Troubleshoot domains and publishing

Use this page when a custom domain won't connect, a page shows a security warning, the wrong site appears, or a published page isn't live. Find what you see, follow the fix, and contact support if it's still broken. It's for whoever manages your website domain and publishes pages.

Words used on this page

• Domain: your web address, such as example.com. A subdomain is a part in front of it, such as go.example.com.
• DNS: the settings that tell the internet where your domain points. You edit them at your DNS provider, which is often the company you bought the domain from (your registrar).
• Record: one DNS setting. It has a type (such as CNAME, A, or TXT), a name, and a value.
• HTTPS certificate: what makes the padlock show in the browser.

Domain verification is pending or fails

Fix:

1. In Spacebrain, open the domain screen and copy the record type, name, and value exactly.
2. At your DNS provider, add that record for the exact subdomain shown.
3. Many DNS providers add your domain to the name automatically. If Spacebrain says go and your provider adds .example.com, enter just go.
4. Don't add quotation marks unless your provider requires them.
5. Don't add both a proxied and an unproxied version unless the setup says to.
6. Wait. DNS changes can take from a few minutes to several hours.
7. Select the verify button in Spacebrain again.

Always use the values shown for this domain in this workspace. Don't copy values from another workspace or another guide.

The record looks right, but Spacebrain can't find it

Fix:

• Check your domain's nameservers at the registrar point to the DNS provider you edited. If they point elsewhere, your changes won't take effect.
• Look up the record with a public DNS lookup tool, using the full subdomain and the record type.
• Remove any other record with the same name that conflicts with it.
• Check the domain hasn't expired.
• Wait for the time-to-live (TTL) to pass. Each edit can restart the wait, so avoid repeated changes.

The padlock is missing or HTTPS is pending

Why: the certificate is only created after Spacebrain confirms the domain points to it.

Fix: keep the DNS record in place and wait for the status in Spacebrain to update. Don't send visitors to the page while browsers show a security warning. If HTTPS used to work and stopped, check whether the domain expired or the DNS was changed.

The domain shows the wrong site or another client's site

Fix:

1. Stop sending visitors to it straight away if the wrong branding or data could show.
2. Check you're in the right workspace or sub-account.
3. Check which page or site the domain is assigned to in Spacebrain.
4. Check the DNS record, and any redirects set up at your registrar or another service.
5. A domain should point to only one place. Fix the assignment, then test again.

I published, but the page isn't live

Fix:

1. Check you're opening the published address, not a preview or the editor.
2. Open it in a private window, signed out.
3. Check the page shows as published and you edited the current version.
4. Wait for publishing to finish before selecting publish again.
5. If the Spacebrain-hosted address works but your custom domain doesn't, the problem is DNS or domain setup, not the page.

The page keeps redirecting or goes somewhere unexpected

Fix: check each place that can redirect: the page's settings in Spacebrain, your DNS provider, your registrar's forwarding, and any other service in front of your site. Remove or fix one redirect at a time. Never set a permanent redirect to a preview address.

The page doesn't show up on Google

Why: publishing and appearing in search results are different. Search engines can take days or weeks to find a new page.

Fix: check the page is public, loads without errors, isn't set to hide from search engines, and is listed in your sitemap if your site has one. No one can guarantee when or where it will rank. See SEO for more.

Contact support

Open Help & support, select Contact, or see contact support. Include:

• Workspace or sub-account, and the page or site name.
• The domain and the status Spacebrain shows.
• The DNS record type and name, and the result of a public DNS lookup.
• When you published, with time zone.
• What you see in the browser, with a screenshot.

Never send your registrar, DNS, or hosting passwords.

Next step

See landing pages and funnels, or for agencies, agency branding and domains.