Domains: Complete Overview and Centralized Management!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview: What Is a Domain?
  • Key Terms for Beginners
• What You Can Do with Domains in HighLevel
• Before You Get Started
  • What do you need?
• Buying a Domain: Where to Start
  • Buy Directly Through HighLevel
  • Buy from a Third-Party Registrar
• Centralized Domain Management
• Domain Management Dashboard - A Quick Guide
• Root Domain vs Subdomain vs WWW
• Learn More

Overview: What Is a Domain?

A domain is the web address people type into a browser to access your online presence—such as yourbrand.com. In HighLevel, domains allow you to brand and power multiple tools including funnels, websites, blogs, webinars, client portals, and email communications.

What are DNS Records?

DNS records (Domain Name System records) are essential building blocks of the internet. They act like a digital phone book, telling browsers and services how to reach your domain or subdomain by translating human-friendly domain names (like yourbrand.com) into machine-readable IP addresses.

What You Can Do with Domains in HighLevel

You can manage all domain connections in one place, ensuring clear visibility and streamlined setup.

• Funnel / Website / Store / Webinar / Blog

  • Use your domain to host customer-facing pages such as funnels, ecommerce stores, webinars, or blogs.

• Client Portal

  • Use your custom domain to host a client-facing dashboard.

  • Gives your clients a branded experience when accessing assets, campaigns, or reports.

  • You can read more about it here - How to set up the Client Portal?

• Branded Domain (for White-Labeling)

  • Connect a domain to white-label your HighLevel sub-account or SaaS features.

  • This replaces the default .hlpages.co URLs with your own branding.

  • You can read more about it here - Branding System-Generated Links (API Domain) and Why and HOW TO Setup Branded Domains

• WordPress

  • If you're using HighLevel's WordPress hosting, point your domain to your WordPress site using provided DNS records.

  • The system will auto-detect and validate once DNS setup is complete.

  • You can read more about it here - WordPress: Domain Connect Integration

• Email

  • A domain is required to authenticate your email sending (e.g., via SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

  • Connecting it improves email deliverability and ensures your messages aren’t flagged as spam.

  • You can read more about it here - Dedicated Email Sending Domains Overview & Setup

Before You Get Started

What do you need?

• An active HighLevel account

• A domain, either:

  • Purchased through HighLevel

  • Purchased via a third-party registrar (e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy)

• Access to the domain’s DNS settings (required for manual setup)

Buying a Domain: Where to Start

Before you can connect a domain to HighLevel, you need to own one. There are two ways to purchase a domain:

1. Buy Directly Through HighLevel

• Easiest option—handled fully inside the platform.

• Go to Settings > Domains > Purchase Domain.

• Search for your desired domain name and complete the purchase.

• Domains bought in HighLevel are automatically labeled as Internal and come with built-in DNS management and SSL.

2. Buy from a Third-Party Registrar

• Use providers like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.

• After purchasing, you’ll need to manually connect the domain in HighLevel by updating DNS records.

• These are categorized as External Domains in the system.

Tip: Make sure you have access to your registrar’s DNS settings if purchasing externally—this will be required during setup.

Centralized Domain Management

All domains whether internal or external (connected via third-party providers) can be managed from the centralized Domains settings page within each sub-account.

What You Can Do

From this page, you can:

• Add domains or subdomains

• View connected products (Funnels, Websites, Emails, etc.)

• Check domain and SSL status

• Access DNS settings (for internal domains)

• Identify and resolve required actions (e.g., verification, connection issues)

Domains are clearly labeled:

• Internal Domains – Purchased through HighLevel

• External Domains – Connected from external providers

Manage Domains

• Includes tabs for Connected Products and DNS Records (DNS available for internal domains)

• Lists connected product types (Funnels, Email, Website)

• Status indicators help with quick troubleshooting

• Filters allow sorting by product type; the menu (three dots) provides edit/remove options

Additional Features:

• Search bar for quick domain lookup

• Auto-renewal and expiry tracking for internal domains

• Visual indicators highlight domains needing attention

Root Domain vs Subdomain vs WWW

Root Domain

• Your main domain name.

• Example: example.com

• Used for your primary site or homepage.

Subdomain

• A prefix added to your root domain.

• Example: blog.example.com, store.example.com

• Used to separate different sections (like blogs, funnels, portals) without needing a new domain.

WWW (www.yourbrand.com)

• Technically a subdomain of yourbrand.com.

• Example: www.example.com

• Often used as the default web address.

• Best practice: Pick one version (with or without www) and redirect the other to it for consistency and SEO.

Learn More

• Connecting Your Domain on GHL - A Guide!

• Troubleshooting Guide: Connecting Your Domain