Adding a custom domain to your bio page

Connecting a custom domain lets you serve your bio page from a URL you own — like bio.yourbrand.com — instead of the default 1smart.link/yourslug. This guide walks you through adding a CNAME record, verifying DNS, and activating automatic SSL so your branded bio page is live and secure.

Note: Custom domains are a Pro plan feature. You need an active Pro subscription and access to your domain registrar's DNS settings to complete this setup. You can add up to 5 custom domains per account.

Choose the right type of domain

Before you start, decide whether you want to use a subdomain or an apex domain.

Domain type	Example	DNS record needed	Registrar support
Subdomain	bio.yourbrand.com	CNAME	All registrars
Apex (root) domain	yourbrand.com	ALIAS or ANAME	Limited registrars only

Subdomains work with every registrar and are the recommended approach. Apex domains (the bare domain without www or any prefix) require ALIAS or ANAME records, which not all registrars support. If you need to use an apex domain, check with your registrar first.

For the rest of this guide, we will use the subdomain bio.yourbrand.com as our example.

Step 1 — Add the domain in 1smart.link

1. Log in to your dashboard at www.1smart.link.
2. Navigate to Dashboard → Domains (or go directly to /dashboard/domains).
3. Click Add custom domain.
4. Enter your full hostname — for example, bio.yourbrand.com.
5. The system displays a CNAME target value. Copy this value and keep it handy — you will need it in the next step.

Tip: Copy the CNAME target into a text file or note-taking app so you can paste it easily in your registrar's control panel.

Step 2 — Add a CNAME record at your domain registrar

You now need to tell the internet that bio.yourbrand.com should point to 1smart.link's servers. You do this by creating a CNAME record in your domain's DNS settings.

1. Log in to your domain registrar (for example, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, or wherever you purchased your domain).
2. Find the DNS settings or DNS management page for your domain.
3. Add a new CNAME record with the following values:

Field	What to enter
Host / Name	bio (or whatever subdomain prefix you chose — just the prefix, not the full domain)
Value / Points to	The CNAME target you copied from 1smart.link
TTL	Automatic (or the lowest available value)

1. Save the DNS record.

Note: Different registrars label these fields differently. The Host field might be called Name or Record. The Value field might be called Points to, Target, or Data. The values you enter are the same regardless of the label.

Step 3 — Wait for DNS propagation

DNS changes take time to spread across the internet. This typically takes 5 to 30 minutes, though in rare cases it can take longer.

There is no harm in checking early — if the DNS has not propagated yet, the verification in the next step will simply fail, and you can try again.

Step 4 — Verify the domain

1. Go back to Dashboard → Domains in your 1smart.link account.
2. Find the domain you added and click Verify.
3. The system checks whether the CNAME record is correctly in place by performing a DNS lookup.

If verification succeeds:

• 1smart.link automatically issues an SSL certificate for your domain using Let's Encrypt. This takes approximately 30–60 seconds.
• Certificate renewals are handled automatically — you never need to manage SSL manually.
• The domain status changes to Active and displays a green padlock icon.

If verification fails:

• Double-check that the CNAME record values match exactly what 1smart.link provided.
• Confirm you entered just the subdomain prefix (e.g. bio) in the Host field, not the full domain.
• Wait a few more minutes for DNS propagation, then click Verify again.

Step 5 — Use the domain on your bio page

Once your domain is active, it appears in the domain picker dropdown across the platform.

1. Open the BioLink Builder, Links Manager, or QR Manager.
2. When creating or editing a bio page, link, or QR code, look for the domain dropdown near the URL or slug field.
3. Select your custom domain (e.g. bio.yourbrand.com) instead of the default 1smart.link.
4. Enter your desired slug — for example, contact.
5. Save. Your bio page is now accessible at bio.yourbrand.com/contact.

Tip: The same slug can exist on different domains. For example, bio.yourbrand.com/contact and 1smart.link/contact can both exist and point to completely different pages. Each domain-and-slug combination is treated as unique.

Troubleshooting

Domain stuck on "Pending" after verification

The most common cause is an incorrect CNAME record. Go back to your registrar and confirm:

• The Host field contains only the subdomain prefix (e.g. bio), not the full hostname.
• The Value field matches the exact CNAME target shown in your 1smart.link dashboard.
• The record type is CNAME, not A, AAAA, or TXT.

After correcting the record, wait 5–30 minutes and click Verify again.

SSL certificate not issuing

If the domain verifies but the SSL certificate does not appear:

1. Confirm that no other DNS records (such as an existing A record) conflict with your CNAME for the same subdomain.
2. If you use Cloudflare, ensure the proxy status for the CNAME record is set to DNS only (grey cloud), not Proxied (orange cloud). Cloudflare's proxy can interfere with SSL issuance.
3. Wait 60 seconds and refresh the Dashboard → Domains page. Certificate generation occasionally takes slightly longer than expected.

Apex domain not working

If you are trying to use an apex domain like yourbrand.com (with no subdomain prefix), your registrar must support ALIAS or ANAME records. Many registrars do not. The simplest fix is to use a subdomain like bio.yourbrand.com or links.yourbrand.com instead, which works universally.

Reached the 5-domain limit

Each account can have a maximum of 5 custom domains. If you need to add a new one, remove an unused domain from Dashboard → Domains first, then add the replacement.

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