How to Connect a Custom Domain to Your Link in Bio

Connecting a custom domain to your link in bio swaps a shared address like tool.com/yourname for your own yourname.com. It looks more professional, it's easier to remember, and — importantly — it's yours, so you can change tools later without ever updating your social profiles again. The setup involves DNS records, which sounds technical but comes down to copying two values into your domain registrar.

This guide covers what you need, the exact records to add, and how to fix the errors that trip most people up.

What you need first

Three things before you start:

A domain you own. Buy one from a registrar like Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains' successor, or wherever you prefer. A .com is ideal; a short, clean domain matters more than the extension.
Access to that domain's DNS settings. This is in your registrar's dashboard, usually under "DNS," "Manage DNS," or "Advanced DNS."
The target values from your bio page tool. Your page builder will give you either an IP address (for an A record) or a hostname (for a CNAME record) to point your domain at.

If you just registered the domain, give it a few minutes to become manageable before editing DNS.

Decide: root domain or subdomain

You can point either the root (yourname.com) or a subdomain (links.yourname.com) at your bio page. They use different DNS record types:

Root domain (yourname.com) → usually an A record pointing to an IP address.
Subdomain (links.yourname.com or www.yourname.com) → usually a CNAME record pointing to a hostname.

If the bio page is your main web presence, use the root. If you have a separate main site already, a subdomain like links.yourname.com keeps things tidy.

Add the DNS records

In your registrar's DNS settings, add the record your tool specified. A typical root-domain setup looks like this:

Type: A
Host: @
Value: 76.76.21.21   (use the IP your tool gives you)
TTL: Automatic

And a subdomain setup looks like this:

Type: CNAME
Host: links            (or www)
Value: cname.yourtool.com   (use the hostname your tool gives you)
TTL: Automatic

The @ symbol in the Host field means the root domain. Save the record, then go back to your bio page tool and add the same domain in its domain settings so it knows to accept traffic for that address. The tool typically issues an SSL certificate automatically once it detects the DNS pointing correctly.

Wait for DNS to propagate

DNS changes don't take effect instantly. They usually resolve within minutes to a couple of hours, though they can take up to 24–48 hours in rare cases. You can check progress by looking up your domain in a DNS tool — Google's public guidance explains the basics of how DNS resolution works if you want to understand what's happening behind the scenes.

While you wait, the domain may show errors or an old page. That's normal; don't keep changing the records, which only resets the clock.

Fix the common errors

If the domain isn't working after a reasonable wait, check these in order:

"Domain not verified" / SSL pending. The DNS record is probably wrong or not yet propagated. Re-check that the A or CNAME value exactly matches what your tool gave you, with no extra spaces.
Site loads on www but not the root (or vice versa). You likely added a record for one but not both. Add a second record so both yourname.com and www.yourname.com resolve — many tools handle the redirect once both point in.
An old or conflicting record. If there's a leftover A or CNAME for the same host pointing somewhere else, delete it. Two records fighting over the same host cause unpredictable results.
Registrar parking page shows instead. Some registrars add a default record when you buy a domain. Remove the parking/forwarding record before adding your own.
"Too many redirects." Usually a mismatch between your tool's SSL setting and a redirect rule at the registrar. Turn off any registrar-level forwarding and let the bio tool handle HTTPS.

When in doubt, the fastest fix is to delete every existing A and CNAME for the host and re-add only the one your tool specifies.

Why it's worth the 20 minutes

Beyond looking professional, a custom domain gives you something a shared subdomain can't: portability. Your Instagram and TikTok bios point at yourname.com. If you ever switch bio-page tools, you just re-point the domain — your social profiles never change, and you keep any search ranking and links you've built. With a shared subdomain, switching tools means a dead link everywhere you posted it.

A custom domain also helps your page get found in search, since search engines treat your own domain as an ownable property rather than one of thousands of pages under a platform's address.

Link Studio supports custom domains with automatic SSL, so you can point yourname.com at a branded bio page and keep it no matter what. Connect yours at linkstudio.dev and make your bio link truly your own.