Hosting on a custom domain

Every Foleon Doc needs to live on its URL, and you can choose to host it on a custom domain. This can either be a subdomain (e.g., ebook.yourdomain.com) or a root domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com). This article discusses these two options and shows you how to set this up in your DNS settings and the Foleon dashboard.

Step 1 — Decide on a domain name

In the Foleon Dashboard, click account in the left sidebar and go to domains. Click + new domain to get started. 

First, you decide on a domain name. This can either be a subdomain (e.g., ebook.yourdomain.com) or a root domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com).

Once you’ve chosen your domain name, you’re ready to configure your domain in the DNS settings of your hosting provider.

Jump to our step-by-step instructions based on the type of domain name:

• Connect a subdomain to Foleon (e.g., ebook.yourdomain.com)

• Connect a root domain to Foleon (e.g., www.yourdomain.com)

Did you decide on a domain name? Type it in the field and click next. 

For the next step, you'll need access to your hosting provider to set up the DNS settings of your domain. You can learn more in step 2 below. 

Step 2 — Set up the domain with your hosting provider

This step requires access to your domain’s DNS settings. You can access this by signing in to your domain management portal. If you're not sure what that is or if you have access, reach out to your IT team for help.

• Connect a subdomain to Foleon (e.g., ebook.yourdomain.com)

  🎥 Watch our 4-minute video to learn how to host on a custom subdomain.

  
  
  

  • Set up a subdomain

    From the DNS settings, you create a subdomain by setting up a new CNAME record.

    When creating the CNAME record, you’ll need to give it a name (or host) that matches the subdomain you want to create. For instance, if you set up a subdomain for eBooks, you could name the record “eBook”. You would then end up with the following URL: ebook.yourdomain.com.

    Next, you’ll need to enter a value that points the CNAME record to the Foleon servers. This is where you’ll need to insert the following:
    
    s1.foleon.com.
    
    The period at the end of this value is not always necessary. We suggest looking at your hosting overview and checking if your domain value has a period at the end. If it does, add it to the value of the subdomain. If it doesn’t, don’t add it to the value of the subdomain.

    Here’s a screenshot of what creating an eBook subdomain in GoDaddy would look like:

    💡 In our case, the domain value didn’t end with a period, so we didn’t add it to the CNAME record value.

    

  • Wait and verify your setup

    Save your CNAME record. Once you’ve created the new subdomain, you’ll need to wait a bit before verifying. It can take up to 48 hours (or even longer) before DNS records are processed.

    To check if your new subdomain has been set up, navigate to the newly created subdomain (e.g., ebook.yourdomain.com) in your browser and keep refreshing the page until you see this Foleon 404 page.

    👏 If you see this 404 page, you're on the right track! Continue with the next step in this guide.

    

    If you see this 404 page, your subdomain has been pointed to our servers correctly. The 404 page shows because you haven’t published any Foleon Docs on the subdomain.

    If you see something different than the Foleon 404 page — for example, a grey browser error page — it means that the subdomain hasn’t been linked correctly.

    This could result from improper configuration or the DNS records still need to be processed.

    We recommend refreshing the page or checking with your IT department on whether you’ve followed the above steps. If you still don’t see the Foleon 404 page and are sure you’ve followed all instructions correctly, please reach out to support@foleon.com.

• Connect a root domain to Foleon (e.g., www.yourdomain.com)

  • Set up www as a subdomain

    This step requires access to your domain’s DNS settings. You can access this by signing into your domain management portal or contacting their support team.

    ⚠️ It's not possible to use an actual root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com), but only a subdomain that looks like a root domain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com). If you want to set up a root domain, you'll need to self-host your Foleon Docs.

    Once you’re in the DNS settings, you'll need to remove the existing www A record (if one exists). You don’t have to worry about this for now, as it can always be set up again later.

    Once this is done, you’ll need to create a www subdomain as a new CNAME record (or edit it if it’s already there).

    When creating the CNAME record, name it “www”. Next, you’ll need to enter a value that points your www subdomain to the Foleon servers. This is where you’ll need to insert the following:

    s1.foleon.com.

    The period at the end of this value is not always necessary. We suggest looking at your hosting overview and checking if your domain value has a period at the end. If it does, add it to the value of the subdomain. If it doesn’t, don’t add it to the value of the subdomain.

    Here’s an example screenshot of what it would look like in GoDaddy:

    

  • Set up a redirect

    Please note that to send traffic to your Foleon Doc, your audience must navigate to www.yourdomain.com. If they leave out the "www", they will land on the default location defined in your domain's A record.

    There are a few ways to get around this. If you have access to your .htaccess file, you can create a rule that forces all traffic to your root domain to be redirected to the www subdomain. Alternatively, you could use many domain registrars with forwarding options.

    For example, you can redirect http://yourdomain.com to http://www.yourdomain.com.

  • Wait and verify your setup

    Once you’ve created the new www subdomain, you’ll need to wait a bit before verifying. It can take up to 48 hours (or even longer) before DNS records are processed.

    To check if your new subdomain has been set up, navigate to your domain (prefixed with www, e.g., www.yourdomain.com) in your browser and refresh the page until you see this Foleon 404 page.

    👏 If you see this 404 page, you're on the right track! Continue with the next step in this guide.

    

    If you see this 404 page, your www subdomain has been pointed to our servers correctly. The 404 page shows because you haven’t published any Foleon Docs on the subdomain.

    If you see something different than the Foleon 404 page — for example, a grey browser error page — it means that the subdomain hasn’t been linked correctly. This could result from improper configuration, or the DNS records haven't been processed yet.

    We recommend refreshing the page or checking with your IT department on whether you’ve followed the above steps. If you still don’t see the Foleon 404 page and are sure you’ve followed all instructions correctly, please reach out to support@foleon.com.

