Create a Notion website that you truly own! Build your brand with an aesthetic design, set up analytics, optimize for search engines, and so much more.
1. Purchase a domain name and extension that aligns with your niche and supports your brand.
2. Sign up with Super and access its dashboard.
3. Update CNAME with your DNS provider and add a TXT record to specify that the chosen domain name is associated with Super.
4. Go to the ‘Domains’ view in your Super dashboard and click the ‘Add a custom domain’ button.
5. Enter your domain name and click on continue.
6. Once your records are verified with your DNS provider, your Notion site would be available on custom domain with Super.
With its wide range of features and flexibility, Notion has become a trusted content management tool for businesses and individuals alike. It supports creating single page sites like resumes and portfolios, as well as full-fledged business sites and large-scale blogs.
However, you need to connect your Notion to a custom domain to truly own your content, allowing you to build a functional Notion site and a trustworthy brand. By doing so, you gain the ability to track your Notion site's performance and introduce cool design elements using custom code.
Here are the four steps to set up and use a custom domain in Notion:
1. Purchase a domain name
The domain name is the identity of your site - it’s a fundamental branding factor. It’s what people type into Google to find the site, so pick a domain name that represents your brand the best. It must ideally align with your site's niche and reflect the services you offer. If your chosen name is shorter than 15 characters, consider including an important search keyword for SEO purposes.
How to choose a domain name for your Notion site
- Come up with two lists - the first one containing 5-7 niche/product terms and the second one containing 5-7 SEO keywords
- Use an AI tool to come up with all combinations containing one keyword and one niche term
- Check any domain provider for availability of each domain name.
- Check for extension availability. Go with ‘.com’ extension unless you want to target visitors from a specific country.
With so much competition across niches, most popular domain names are either already taken or expensive. There’s a good chance that your final domain name will be determined by availability rather than choice. And that’s okay.
Once you have finalized your domain name, you can purchase it from popular domain registrars but if you use Super, you can purchase it right from your Super app! We let you know in real time if the domain name you typed in is available or not. But for that, you first need to create a Super account - we will cover that in the next section.
Click on “Domain” in the left-pane of your Super app, type the domain name, select from the list that Super populates, and buy the extension that is available. Yes, it’s that simple!
2. Sign up with Super
By now, you might have already created high-quality content in Notion and also purchased a custom domain name. Let’s create a website by putting them both together with Super.
Start by creating a free account with Super. Go to Super App and enter a user ID and password, or use your Google or Apple account to signup with Super - won’t take more than a minute.
You’ll access the Super dashboard after signing up.
Super’s intuitive, user-friendly interface allows you to easily set up custom navigation bars with a CTA button and footers along with all essential elements that enhance usability and boost your brand's credibility.
Super allows you to optimize your content's meta details, improving SEO and driving organic traffic to your site.
To increase your conversion rates, Super also facilitates the creation of Notion CTA buttons. This means you can guide your visitors to take desired actions directly, whether it's signing up for a newsletter, purchasing a product, or booking a consultation.
While you can connect a custom domain to your Notion site even without Super, you miss out on extensive site customization options that Super offers.
All Super sites are deployed on a subdomain of “super.site”. To connect your own domain to your site, you’ll need to do two things. One is to point your DNS records for the domain to Super, and the other is to add the domain to your site.
3. Update your DNS settings at your domain provider
Below you can find the DNS settings you need to include on your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.) or DNS provider's (Cloudflare, Netlify, etc.) website.
Root domain records
For a root domain like example.com you'll need to add the following records:
Type | Name | Value |
A | @ | 76.76.21.21 |
CNAME | www |
Subdomain records
For a subdomain like blog.example.com add this record:
Type | Name | Value |
CNAME | (your subdomain) |
4. Connect your custom domain to your site in Super
To add a domain to your site, head into your site editor (⚙️ icon) and click into the Domains page, then click the Add a custom domain button.
After entering your own domain address in the popup, if you haven’t already done so, you'll need to make some changes to the DNS settings through your hosting provider.
You need to change your DNS records through your domain registrar's (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc) or DNS provider's (Cloudflare, Netlify, etc) website. For specific instructions, view the content inside the toggle blocks above. For specific instructions for diffrerent providers, view the content inside the toggle blocks below.
How to update your DNS records at your domain/DNS provider
Cloudflare offers many services besides DNS. Some of these can cause your site to not load properly is misconfigured. Here are common problems and solutions for Cloudflare.
Root domain records on Cloudflare
For all domains hosted on Cloudflare, the proxy must be disabled and set to DNS only. You'll also need to use these records instead:
Using Cloudflare proxy
When Cloudflare proxy is on your site may show an error err_too_many_redirects.
This issue occurs when your Cloudflare SSL/TLS configuration is set to "Flexible". This will have Cloudflare send requests to Super over HTTP and in response Super will send data back over HTTPS. To keep all our connections secure you must request Cloudflare to only send requests over HTTPS. To fix this issue, the "SSL/TLS" option in Cloudflare needs to be set to "Full" or "Full (strict)".
