Step-by-Step: Adding a Custom Domain to Jottings

When I started Jottings, I wanted to make it dead simple for people to turn their microblogs into something truly theirs. That includes giving your site a custom domain—something like blog.yourname.com instead of yourname.jottings.me.

I'll walk you through the entire process. It's easier than you might think, and I promise there's no scary technical setup required.

What You'll Need

Before we start, here's what you need:

A Jottings account with a Pro subscription (custom domains are a Pro feature)
A custom domain (you'll buy this separately)
About 15-20 minutes of your time
A cup of coffee wouldn't hurt either

That's it. Really.

Step 1: Get Yourself a Domain

First things first—you need to own a domain. This is separate from Jottings, so you'll be purchasing it from a domain registrar.

Where to buy? I recommend:

Namecheap - Great prices, solid customer service, easy to use
Porkbun - Clean interface, affordable
Cloudflare Registrar - Simple, integrates nicely if you're already using Cloudflare elsewhere

Pick one and buy your domain. It'll cost you between $10-15 per year for most .com domains (prices vary, obviously).

Once you've bought your domain, you should get access to a dashboard where you can manage your DNS records. Keep this page handy—you'll need it in just a moment.

Step 2: Add Your Domain in the Jottings Dashboard

Now that you own a domain, let's tell Jottings about it.

Log into your Jottings dashboard, go to your site's Settings, and look for the Custom Domain section. You'll see a button to add a new custom domain.

Click it, and you'll be prompted to enter your domain name. Just type in your domain (e.g., blog.yourname.com) and submit.

Jottings will show you two pieces of information:

A TXT record that you need to add to prove you own the domain
A CNAME record that points your domain to Jottings

Write these down or keep this page open. You're about to use them.

Step 3: Add the TXT Record (Domain Verification)

This is the part that scares people, but it's honestly straightforward.

Go back to your domain registrar's dashboard (Namecheap, Porkbun, or wherever you bought your domain). Look for a section called "DNS Records," "DNS Management," or something similar.

You'll see a place to add a new DNS record. Select TXT record type and:

Set the Name to what Jottings tells you (it's usually something like _acme-challenge)
Set the Value to the verification code Jottings provided
Save it

You just added a TXT record. Congratulations. This proves to Cloudflare (the infrastructure provider behind Jottings) that you actually own this domain.

Step 4: Add the CNAME Record (Domain Routing)

Now add another DNS record. This time it's a CNAME record:

Set the Name to your domain (e.g., blog.yourname.com)
Set the Value to the CNAME target that Jottings provided
Save it

What does this do? It tells the internet that when someone visits blog.yourname.com, they should actually go to your Jottings site. It's like a forwarding address, but for domains.

Step 5: The Waiting Game (DNS Propagation)

Here's the thing about DNS: it doesn't happen instantly. Changes take time to propagate across the internet's infrastructure.

Typical timeline:

5-60 minutes - Most common. DNS changes spread across the web
Up to 24 hours - In rare cases, some servers take this long to update
Verification takes 5-15 minutes after DNS propagates

This is not something we control—it's how the internet works. Your registrar and internet service providers cache DNS information for performance reasons.

While you're waiting, you can do something useful: go back to your Jottings dashboard and click "Check Verification." Jottings will automatically poll Cloudflare to see if your DNS records are set up correctly.

Step 6: Automatic SSL & You're Done

Here's the beautiful part: once Jottings confirms that your DNS records are properly set up, it automatically requests and installs an SSL certificate. You don't have to do anything.

SSL is the security protocol that makes your site use https:// instead of http://. It's not optional anymore—every site needs it. Jottings handles this completely automatically.

Within a few minutes of DNS verification, your custom domain will be fully active and secure. Your microblogs will be accessible at your custom domain with a valid SSL certificate.

Troubleshooting Tips

Still not working after 24 hours?

Double-check your DNS records match exactly what Jottings specified (spaces and punctuation matter)
Make sure you're editing the DNS for the right domain registrar account
Verify you didn't accidentally add extra characters or spaces

DNS records look right but verification isn't completing?

Give it more time (really—DNS can be slow)
Try the "Check Verification" button again
Clear your browser cache and try again

Still stuck?

I'm happy to help. Reach out to the Jottings support and I'll walk you through it personally

Why Custom Domains Matter

I included custom domains in Jottings because your microblogs deserve to feel like part of your own corner of the internet. When you write on yourdomain.com, you're building something that's entirely yours—not dependent on any platform.

It also means better SEO. Search engines treat your custom domain as your own property, which helps when you're building an audience or establishing thought leadership in your field.

Final Thoughts

Custom domains are one of my favorite features in Jottings. They close the loop between having a simple microblogging platform and owning your entire web presence.

The process looks complicated when you read about it, but it's mostly just copy-pasting DNS records and waiting. I'd estimate 80% of the time is just DNS propagation—the actual work takes maybe 5 minutes.

If you're a Pro member and you've been thinking about getting a custom domain set up, go grab one today. The whole process is designed to be as frictionless as possible.

And if you run into any issues? You know where to find me.

Happy blogging on your own domain.