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  2. Troubleshooting and FAQ
  3. My custom domain isn't verifying

My custom domain isn't verifying

Your custom domain verification has failed on 1smart.link, and you're seeing an error message in the domain dashboard. This article covers the seven most common causes — from DNS propagation delays to conflicting records — and walks you through fixing each one.

Note: You need a custom domain already added in your 1smart.link dashboard to follow these steps. If you haven't added one yet, do that first and then return here if verification fails.

CNAME not found — DNS hasn't propagated yet

This is the most common cause of verification failure. When you add a CNAME record at your domain registrar, it takes time for that change to spread across the global DNS system. The 1smart.link verification system uses a dig command behind the scenes to check whether your CNAME is in place. If the record hasn't propagated yet, verification will report "CNAME not found."

  1. Wait at least 15–30 minutes after adding the CNAME record at your registrar.
  2. Go back to your 1smart.link domain dashboard and click Verify again.
  3. If verification still fails, check from your own computer. Open a terminal (Terminal on Mac, Command Prompt or PowerShell on Windows) and run:
dig links.yourbrand.com CNAME

Replace links.yourbrand.com with the actual hostname you are trying to verify.

  1. Look for the ANSWER section in the output. You should see the 1smart.link CNAME target listed there. If the ANSWER section is empty or missing, DNS has not propagated yet.
  2. If you still see no result after 30 minutes, wait longer. Some registrars — notably GoDaddy and certain Namecheap configurations — can take up to 24 hours for DNS changes to propagate fully. This delay is controlled by your registrar's TTL (Time To Live) settings and is outside 1smart.link's control.

Tip: If your registrar lets you set the TTL for DNS records, choose a low value like 300 seconds (5 minutes) before adding the CNAME. This speeds up propagation significantly.

Conflicting A record on the same hostname

A CNAME record cannot coexist with an A record on the same hostname. This is a fundamental DNS rule, not a 1smart.link limitation. If you already have an A record for the subdomain you're trying to verify (for example, an old A record pointing links.yourbrand.com to a previous server), the CNAME will be ignored or cause a conflict.

  1. Log in to your domain registrar's DNS management panel.
  2. Search for any A records that use the exact same hostname as the CNAME you added (e.g. links or links.yourbrand.com).
  3. Delete the conflicting A record. Keep only the CNAME record pointing to the 1smart.link target.
  4. Wait 15–30 minutes for the change to propagate.
  5. Return to the 1smart.link domain dashboard and click Verify again.

Wrong CNAME target

The CNAME record exists but points to the wrong destination. Even a small typo — an extra character, a missing dot, or a different subdomain — will cause verification to fail.

  1. Open your 1smart.link domain dashboard and find the exact CNAME target shown on screen.
  2. Open your registrar's DNS management panel and locate the CNAME record you created.
  3. Compare the target value character by character. The safest approach is to copy the target directly from the 1smart.link dashboard and paste it into your registrar's field, replacing whatever is there.
  4. Save the updated record, wait 15–30 minutes, and click Verify again in the 1smart.link dashboard.

Note: Some registrars automatically add a trailing dot to CNAME targets (e.g. target.1smart.link.). This is normal DNS notation and should not cause verification to fail. Do not manually add or remove the trailing dot unless your registrar's documentation specifically tells you to.

Verified, but HTTPS shows "Not Secure" or a certificate error

Your domain verified successfully, but visiting the HTTPS URL shows a security warning. This happens because the SSL certificate is still being issued. 1smart.link uses Let's Encrypt to generate free SSL certificates automatically after verification succeeds.

  1. Wait at least 60 seconds after verification completes. Certificate issuance typically finishes in under a minute.
  2. Reload the page in your browser using a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac).
  3. If the certificate error persists after 5 minutes, go to your 1smart.link domain dashboard and click Retry SSL.
  4. Wait another minute and reload the page again.

If the error still appears after retrying SSL, contact support (details at the end of this article).

Verified and SSL active, but visits return a 404 error

Everything looks correct in the domain dashboard, but visiting your custom domain shows a 404 (page not found) error. This means no link or bio page has been assigned to that domain yet. A verified domain on its own does not serve any content — you need to create something and attach it.

  1. Go to Dashboard → Links or Dashboard → Bio Pages.
  2. Create a new link or bio page, or open an existing one you want to serve on the custom domain.
  3. In the link or page settings, find the domain picker and select your verified custom domain from the dropdown.
  4. Save the link or page.
  5. Visit your custom domain again. The content should now load.

Note: Only links and pages that are explicitly assigned to the custom domain will be served on it. Other links you have created on the default 1smart.link domain will not automatically appear on your custom domain.

Apex domain won't verify

You're trying to verify a bare/apex domain (e.g. yourbrand.com rather than links.yourbrand.com) and it keeps failing. Apex domains cannot use standard CNAME records — this is a DNS protocol limitation. Some registrars support special record types called ALIAS or ANAME that work around this, but many do not.

The simplest fix is to use a subdomain instead:

  1. Choose a subdomain like links.yourbrand.com, go.yourbrand.com, or shop.yourbrand.com.
  2. Create a CNAME record for that subdomain pointing to the target shown in your 1smart.link domain dashboard.
  3. Verify the subdomain in the 1smart.link dashboard.

If you must use the apex domain, you need a DNS provider that supports ALIAS or ANAME records. Cloudflare, DNSimple, and Amazon Route 53 all offer this. Move your domain's DNS to one of these providers, create the ALIAS/ANAME record pointing to the 1smart.link target, and then retry verification.

CDN or proxy intercepting the CNAME (e.g. Cloudflare orange cloud)

If you use Cloudflare and the DNS record is set to "Proxied" (orange cloud icon), Cloudflare intercepts the CNAME chain. This prevents 1smart.link from seeing the correct CNAME target during verification. It also blocks the automatic Let's Encrypt certificate from being issued.

  1. Log in to your Cloudflare dashboard.
  2. Go to DNS → Records and find the CNAME record for your custom domain.
  3. Click the orange cloud icon to toggle it to DNS only (grey cloud).
  4. Save the change.
  5. Wait 5–10 minutes, then retry verification in the 1smart.link domain dashboard.

You can continue using Cloudflare as your DNS provider — you just need the record set to DNS-only mode. The 1smart.link platform will handle SSL via Let's Encrypt independently.

Warning: Do not switch the record back to Proxied mode after verification. Doing so will break the CNAME chain and may cause SSL errors for your visitors.

Still stuck?

If none of the fixes above resolve your issue, contact us at support@1smart.link. To help us investigate quickly, please include:

  • The exact hostname you are trying to verify (e.g. links.yourbrand.com).
  • A screenshot of the DNS records in your registrar's panel showing the CNAME you added.
  • The output of running dig yourdomain CNAME from your terminal.

We typically respond within one business day.

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