This article helps you understand the most important concepts before you start: what a custom domain is, how Kanorio manages domains and websites, whether you should buy a new one on the platform or connect an existing one, how to handle www, and how domain quotas work for each plan.
If you are ready to get started, you can jump straight to the relevant guide:
| Your situation | Next step |
|---|---|
| I don't have a domain yet and want to search and buy one on Kanorio (DNS and certificates are configured automatically) | |
| I already bought a domain from GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, or another provider and want to connect it | |
I'm just getting started and want to use the free xxx.kanorio.com URL |
Every Kanorio website comes with a free URL (e.g., mellowcoffee.kanorio.com) once published. A custom domain is a unique address that belongs entirely to your brand, such as mellowcoffee.com, mellowcoffee.co, or mellowcoffee.shop. It contains only your brand name, with no mention of kanorio.com.
| Comparison | Free URL | Custom domain |
|---|---|---|
| URL example | mellowcoffee.kanorio.com | mellowcoffee.com |
| Annual domain fee | Free | Requires an annual registration fee (purchased via Kanorio or an external provider) |
| Plan requirements | All plans (including Free) | Pro (up to 1) or Business (up to 5) |
| HTTPS security (SSL) | Automatically configured for free | Automatically configured and renewed for free |
| Best for | Initial testing, short-term campaigns, early-stage portfolios | Long-term brand websites, online stores, business cards, and ad campaigns |
yourbrand.com carries more professional credibility than a subdomain that includes the platform's name.To keep your domain assets secure and flexible, Kanorio separates domain management into two independent layers:
| Level | Analogy | Where to manage in the dashboard? | What does it do? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Domain Ownership | Who bought and holds the deed | The "Domain" section under "Billing" (only for domains purchased via Kanorio) | Bound to your personal account: Manages registration renewals, invoices, DNS records, nameservers, and domain transfers. You can reassign a domain from Site A to Site B at any time; even if you delete the site, the domain remains in your account. |
| 2. Website Service | Where the sign is currently hung | The "Custom domain" section under "Site settings › Domain" | Bound to a single site: Whether purchased through Kanorio or connected from an external provider, this is where you set the "Primary domain," manage "Secondary domains" (which automatically 301 redirect), and check DNS and certificate status. |
| Your situation | Recommended approach | Who manages DNS? |
|---|---|---|
| I don't have a domain and want the easiest path without managing DNS settings | Buy a domain directly on Kanorio. Search, pay, and assign to your site in one go. See . | Managed automatically by Kanorio: The system automatically configures root domain pointing, www redirects, and SSL certificates. You can still add custom records or use custom nameservers at any time. |
| I already bought a domain from GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc. | No need to repurchase or transfer the registrar. Simply follow to add a CNAME record at your current provider. | Managed at your original provider: Domain renewals and existing company email settings remain where they are; you only point the website to Kanorio. |
| The domain is managed by company IT, an agency, or a third party | Open and copy the "Message template for your domain provider/IT" at the bottom to send to them. | Managed by your IT or provider at the original location. |
Common Question: I already bought a domain elsewhere. Do I need to "Transfer In" to Kanorio? No, and we do not currently support external domain registration transfers. Where you buy or renew your domain and which website it points to are two separate things. Simply keep your domain with your current registrar, follow the guide to , and set up a CNAME record. Your website will fully utilize the domain while benefiting from Kanorio's global acceleration and automatic SSL certificates.
www, and SubdomainsWhen setting up your URL, you will frequently encounter these three terms:
| Name | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Apex / Root Domain | yourbrand.com | The shortest brand URL without any prefix. Often represented by an @ symbol (or left blank) in DNS settings. |
www URL | www.yourbrand.com | Adds www before the root domain. Technically, it is a separate URL from yourbrand.com. |
| Subdomain | shop.yourbrand.com | Adds a specific prefix (e.g., shop for a store, event for an event) before the root domain. It can point to a different site independently without affecting the main root domain. |
www or not?This is a critical setup, and the method depends on your domain source:
yourbrand.com to your site, the system automatically sets up a 301 permanent redirect from www.yourbrand.com to yourbrand.com at the cloud edge. Visitors can reach your site regardless of how they type it, using only 1 custom domain slot.www.yourbrand.com in Kanorio, then go to your provider's dashboard and enable "URL Forwarding" to redirect yourbrand.com to https://www.yourbrand.com.yourbrand.com in Kanorio and set up the www redirect at your provider.yourbrand.com and www.yourbrand.com to Kanorio (consumes 2 slots, available on Business)
If your provider supports root domain CNAMEs and you are on the Business plan (up to 5 slots), you can add both to your Kanorio custom domain list. The system will automatically 301 redirect the secondary one to the primary one.Custom domain quotas are calculated per website (different websites have separate quotas and do not share them):
| Plan | Custom domain limit per site |
|---|---|
| Free | 0 (uses the free xxx.kanorio.com URL) |
| Pro | Up to 1 |
| Business | Up to 5 |
When multiple domains are bound to a single site (e.g., Business plan with yourbrand.com, www.yourbrand.com, and yourbrand.co), the system distinguishes between:
xxx.kanorio.com URL, will automatically 301 redirect to the primary domain (preserving page paths and parameters).⋯) menu next to the domain and select "Set as Primary". The change takes effect immediately.If a site is downgraded from Pro or Business to the Free plan:
xxx.kanorio.com free URL.No. Think of a website as your "decorated storefront and products," and a domain as your "street address sign" (e.g., yourbrand.com). You can buy a domain and hold it before assigning it to a site, or build your site with a free URL first and add a custom domain later.
This is to protect your visitor experience. While a custom domain is in the yellow "Pending DNS" state, the system will not redirect the free URL to avoid sending visitors to a site that isn't ready. Once the custom domain is verified and turns green ("Active"), the automatic 301 redirect will start immediately.
Yes! Each full URL is independent. You only need to add shop.yourbrand.com in Kanorio and create a CNAME record in your DNS settings named shop pointing to saas.kanorio.com. Your existing site and email on the root yourbrand.com will remain completely unaffected.
No. Each full URL (e.g., yourbrand.com) can only point to one website at a time. However, you can use different subdomains to distinguish them, such as binding yourbrand.com to your main brand site and shop.yourbrand.com to a secondary campaign or store site.