🗺️ Overview

Website Studio lets you build and publish landing pages on a custom domain that you own — meaning your pages remain live and accessible independently of your Search Atlas subscription. This article walks you through publishing options, DNS setup, and how to confirm your pages are properly configured and reachable.

🚀 Publishing Options in Website Studio

When you are ready to make a landing page live, Website Studio offers two main publishing paths:

• Search Atlas Subdomain (default): Your page is hosted on a Search Atlas-managed subdomain (e.g., yoursite.searchatlas.com). This is the fastest way to go live, but the URL is tied to the platform.
• Custom Domain (recommended for permanence): Connect your own domain so pages are hosted at a URL you fully control (e.g., www.yourdomain.com). This makes your pages permanent and independent of Search Atlas.

To ensure your pages remain live long-term and are not dependent on Search Atlas, always publish to a custom domain that you own and manage.

⚙️ How to Connect a Custom Domain

1. In Search Atlas, navigate to Website Studio from the left sidebar.
2. Open the site you want to publish and click Settings.
3. Select the Domain tab and click Add Custom Domain.
4. Enter your domain or subdomain (e.g., landing.yourdomain.com) and click Save.
5. Website Studio will display the DNS records you need to add — copy these values before moving to your domain registrar.

🛠️ DNS Configuration Steps

DNS changes are made at your domain registrar or DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap). The exact steps vary by provider, but the process is the same:

1. Log in to your domain registrar and open your DNS Management or DNS Zone Editor.

2. Add a CNAME record with the values provided by Website Studio:

   • Name / Host: the subdomain you entered (e.g., landing)
   • Value / Points to: the target provided by Website Studio
   • TTL: 3600 (or your registrar's default)

3. If you are connecting a root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com with no subdomain), use an A record or ALIAS/ANAME record if your registrar supports it, pointing to the IP address provided by Website Studio.

4. Save your DNS changes.

Important: DNS propagation typically takes 15 minutes to 48 hours. Do not expect your domain to resolve immediately after saving.

✅ Verifying Your Pages Are Live

Once DNS has had time to propagate, use the steps below to confirm your pages are properly configured and publicly accessible:

• Check within Website Studio: Return to Settings > Domain. Website Studio will show a green checkmark or a Verified status next to your domain when DNS is correctly configured.
• Visit the URL directly: Open a private/incognito browser window and navigate to your custom domain. Your published page should load without any Search Atlas branding or login prompts.
• Use a DNS lookup tool: Tools such as dnschecker.org let you enter your domain and see whether the CNAME or A record is resolving correctly across global DNS servers.
• Check for SSL: Your page URL should begin with https://. Website Studio provisions an SSL certificate automatically after DNS is verified. If you see a security warning, allow a few more hours for the certificate to activate.

📍 Setting Up a Google Business Profile (GBP) Service Area Page

If you are creating landing pages for Google Business Profile service areas, follow these additional steps:

1. In Website Studio, build or open the landing page you want to associate with a GBP service area.
2. Publish the page to your custom domain and confirm it is live using the verification steps above.
3. In Search Atlas, navigate to the GBP section and open the relevant business profile.
4. Under Service Areas, enter the published page URL as the destination link for the applicable service area.
5. Save your changes and allow up to 24 hours for Google to reflect the update.

Note: GBP page creation requires that your Website Studio custom domain is already verified. Attempting to link an unverified or unpublished page may result in an authentication error. Always complete the DNS verification step first.

❓ Common Issues & Quick Fixes

• Domain shows "Pending" after 48 hours: Double-check that the CNAME or A record values in your registrar exactly match what Website Studio provided, with no extra spaces or characters.
• Page loads but shows a security warning: SSL provisioning can take up to 24 hours after DNS verification. Wait and retry.
• CMS connector not working with a custom domain: Ensure the domain is fully verified in Website Studio before attempting to connect Content Genius or any CMS integration.
• GBP page creation fails: Confirm your custom domain is verified and the page is publicly accessible before linking it to a GBP service area.

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.