Connect your own domain name to Clarityflow

Would you like to replace your Clarityflow domain (yourname.clarityflow.com) with your own custom domain (like yourdomain.com, subdomain.yourdomain.com, or www.yourdomain.com)? The following instructions will show you how.

Connect your domain

Step 1: Enter your custom domain in your Clarityflow account settings

Open the menu in the top-left corner > Account Settings > Custom domain.

Then input your custom domain name. Do not include https://

Click Continue.

For more information on choosing between a subdomain, www, or "naked" domain, see the info about this below.

custom domain

Step 2: Create a CNAME record in your domain's DNS

You'll need to log into the service that manages your DNS records for your domain. Typically this is the site or service where you purchased your domain name, but sometimes DNS is managed in a separate site or service.

After clicking "Continue" on step 1, you will be shown the CNAME information that you'll need when setting up your CNAME DNS record.

update domain DNS

See our guides for setting up your CNAME DNS record at these popular DNS providers:

Not using one of the providers listed above? Follow the instructions for Godaddy. Most popular DNS providers will have a similar interface (some details will be slightly be different).

Step 3: Verify your CNAME DNS record in Clarityflow

Back in your Clarityflow custom domain settings, after you've created your CNAME DNS record, click "I did this. Verify..."

Note: Depending on the DNS provider, your CNAME record can take anywhere from just a few minutes to an hour to be created. In rare cases, this can take up to 24 hours. If verification isn't successful right away, wait a little while, then try again.

Once your CNAME record is successfully verified, you will see this message. Then you can proceed to the next step.

CNAME configuration verified

Step 4: Activate your custom domain

After you've successfully verified your CNAME DNS record, you can proceed with the final step: Activating your custom domain.

To begin the activation process, click the "activate" button:

activate button

Note: Activation of your domain can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 90 minutes.

While your domain activation is still processing, you can navigate away from this page and continue to use Clarityflow using your Clarityflow domain.

activate domain

You will be notified via email once your domain activation is complete. Once complete, your custom domain settings page will show this success message:

domain success message

The next time you log out and then log back into Clarityflow, you will be viewing Clarityflow using your custom domain. You're all set!

Logging in and moving between domains on Clarityflow

So you've connected your custom domain to Clarityflow. Awesome!

Logging in

You and your clients can log in using any of these URLs:

  • app.clarityflow.com/login

  • yourdomain.com/login

Moving between different accounts on different domains

Oftentimes, Clarityflow users navigate between multiple Clarityflow accounts or multiple conversations owned by different accounts. If you're viewing account A with a custom domain (example.accounta.com), and then follow a link that points to a conversation owned by account B, which doesn't have a custom domain (accountb.clarityflow.com), then here are some notes about that:

  • When using the account-switcher (in the top-left corner menu), if switching to an account on a domain that you haven't logged-in before, you will be redirected to the login screen. After you log in, you will now "logged in" on both domains and won't need to log in again (until you're logged out).

  • If you've only logged into the custom domain (example.accounta.com) and not accountb.clarityflow.com, then technically, you're only "logged-in" on example.accounta.com. However, when you follow links between the 2, Clarityflow appends ?viewer=youremail to the end of the URL, which will help to identify you "as you" when you post a reply.

Using a subdomain vs. www vs. "naked" domain with Clarityflow

Use a subdomain (subdomain.yourdomain.com)

A subdomain is the most popular and easiest option. If you use your main domain (yourdomain.com) for your website, then connecting Clarityflow to a subdomain is your best option.

The subdomain can be anything you want. For example, if your main domain is briancasel.com, then you might choose a subdomain like coaching.briancasel.com.

A subdomain can easily be connected using a CNAME using any DNS provider.

Use www.yourdomain.com

Another popular option is to use your own domain using www at the front of it. This is a good option if you're not using your domain for your website.

Connecting www.yourdomain.com using a CNAME is easy to do using any DNS provider.

Use yourdomain.com without www

If you want to connect your domain without www and without a subdomain (a.k.a. a "naked" domain or "apex" domain), then this might involve a few extra steps to pull off, depending on which DNS provider you use.

TL;DR: We recommend using Cloudflare as your DNS provider to create CNAMES that can map an "apex" or "naked" domain name. Cloudflare's free plan should be suitable for this.

Before you continue: If you don't need to use a domain without a subdomain or www, then you can stop here. You won't need to use Cloudflare in order to connect your custom domain to Clarityflow.

Still looking to connect your domain without www or a subdomain? Read on...

Most DNS providers don't offer the option to create CNAME records without specifying a subdomain (such as "www" or any subdomain before your domain).

However, some DNS providers, such as Cloudflare, do offer the ability to create a CNAME record for "apex" domains (domains without a subdomain).

A few important notes on this:

  • If you're currently using your domain for your website or email, then changing your domain's nameservers will disrupt these and cause downtimes until you move those same records to your new DNS.

  • If your domain's DNS isn't already being managed at Cloudflare, then you'll need to move your DNS from wherever it's currently managed (such as Godaddy, etc.) to Cloudflare. This will involve changing your domain's nameservers to point to Cloudflare.

  • You won't need to move your domain's registration from your current registrar to Cloudflare. You'll only be moving where your domain's DNS is managed. When you open your free Cloudflare account, Cloudflare will provide instructions on setting this up.

This guide details one of the many features of Clarityflow, the coaching software that powers modern coaching practices of all types. Learn more about Clarityflow.