How to add your own domain to Digily Link

16 May, 2025 • Guides • 1,165 views • 5 Minutes read

The connect custom domain screen in the Digily Link dashboard

The steps to connect a domain or subdomain in the Digily Link dashboard, what the custom index and 404 URL fields do, how approval works, and what to check when the domain does not resolve.

A branded domain such as digily.uk is fine for most pages and links. A custom domain is for the moment you want the address to be yours alone, so a short link reads go.yourbrand.co.uk/offer and the bio page sits at links.yourbrand.co.uk. This guide covers the dashboard side of connecting one. The DNS side, with exact steps for Cloudflare, cPanel, DirectAdmin and Plesk, is in the custom domain documentation.

Before you start

You need to own the domain already. Any registrar is fine.
Custom domains are on the Starter plan (up to five) and the Pro plan (up to ten). See the plans page.
Decide between a subdomain and the root. If yourbrand.co.uk already hosts a website, use a subdomain such as links.yourbrand.co.uk or go.yourbrand.co.uk. If the domain has no website, you can use the root.
Have access to the DNS settings of the domain, either at the registrar or at Cloudflare.

Step by step in the dashboard

Open Custom domains in the dashboard menu and click Connect domain.
In the Domain or subdomain field, type the exact name you will point at Digily Link, for example links.yourbrand.co.uk. Type it without https:// and without a trailing slash.
Custom index URL is optional. It is where visitors go if they open the bare domain with nothing after it. Most people point it at their main website or at their bio link page.
Custom 404 not found URL is optional too. It is where visitors go if they open an address on your domain that does not exist, for example a mistyped slug. Your home page is the usual choice.
Submit. The dashboard confirms that the domain has been submitted for approval and processing, and the domain appears in your list as Pending.
Add the DNS record at your registrar or Cloudflare. The Connect domain screen shows the two options, an A record pointing to the IP address it displays or a CNAME record pointing to digily.link.
Wait for the domain to show as Active. DNS changes can take from a few minutes to a day to spread, and approval is done by the team.

Using the domain once it is active

When you create a bio link page or a short link, your domain now appears in the domain list next to the branded ones. Choose it and the address is yours. Existing pages and links can be moved to the new domain from their settings, but the old address stops working when you do, so update your profiles and anything printed at the same time, or leave the old page live with a button pointing at the new one.

One domain serves everything. links.yourbrand.co.uk/menu can be a short link, links.yourbrand.co.uk/team a bio page, and a QR code printed from either keeps working when you edit them.

HTTPS

Visitors expect the padlock. If your DNS is on Cloudflare and the record is proxied, Cloudflare provides the certificate for the domain. If the domain is on ordinary hosting, the certificate from your host applies to the subdomain you pointed at Digily Link only if it is issued for that name, so check with them. Digily Link can also activate a certificate on its side once the domain is approved; if the padlock is missing after the domain is Active, send a message through the contact page with the domain name. The SSL lookup shows which certificate a name is currently serving.

When it does not resolve

Still Pending after a day. Check the record with the DNS lookup. Choose A or CNAME, enter the exact name you connected, and confirm the value matches what the Connect domain screen shows. A common slip is adding the record for the root when you connected a subdomain, or the other way round.
"This custom domain already exists". The name is connected to another account, possibly an old one of yours. Contact support with proof of ownership.
The root domain already has a website. You cannot point the root at two places. Use a subdomain and leave the site alone.
Cloudflare proxy. Either setting works for the record itself. If you see certificate errors, try the proxied setting with the SSL/TLS mode set to Full.
Old address in the browser cache. Test in a private window or on mobile data after a DNS change; a phone that visited yesterday may remember the old answer for a while.

The Whois lookup is useful if you are not sure where the domain's DNS is managed, since it shows the nameservers.

Choosing the subdomain

If the root of your domain already hosts a website, the subdomain is the part visitors will see in every short link, so pick it deliberately. go.yourbrand.co.uk reads naturally in "go to" sentences on radio and in print. links.yourbrand.co.uk says what it is. l.yourbrand.co.uk is the shortest but hard to hear. bio.yourbrand.co.uk suits a page that is mostly a profile. Whatever you choose, keep it lower case and avoid hyphens, which are easy to forget when typed from a poster.

Moving links from a branded domain

Links you created on digily.uk or another branded domain can be edited to use the new domain, but the old address then stops working. Move the important ones in one sitting, update profiles and printed material on the same day, and leave any link that is already on a printed leaflet where it is until the leaflets run out. New links from then on go straight onto your domain.

Frequently asked questions

Can I connect a domain on the free plan?

No. Custom domains start on Starter, which is £2 a month. The free plan includes the 15 branded domains instead.

Do I have to buy the domain from Digily Link?

No. Digily Link does not sell domains. Buy it anywhere and point it here.

Can one domain serve both pages and short links?

Yes. The domain is available for every link type in the account, including QR codes and static sites.

What happens if I downgrade?

Links on the custom domain stop resolving when the plan no longer includes it. Keep a copy of important pages on a branded domain, or upgrade again before the plan ends.

Can I add www as well as the root?

Yes. Connect both names and add a record for each, an A record for the root and a CNAME for www. The custom index URL can send bare-domain visitors wherever you like.