Custom Domain Name Setup

If you have an existing domain name that you would like to use to access your WebManager website, or you are planning to register a domain name for this purpose, you will need to modify either the “CNAME” record or the “A” record for your domain name.

Why a CNAME record?

A CNAME record maps your domain name to a domain name under our control (hosted.automanager.com) which is then mapped to the IP address for our server. The advantage of a CNAME record is that if our server IP address changes for any reason, we can update our records which will in turn update the IP address that your domain name is ultimately mapped to without you needing to make any further changes. The disadvantage of a CNAME record is that it requires an alias (such as www.), meaning that a user who types in your domain name without the alias prefix will not be correctly directed to our server.

CNAME Record

Alias/Name: www
Host Name/Value: hosted.automanager.com

Why an A record?

An A record maps your domain name directly to the IP address for our server (13.88.23.16). The advantage of an A record is that a user can type in your domain name without the www. prefix and they will still be directed to our server. If you want your website visitors to be able to type in your domain name this way, then an A record is required. The disadvantage of using an A record is that if our server IP address changes for any reason, you will need to promptly update the IP address for your A record or risk your website being unavailable until you are able to do so.

A Record

Host/Name: @ or blank
IP Address: 13.88.23.16

The process for creating or updating a CNAME or A record for your domain name will vary based on the registrar you registered your domain with. Some registrars will provide you with an account management website where you can log in and manage your domain name settings yourself, while in other cases you may have to call the registrar to have them make the change for you.

Note: Whenever you make any changes to your domain name settings, you may need to wait anywhere from an hour to up to 24-48 hours to see your changes reflected. Once your CNAME record and/or A record is set up, you will also need to enter your custom domain name under your Website Settings in order for WebManager to recognize the domain name and display your website correctly.

The instructions below are provided for informational purposes only. We are not liable to you for out-dated or incorrect information, or for any complications resulting in your website being inaccessible using your custom domain name. Please contact technical support for your domain registrar if you are in any way uncertain about making these changes yourself.

GoDaddy.com Domains

Use these instructions if your domain is registered through GoDaddy.

Other Domain Registrars

1. Log in to your account on your domain registrar’s website, and go to the DNS Management page.
   Since CNAME and A records are special Domain Name Service (DNS) records, they may be in sections such as DNS Management, Name Server Management, or Zone Files. It’s possible that you will have to enable advanced settings to create a CNAME or A record.
2. Delete existing A records or CNAME records for the “www” hostname or alias.
3. Create a new CNAME record.
   Set the Alias or Name to “www” or the subdomain you want to use for your site, and set the Host Name, Value, or Destination to hosted.automanager.com, and save your changes.
4. or Create a new A record.
   Depending on your registrar you may need to set the Host or Name to @, “null”, “empty”, or leave it blank. In many cases, there is no Host or Name to set. Set the IP address to 13.88.23.16, and save your changes.