions to point the domain’s A-record (IP address) to 209.20.89.147

Note: DO NOT TURN ON DOMAIN FORWARDING!

Please note that you need to change your domain’s or sub-domain’s A Record, not its nameservers. And, you don’t need to forward your domain, you only need to change its A Record.

Once you’ve done this, you may need to wait up to 72 hours for the change to take effect. If the domain is set up properly, you should see the Parade home page when you visit your domain.

3. Add the Domain Name to Parade

Now in your Parade Website settings, under the Domain tab enter your Primary Domain name yourdomainname.com then click Add an alternate domain enter www.yourdomainname.com. (You can set the www to be your primary if you prefer).

TRY IT OUT! you should have a Parade site with your own custom domain. If you don’t see results right away, you may have to wait a bit (anywhere from a few minutes to a couple days) for your domain name change to be registered around the Internet.