Source:
We have a video guide on how to get started with Google Domains below ↓
Configure your Super site's DNS with GoDaddy
1. Go to Domain Management.
2. Back under My Products, next to Domains, click Manage.
3. Click the domain you'd like to manage.
4. Click Add Record.
5. Type in the records provided in your Super dashboard.
CNAME record - cname.super.so
A Record - 76.76.21.21
6. Make sure you’ve removed any “Parked” domain settings in the GoDaddy DNS settings.
Once you've saved your records in GoDaddy, click "I've added the DNS records" in your Super dashboard and your DNS will begin to propagate. This usually takes a few minutes, but in some cases, propagation can take up to 24 hours.
If your domain has trouble connecting to Super and you’re sure the DNS settings are correct, it’s likely the DNS propagation is delayed. You can use this tool to check.
Configure your Super site's DNS with Namecheap
1. Select Domain List from the left sidebar.
2. Click the Manage button next to your domain.
3. Click Advanced DNS.
4. Click Add New Record.
5. Type in the records provided in your Super dashboard.
CNAME record - cname.super.so
A Record - 76.76.21.21
Once you've saved your records in Namecheap, click "I've added the DNS records" in your Super dashboard and your DNS will begin to propagate. This usually takes a few minutes, but in some cases, propagation can take up to 24 hours.
Configure your Super site's DNS with Bluehost
1. Click the Domains tab from the side navigation menu.
2. Next to the domain name you'd like to update, click the dropdown icon next to Manage, then choose DNS from the drop-down menu.
3. Scroll down to locate the record type you'd like to add, and click Add Record.
4. Type in the records provided in your Super dashboard.
CNAME record - cname.super.so
A Record - 76.76.21.21
Once you've saved your records in Bluehost, click "I've added the DNS records" in your Super dashboard and your DNS will begin to propagate. This usually takes a few minutes, but in some cases, propagation can take up to 24 hours.
If you are using Wix as your DNS provider, we recommend that you switch back to your original DNS provider or switch to a free DNS provider like Cloudflare. Wix manages your DNS settings, and this can be problematic when connecting to other services like Super.
If your domain is already connected to Potion, then there are some different steps to go through in order to connect to Super. Subdomains connected to Potion can also cause a problem connecting to Super. For example, leaving the root domain or subdomain on Potion will prevent it from being connected to Super, even if the DNS settings are correct.
In this case, please remove the domain/subdomain from Potion and as Potion to remove your domain from their Vercel account. Once this is done, you will be able to complete the domain connection process in Super.
If your root domain is already connected to Vercel, then there are some different steps to go through in order to connect to Super. Subdomains connected to Vercel can also cause a problem connecting to Super. For example, leaving the root domain or subdomain on Vercel will prevent it from being connected to Super, even if the DNS settings are correct.
Connecting a Vercel subdomain to Super
If your root domain is connected to Vercel, then adding a subdomain to Super will generate an email from Vercel to approve the connection of the subdomain to Super.
You will need to approve this email in order for it to start working on our end. The email will be sent to the email address of the Vercel account owner.
Connecting a Vercel root domain to Super
It is not yet possible to use a root domain (domain.com) if it's on Vercel. You will either need to use a subdomain instead, or you'll need to fully delete the domain from your Vercel account and use another service like Cloudflare, Godaddy, etc for DNS.
Troubleshooting domain connection issues
If you run into issues, please make sure that you have:
- Added new DNS records to your domain provider
- Removed old DNS records
- Waited up to 24 hours for new settings to propagate
Why to add a custom domain to Notion?
Having a custom Notion URL costs money and requires some initial effort in setting up. But the good part is that you just need 3-minutes to build your website with Super. However, you may still be wondering if you really need a unique domain at all when you can still publish content without owning the website. Let’s address that in this section.
Here are the benefits of using Notion on a custom domain name:
1. Complete website ownership
You create a lot of website content in Notion, but without a custom Notion domain name, you do not truly own the content — Notion does. All the website traffic and user interaction information gets recorded in Notion’s analytics, not yours.
By setting up Notion on a custom domain, you get that ownership back. You get to decide what people do after visiting your website, how to track their activities, and how you plan your marketing funnel that converts them into paying customers.
2. Brand identity
Without a custom domain, all your Notion public content is essentially a set of disjoint pages that do not interact with each other. While you can share them with people across the globe, you do not have the stamp of authority on it. In simpler words, those pages do not represent you — or your brand. They look like generic Notion pages due to the familiar layout and trademark design.
By getting your Notion website on a custom URL, you can connect your pages, making them function together.
By integrating with Super, you can design your website to brand when you own the domain. You can break out of the limited color options and Notion font styles, and create truly unique websites with content hosted in Notion but still different from the familiar Notion’s user interface. Design capabilities of Super can become a powerful differentiation factor that makes your brand stand out from the crowd.
3. SEO brownie points
While coming up with the domain name for your Notion site, you can consider inserting niche keywords into it. For example, if you are creating a Notion portfolio on a custom domain for your freelance design business, you can consider adding the word “designer” to your domain name, something similar to — designerjack.com.
