Launching Your Site
Getting your site out into the wild is easy with Faithmade, but we understand that working with DNS and domains can feel nerve wracking. If you'd like us to handle it, we'd be happy to! Just drop us a line through the dashboard chat and we'll set up a call to get the details.
If you'd rather handle it yourself, then this is your guide. Please make sure to follow the order to ensure there is little to no downtime for your website.
Purchase a domain
If you don't already have a domain, you'll need to snag one. We recommendGoogle Domains because it's easy to work with and many churches already use G-Suite for non-profits.
Domains are roughly $12 a year and Google comes with built in domain privacy. You'll love it!
Point your Domain toward Faithmade
Our preferred method for pointing your domain towards your Faithmade website is creating a Cloudflare account and using two DNS records called CNAME records. Our IP address is subject to change, which means we cannot recommend you use an A record. It may seem easier this way, but it can create more problems down the road.
Step 1: Create a Cloudflare Account
- Visit CloudFlare.com, then click Signup.
- Choose the Free Plan and enter your domain.
- CloudFlare will give you 2 nameserver records to add to your current DNS so Cloudflare can "talk" to your domain provider.
STEP 2: Add CloudFlare records for your Nameservers and DNS Records.
Depending on where you domain is listed this could be called something like DNS Manager, Zone File Settings, Manager Domains, Domain Manager or something similar.
STEP 3: Go Back To CloudFlare
- Wait until the Overview tab says "Active" in the Cloudflare dashboard.
- Once Active Click on the SSL Tab and set to Full
- Wait until the certificate is listed as "Active"
STEP 4: Add your Faithmade DNS Records to CloudFlare.
In CloudFlare click the DNS tab at the top. You need to enter two records.
Type: CNAME
Name: @
Target : yourcustomdomain.faithmade.com
TTL: Auto
Proxy Status: Proxied
Type: CNAME
Name: www
Target: yourcustomdomain.faithmade.com
TTL: Auto
Proxy Status: Proxied
If you get an error saying that a record already exists you'll need to remove the existing record so that you can add the new one.
STEP 5: Connect your Domain on the Faithmade platform.
Visit your account page while you're logged into your Faithmade site. You'll see an area in the right column for Domain Mapping. Enter your domain name there without https:// and without www.
Hit save. :)
A few things to keep in mind.
Changing a domain can take a bit of time. In a manner of speaking, the internet has to "find itself." Sites can take 24-48 hours to work through the changes, but in our experience using Cloudflare and Google results in much fast propagation. You can check the progress by using a tool like whatsmydns.net.
If you receive any error messages or 'unsecure' messages please send us a message via the dashboard chat.