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Connect a custom domain

Point your .com at your host and your images subdomain at your CDN, both on https.

6 steps3 rulesStep 11 of 15 in Ship a website

Use this skill

Read https://isklls.com/s/connect-a-custom-domain and follow it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini or any agent that can open a link, then add your task.

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connect-a-custom-domain.md
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Purpose::

The project serves on its own .com: site on the host, images on the CDN, both https.

Rules::

  • Domain = <name>.com; the owner buys it, the agent never pays
  • DNS through the registrar's API; keys from your env file, never printed
  • www redirects to the bare domain

Inventory::

  • Registrar API (DNS records), host API (domains), CDN API (hostnames, certificates)
  • Your env file with the keys

Steps::

  1. 1If https://<domain> already serves this site, go to 5
  2. 2Add <domain> and www (redirect) to the host project; read the A and CNAME values it asks for
  3. 3Set DNS at the registrar: @ A, www CNAME, images CNAME to the CDN
  4. 4CDN: add images.<domain>, load a free certificate, force SSL; repoint image URLs
  5. 5Set the site URL to https://<domain>; add the domain to your login provider's redirect URIs
  6. 6Reply in one line: https://<domain> live

Metrics::

  • https://<domain> serves the project; www redirects
  • Canonicals and the sitemap use the domain
Website.md

Purpose:: List the pages of the first website.

Steps::

  1. 1. Start with home, pricing
  2. 2. Add signup and signin if users get an account
  3. 3. Add the 1-3 pages where the idea and the success metric happen
  4. 4. Reply as one comma separated line

Plan a first sitemap

The 4-7 pages your first website needs, so every CTA and success metric has a page.

Website.md

Purpose:: Lock the main inspiration URL: the live site your first website follows in structure and craft.

Steps::

  1. 1. Think of 3 famous products that sell something close to your idea
  2. 2. Open each; note how the home page puts the main action first
  3. 3. Keep the one with the clearest, most detailed home
  4. 4. Reply with its homepage URL and one line on what you take from it

Pick an inspiration website

Lock one famous, live product site whose structure your first website will follow.

Website.md

Purpose:: Say in one concrete sentence why this project is a perfect fit for you.

Steps::

  1. 1. Read the project's purpose
  2. 2. Read what you are about and what you have
  3. 3. Find the overlap: what you already have that this project can offer
  4. 4. Write: we have <X> (evidence), so <project> offers <Y> to <buyer>

Prove the fit in one sentence

Say why this project is a perfect fit for you, with evidence of what you already have.

Website.md

Purpose:: Build the perfect alternative to your direct competitors: their best parts plus what visitors in this space are used to.

Steps::

  1. 1. Per competitor: note the landing, pages and flow
  2. 2. List what they all share (traditional) and the best part of each
  3. 3. Build the header, footer and home, then the other public pages from that list
  4. 4. Deploy; screenshot desktop and mobile; compare with the competitor screenshots; fix

Build the best alternative frontend

Take the best part of each direct competitor plus what visitors in the space expect, and build it better.