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Custom domain ​

A custom domain replaces the default app.geniuschurchmanager.com/s/{your-slug} URL with one you own — like gracecitychurch.org. Visitors land on your domain, the address bar shows your domain, search engines index your domain. Everything is still served from GCM; only the front door changes.

Custom domain settings

TIP

Custom domain is included on the Network and Unlimited plans. If you're on Starter or Growth, you can still go live at the default app.geniuschurchmanager.com/s/... URL — it works exactly the same, just on a shared subdomain.

How it works ​

GCM doesn't run a registrar. You bring your own domain — bought from Namecheap, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Google Domains, whoever — and point it at our public site shell with a single DNS record. When a visitor types yourchurch.org into their browser, their browser asks DNS where to send the request, DNS answers with our edge, our edge looks up which org owns that domain, and we render your published site.

The pieces:

  1. You set a CNAME record at your DNS provider pointing your domain (or a subdomain like www.yourchurch.org) at app.geniuschurchmanager.com.
  2. You enter the same domain in Website Builder → Settings → Custom domain so GCM knows which org to serve when a request comes in for that hostname.
  3. Vercel (our hosting layer) provisions a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate for your domain automatically. The padlock in the browser is included.

That's it. No nameserver changes (unless you want to), no payment, no expiry to track.

Pointing your domain ​

The exact UI varies by registrar, but every one of them lets you add DNS records. You're looking for DNS or DNS Records in your registrar's dashboard.

Most churches use www.yourchurch.org. Add:

TypeNameValue
CNAMEwwwapp.geniuschurchmanager.com

Save. Allow up to 60 minutes for DNS to propagate worldwide — usually it's a couple of minutes.

Apex / root domain (yourchurch.org with no www) ​

The classic DNS gotcha: a strict CNAME is not allowed on the apex (yourchurch.org) per the original spec. Two ways around it:

  • ALIAS / ANAME record (Cloudflare, DNSimple, NS1, Route 53). Same value as a CNAME — app.geniuschurchmanager.com — but allowed on the apex.
  • Redirect from apex to www at your registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare Page Rules). This sends anyone typing the bare domain to the www version where the CNAME lives.

If you have the option, ALIAS is cleaner. If you don't, redirect to www — it's what most sites do and visitors never notice.

Verifying in GCM ​

Once DNS propagates:

  1. Open Website Builder → Settings → Custom domain.
  2. Enter the domain (just the hostname — no https://, no trailing slash). Examples: gracecitychurch.org, www.gracecitychurch.org.
  3. Click Save.
  4. GCM probes the domain to confirm it's pointing at us. The status flips to Verified when the CNAME / ALIAS resolves correctly.

If verification fails, the most common causes:

  • DNS hasn't propagated yet — wait 10 minutes and try again.
  • You entered https://yourchurch.org instead of yourchurch.org — drop the scheme.
  • The CNAME is pointing at the wrong target. Re-check that the value is exactly app.geniuschurchmanager.com.
  • A conflicting A record at the same name. Delete the A record — a name can have a CNAME or an A record, never both.

SSL certificate ​

The padlock matters — visitors see scary warnings without it, and Google penalises insecure sites. The good news: there is nothing for you to do. The hosting layer issues a Let's Encrypt cert the moment your domain is pointed at us, and renews it automatically every 90 days.

First-time issuance can take up to 10 minutes after DNS verifies. If https://yourchurch.org shows a certificate warning in the meantime, give it a bit. After issuance, your site is reachable at both http:// and https://, with http:// automatically redirecting to https://.

Multiple domains ​

You can point both yourchurch.org and www.yourchurch.org at GCM. The recommended pattern:

  • www.yourchurch.org → CNAME → app.geniuschurchmanager.com (primary).
  • yourchurch.org → redirect → www.yourchurch.org.

Or invert it if you prefer the bare domain. Either way, pick one as the canonical and redirect the other so search engines don't index the same content twice.

Some churches also point their old domain (oldchurchname.com) at GCM and let it redirect — works the same.

Removing a custom domain ​

In Website Builder → Settings → Custom domain, clear the field and save. Your site goes back to being only reachable at the default app.geniuschurchmanager.com/s/{slug} URL.

If you also remove the DNS record at your registrar, visitors hitting the old domain will see a generic error from their browser instead of your site. If you leave the DNS record but remove the GCM-side configuration, visitors see our "site not found for this domain" page.

What about the donation form and visitor form? ​

When you have a custom domain set up, the /give and /visitor routes work at your domain too — https://yourchurch.org/give, https://yourchurch.org/visitor. Same form, same data, just served from your URL instead of ours. Embed those URLs in social bios, bulletins, and QR codes.

The podcast RSS feed also serves from your domain when a custom one is set, which makes a real difference for Apple Podcasts / Spotify branding.

See also: Publishing + drafts, Website Builder overview, Branding.