Step 3 — Insert your subdomain or root domain

Once you’ve created the domain and verified that it’s working correctly, you can exit the DNS settings and return to the Foleon dashboard. Re-open the account settings and continue with the new domain you've just created. 

If you haven’t already, insert your subdomain or root domain and click next.

As you’re reading the instructions right here, you don’t need to open them. Hit next to continue with the SSL/TLS configuration.

 

Step 4 — Secure your domain with an SSL/TLS certificate

To secure your custom domain, Foleon generates an SSL/TLS certificate — for free — and automatically renews it. The certificates we obtain for your Docs are issued by Let’s Encrypt.

If you’re okay with an automated SSL/TLS setup — which we recommend — click next.

 

Step 5 — Verify your DNS configuration

When you’ve selected your desired SSL/TLS setup and continue, we’ll verify the DNS configuration of your domain. Keep in mind that this can take up to 2 minutes.

Once we’ve verified your DNS configuration, you’ll see a success message. Click on next.

You’ve now successfully configured your custom domain — shown by the green configured label on the right-hand side of the window.

If you'd like to change your custom domain setup after the initial setup, click edit.

To host your Foleon Docs on your new domain, you select it in the project settings. Some plans can use one domain for multiple projects. 

If you want to use one custom domain for multiple projects, you must add a base path to ensure the URL is unique. We explain how this works in step 7. 

Step 6 — Select your domain in the project settings

Once you’ve created the domain and verified that it’s working correctly, you can start using it to host your Foleon Docs on. Eligible plans can use one custom domain for multiple projects. 

In the Foleon Dashboard, click projects in the left sidebar and open the project settings.

Scroll down to your domain setup. In the use your own custom domain section, select the domain you want to host this project on. Only admins can select and update domains. 

Don't forget to save the project settings. 

Step 7 — Add a base path 

We allow you to add a base path to your custom domain.

If you want to use one custom domain for multiple projects, you need to add a unique base path to the URL for a successful setup. 

When you visit a Foleon Doc, you'll see a domain name in the address bar (e.g., newsletters.acme.com). The base path is what comes after the domain name and before the Foleon Doc alias: newsletters.acme.com/base-path/foleon-doc-alias. 

The base path helps structure your content, which search engines like Google appreciate. By using a base path, you can improve your Doc's SEO because it allows search engines to understand the hierarchy and relevance of different sections within your domain.

Below are some examples of how you could make use of the base path:

• Language — If you add "en-us" as the base path for your custom domain newsletters.acme.com, its URL structure would look like this: newsletters.acme.com/en-us. In this example, "en-us" is a language base path to specify content in American (US) English — grouping all content in this language. 
  
  
  
• Content type — If you add "newsletters" as the base path for your custom domain content.acme.com, its URL structure would look like this: content.acme.com/newsletters. If you use the domain content.acme.com for multiple projects, you work with the base path field to make the URL unique for each project — in this case, for the content type "newsletters". 
  

Using one domain for multiple projects

If you want to use one custom domain for multiple projects, you need to add a unique base path to the URL for a successful setup — as described above.

Let's say your company Acme wants to set up a project for newsletters. There are two ways you can set up your domain:

• • newsletters.acme.com — Using "newsletters" as the subdomain. In this case, adding a base path would not add much value.
    
    
  • docs.acme.com/newsletters — Using "newsletters" as the base path. In this case, you set up a more generic subdomain ("docs") that functions as an umbrella term to cover multiple content types (e.g., newsletters, annual reports, and whitepapers). You must use a different base path for each project to distinguish your content in the URL. 
    

    ✅ We recommend this setup as it enables you to scale your content creation with Foleon without setting up multiple custom domains.

If you use one domain across multiple projects, project settings such as Google Analytics and MAP tracking (e.g., HubSpot) only apply to a project — not a domain. If you have editions enabled so your Foleon Doc visitors can see other live content in your project, they won't see content from other projects that use the same domain. 

We created a handy infographic that shows you how the custom domain setup works (depends on your plan). 👇

Next to creating a unique base path for each project (e.g., docs.acme.com/newsletters and docs.acme.com/reports), it's also an option to leave one project without a base path.

This would allow you to create a content hub page or custom 404 page when your visitor visits the general domain docs.acme.com. You can configure your setup based on your needs.

To clarify:

• Situation 1
  • Project 1: docs.acme.com/newsletters
  • Project 2: docs.acme.com/reports
    
    ❌ When you visit docs.acme.com, you will see a 404 page. 
    
    
    
• Situation 2
  • Project 1: docs.acme.com (no base path)
  • Project 2: docs.acme.com/newsletters
    
    ✅ When you visit docs.acme.com, visitors will be directed to the Foleon Doc you choose — which you can control by setting the primary Foleon Doc. This allows you to create a custom 404 page or content hub landing page.

Manage domains

On the domains page, you can manage all of the custom domains you've set up in Foleon. In this overview, you'll find the following information and actions:

1. Filter — If you're working with multiple workspaces in your account, you can filter the overview for a specific workspace.
2. Domain — The domain that has been set up, including information about which workspace is the admin for that domain. 
3. SSL/TLS certificate — More information on the SSL/TLS certificate that keeps your content secure. You'll see automatic renewal when you let Foleon generate an SSL/TLS certificate for you (recommended). When you've decided to manually configure your certificate, you'll see when it expires. 
4. Active on — Check for each domain in which project(s) the domain is in use. Click x project(s) to see which project(s) it concerns.
5. Edit — Make changes to the domain setup. For example, change the subdomain from newsletters.acme.com to content.acme.com. 
6. Delete — Delete a domain you've set up. It's not possible to delete a domain that is currently in use for a project. You must first set another domain for the project(s) where it's in use.