Fixing your root domain

If you've setup a custom domain, and the www version is working great, but it breaks if you leave off the www (aka root, apex, or naked domain), then there are a few potential reasons and ways to fix it. However, first we should ask...

Do you even need a root domain?

If you've used your domain on a previous website prior to coming to Supertape, and you used the root domain to link to that site, then your root domain could be cached by browsers and search engines. If this is the case, it's a good idea to have a root domain.

However, if you haven't used this domain previously, or if you did and you used the www domain to link to that site, then you probably don't need to worry about the root domain.

Browsers will typically redirect root domains to the www version, unless the visitor has linked directly to the root domain previously. This is why it's broken for you yourself when you visit the root domain.

Regardless of whether you determine if you need a root domain or not, you should always use the www version of your domain when sharing and linking to your website. As a best practice, Supertape redirects everything to your www version anyway, so linking to that directly skips a step.

So be sure to update your link in bios, website profiles, and any other websites linking to your domain that you control, to use the www version of your domain.

Adding a root DNS record

If you've determined that you need a root domain, you'll need to add an ANAME or ALIAS record (same thing) through your domain provider, pointing to cname.supertape.site. Once you've done that, contact us so we can ensure SSL is setup properly for the root domain.

If your domain provider doesn't support these types of records (not all do, including GoDaddy and Squarespace), we recommend using a free Cloudflare account to sit in-between your DNS provider and Supertape using these instructions.

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