Question
I want to use a custom domain that does not include "www" in the URL. For example, instead of https://www.mycompany.com, I just want https://mycompany.com. Is that possible?
Answer
Yes, you can exclude "www" from your Hub's custom domain URL. There are three possible scenarios:
Scenario 1: Subdomain Custom Domain
If you choose a custom domain that is a subdomain of your main website, for example https://resources.mycompany.com, then the subdomain (in this case resources) will simply replace "www" in the URL.
Scenario 2: Subdirectory Custom Domain
If you go with a custom domain that is a subdirectory of your main website, and the website's URL already does not include the "www", then that would apply to the custom domain as well. For example, if your Hub will live in the subdirectory resources on your website at https://mycompany.com, then the full URL for your Hub would simply be https://mycompany.com/resources.
Scenario 3: Standalone Custom Domain
Things get a little tricky if you want your Hub to function more like a standalone website, and live on a custom domain that is not associated with your existing website: for example, if your main website lives at https://mycompany.com, and you want your Hub to be on a URL like https://mycompanyresources.com.
Although this kind of standalone custom domain does not include a subdomain (as www is technically a subdomain), you would still set it up the same way as a subdomain custom domain in practice. This presents two challenges:
- Uberflip's Add A Domain tool will only allow you to add domains in the format a.b.c, i.e. they must include a subdomain.
- The process for setting up a subdomain custom domain requires creating a CNAME record with your DNS provider. However, for technical reasons, most DNS providers will not allow you to create a CNAME record with a bare domain (e.g. a domain that lacks any subdomain element, including "www").
As a result, please contact your Customer Success Manager or Uberflip Support if you want to use a standalone custom domain without "www", as they will need to help you to set it up.