While you should not overdo this, adding a keyword in your domain name will help you rank better for related keywords like “freelance designer for hire”, “how to hire a freelance designer”, etc. You can even go a step further and make SEO truly work for you by using Super’s SEO capabilities — You can add metadata, create pretty URLs, enhance mobile experience, and do so much more!
4. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
While SEO will generate high-intent traffic to your website, you still need to create content and design pages that are capable of converting visitors into paying clients. For that, you need to gently guide people to pages that they are interested in and show them how your services or products are the perfect solution to their pain-points.
While a Notion website will allow you to add internal links to help you guide visitors, a website on a custom domain will provide additional features that do the job better. For example, if you use a Super supported Notion website on a custom domain, you get to create CTA buttons that stand out from the page design and clearly tell users what you want them to do.
In fact, you can create custom navigation bars with a button using Super. The navigation bar helps you score sitelinks on Google as your website starts building reputation — and that generates even more relevant traffic!
With the help of these clickable buttons, you can guide users to your “money” pages like the pricing, contact, and portfolio page. These pages help visitors arrive at a decision before they feel like bouncing off your website. This means, more people contact you and want to use your services.
Alternatively, you can create marketing funnels where you drive newsletter signups. The use-cases are many — you need a custom domain to support them all through.
5. Powerful analytics
You need to own a website before you can track numbers like traffic, engagement rates, time spent on page, etc. For example, you can’t set up analytics on a regular public Notion page because you need to add a code snippet to the header code of the page. And since the page belongs to Notion, you won’t have rights to edit the code.
By using a custom URL for Notion, you also get the complete ownership of your website. This allows you to add Google Analytics to your Notion site. You can integrate other tools like heatmaps, newsletter popups, etc, by adding custom code with Super. These integrations can help you generate powerful insights that aid in decision making.
6. Overcoming limitations in Notion's default URLs
While Notion allows you to share pages by making them public, the URLs it generates are extremely long — the domain name is super random and the slugs are a mix of alphanumeric characters that offer no SEO benefits.
The below image exemplifies the randomness.
Adding a custom domain makes URLs readable, making your site more trustworthy.
Why use Super when Notion supports adding a custom domain?
Integrates with Notion like peanut butter and jelly
Love Notion? So do we! So we have ensured that all your content stays in Notion. Super integrates with Notion to morph your content into a stellar and unique website with a custom domain name.
Craft a brand that truly represents you
A custom domain name is important for branding but there are many more elements to it like font, colors, navbar, footer, etc. Notion is extremely limited in most branding capabilities. It supports basic sites which lack soul.
Provides high return on investment
You can connect a custom domain only with Notion’s Plus plan that costs $12 a month, compared to Super’s $16. Notion is cheaper but offers poor RoI. For extra $4, you get to create sites to your brand, optimize content better for SEO, convert visitors into paying clients, and get more benefits with Super.
Integrates with many tools
Notion sites on Plus plan integrate with Google Analytics only. This prevents you from integrating your site with your favorite tools, even after getting a custom domain!
Super, on the other hand, supports custom code, allowing you to insert tracking code of all your favorite tools.
FAQs
What is a custom domain in Notion?
A custom domain refers to a unique, user-defined URL that visitors use to access a website. For example, “Super” is the custom domain name of the Notion website you are on. You can check that in the address bar of your browser — the section between “www.” and “.so” is the custom domain name.
By default, Notion assigns a random domain name. You can find it in the “Settings & Members” section available from your left page. Click on “Settings” in the pop-up to find the domain name.
You can also change the default domain name and get rid of the “.notion.site” extension with Notion’s Plus plan that costs $100 per annum. But that’s quite expensive if all you get is a custom domain. By paying less than $4 extra per month, you get many more performance and design features with Super’s Personal Site plan.
Can you add your own domain to Notion?
Users subscribed with the Notion Plus plan can easily add their domain to Notion.
You just need to update the CNAME with your DNS provider and add a TXT entry.
How to point a custom domain to a Notion Page?
You can assign a custom domain name to your one-page Notion website by simply updating your DNS settings and configuring your domain with Super. It is a fairly straight-forward process, we covered it in detail in this blog post.
Can you customize your Notion Link?
Notion Free plan users can customize the domain name of their Notion link by changing it from the “Settings” screen. Only Notion Plus plan users can change the domain extension from “.notion.site” and the URL slug.
While Notion link customization features are available with Super’s Personal Site plan that costs $6 more per month than Notion, Super users get better value for money as they can access far more design and performance capabilities that support site branding beyond getting a custom link.
Is a custom domain available for free on Notion site?
Custom domain is available with Notion Plus plan that costs $100 annually. Super’s Personal Site plan costs $144 yearly but it comes with additional features such as:
- Custom code
- Custom templates
- Custom fonts
- Password protected pages
- RSS and ATOM feeds
- Automatic SSL
- Optimized SEO
- Cache refresh
You get a better bang for your buck by adding a custom domain to Notion with Super.
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