Domains and HTTPS

Every dealership gets a free web address on motodealerhq.com, such as harbortrail.motodealerhq.com. If your plan includes Custom domains, you can also put your website on a domain you own, such as www.harbortrailpowersports.com, with a free HTTPS certificate from Let's Encrypt.

A custom domain only ever shows your public website. Your team always signs in to the console at dealer.motodealerhq.com, never on your own domain.

Before you start #

• You need access to your domain's DNS settings (at your registrar or DNS host, for example GoDaddy, Cloudflare or Namecheap).
• Your plan must include Custom domains. Check Settings › Billing. If it isn't included, the Domains page says so and links to your plans.
• Decide which name you want. We recommend the www version (www.yourdealership.com), because it works with a simple CNAME record at every DNS host.

Open the Domains page #

1. Open Settings › Settings & domains.
2. Select Domains at the top of the page.

Each domain has its own card showing its status (pending or verified), its HTTPS status and, for the one visitors are sent to, a Primary badge. Your motodealerhq.com address is listed as "Platform subdomain (always available)". MotoDealerHQ manages its DNS and HTTPS for you.

Add your domain #

1. Under Add a custom domain, type the domain, such as www.yourdealership.com.
2. Select Add domain. The domain appears as pending.

You can also add the domain in the setup wizard under Domain.

Create the DNS records #

The domain's card lists the records to create, with their type, name, value and purpose. Copy them exactly.

1. Sign in to your DNS host.
2. Add the TXT record. Some DNS hosts add your domain to the name automatically; in that case enter only _dealerx-verify.www.
3. Add the CNAME record for www pointing to sites.motodealerhq.com. Remove any other record (A, AAAA or CNAME) with the same name first.
4. Wait for the records to spread. This often takes a few minutes and occasionally a few hours.

Verify the domain #

1. Back on the Domains page, select Verify on the domain's card.
2. The card shows the result of the last check, for example ownership:ok routing:missing.
   • ownership checks the TXT record.
   • routing checks the CNAME (or A) record.
3. When both are ok, the domain becomes verified and starts serving your website. If one is missing, fix that record, wait a little, and select Verify again.

A pending domain serves nothing until it is verified, so adding it never breaks your current address.

Get HTTPS #

Once a domain is verified, MotoDealerHQ gets a free certificate for it from Let's Encrypt and renews it automatically. The HTTPS line on the card tells you where it stands:

Depending on how MotoDealerHQ has set things up, the certificate may be requested automatically as soon as the domain verifies. Either way, you never upload or renew certificates yourself.

Make it your primary domain #

1. On the verified domain's card, select Make primary.
2. From now on:
   • visitors to your motodealerhq.com address are redirected to your domain;
   • search engines are told not to index the motodealerhq.com address;
   • links and search listings use your domain.

Only a verified domain can be primary. To switch back, make the platform subdomain primary again.

Remove a domain #

Select Remove on a custom domain's card and confirm. You can't remove the primary domain: make another domain primary first.

If someone else already added your domain #

Adding a domain doesn't prove ownership, so a typo or an old account can't block you.

• Another account added it but never verified it. The Domains page shows Claim with a TXT record named _dealerx-claim.<your domain>. Add that record, then select I've added it — claim the domain. The domain moves to your account as pending, and you then verify it the normal way. Unverified claims also give way on their own after 7 days.
• It is verified on another account. It never moves automatically. You'll see "That domain is connected to another account". Contact MotoDealerHQ support with proof of ownership.

Tips #

• Lower your DNS records' TTL before switching an existing website, so the change takes effect quickly.
• Don't make the new domain primary until it shows secure, so visitors never see a certificate warning.
• Before you remove a domain, make sure your DNS no longer sends visitors to MotoDealerHQ for it.

Permissions #

Limitations #