Custom domains 101: your name, your brand, your SEO
A subdomain is a rental. A custom domain is an address you own — it survives platform changes, it accumulates search equity under YOUR name, and it looks right on a business card. Here is how to set one up properly.
What you need
| Record | Name | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
CNAME | www (or apex via ALIAS/ANAME) | sites.linkme.app | Points your host at the platform |
A / ALIAS | @ (apex) | provider edge IP or ALIAS target | Required if you want the bare domain |
TXT | @ | linkme-verify=… | Ownership verification token |
DNS propagation typically takes minutes to a few hours. The platform verifies the record, issues a TLS certificate automatically, and the site serves over HTTPS with no extra steps.
Note
You do not need to move your nameservers. Adding records to the DNS you already use is enough — keep your email where it is.
HTTPS is not optional
The certificate is issued and renewed automatically once verification passes. Mixed-content warnings almost always come from old absolute http:// image links in post bodies — the editor and sanitizer now force relative or https URLs, so new content cannot create them.
The SEO story, honestly
A custom domain helps in three concrete ways and no magical ones:
- Identity consolidation — one canonical URL for everything you publish.
- Portability — your links keep working if you redesign or re-platform.
- Trust — search engines and humans both read a coherent domain as a signal of care.
What it does NOT do: instantly rank you. Content and links still do that. The domain just makes sure the credit accrues to an address you own.
Tip
Pick yourname.com if it is available; fall back to a clear yourname.dev / yourname.me. Avoid hyphens and numbers — they are dictation-hostile and typo-prone.
Migrating from an old URL
- Add the new domain on the platform and verify.
- Set it as primary (the old URL keeps working and redirects).
- Update the link in your bios, email signatures and printed material.
- Keep the old domain renewed for a year if it had real inbound links.
The checklist
- Domain registered in YOUR name (not an agency's)
- CNAME/ALIAS + verification TXT added
- HTTPS active, certificate auto-renewing
- Old URLs redirecting, new URL in every bio
One afternoon of setup buys you a permanent address. That trade is the closest thing to free equity the web still offers.