Domains & Setup
How to Set Up a Root Domain in GoHighLevel
By Marnix Geerkens. Published 2021-01-15. Updated 2026-06-02.
A root domain is the bare yourdomain.com address without any prefix. Connecting one to GoHighLevel requires an A record in your DNS rather than a CNAME. You add the domain in Settings, create the A record at your registrar pointing to the GoHighLevel IP address, wait for propagation, then link the domain to a website or funnel and choose the home page. Setting up the www version follows the same flow but uses a CNAME instead.
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Summary. This tutorial covers connecting a root domain (domain.com) and its www subdomain to a GoHighLevel website or funnel using GoDaddy as the DNS provider. The process involves creating an A record for the root, waiting for GoHighLevel to verify the record, linking the domain to a website, and selecting the home page from the funnel editor. A separate CNAME record is then used to get the www version resolving to the same site.
What you will learn
- Tell apart a root domain from a subdomain and know which DNS record type each needs
- Add an A record at your registrar pointing the root domain to GoHighLevel's IP address
- Verify the record in GoHighLevel and link the domain to a website or funnel
- Set the home page for the domain inside the funnel editor
- Add the www subdomain using a CNAME so both versions resolve correctly
- Understand that GoHighLevel builds the SSL certificate automatically on first load
Steps
Open Settings and start adding a domain
Inside the sub-account, go to Settings and then Domains. Click Add New Domain. Type your root domain (for example yourdomain.com) and confirm. GoHighLevel will display an IP address for the A record.
Create the A record at your registrar
Log in to your DNS provider. Add a new A record. Set the host to @ (the at symbol), which represents the root. Paste the IP address GoHighLevel gave you as the value. Lower TTL to 600 seconds if you can, then save. If you already have an A record pointing elsewhere, edit that record instead of creating a second one.
Click Add and let GoHighLevel verify the record
Back in GoHighLevel, click Add. The platform checks whether the A record is visible. If it fails, wait a minute or two and try again. DNS changes can take up to several minutes to propagate globally.
Link the domain to your website or funnel
Once GoHighLevel verifies the record, a dropdown appears where you can choose which website or funnel this domain should serve. Select it and click Link.
Set the home page
Click the pencil icon next to the newly added domain. You will see a list of pages inside the funnel or website. Select the page you want to appear when someone visits the root domain, then click Save. This step is easy to overlook but required.
Set up the www subdomain (optional but recommended)
Go back to Domains and click Add New Domain again, this time entering www.yourdomain.com. Copy the CNAME target URL. In your DNS, add a CNAME record with the host set to www and the value set to the URL you copied. Return to GoHighLevel, click Add, link the same website, and set the same home page.
Confirm the site loads
Open the root domain in a browser. The first load may take a moment while the SSL certificate is provisioned. If you see a brief error, refresh after about thirty seconds. Once live, test both the root and the www address.
Tips
- Some registrars list the root A record with a host value of @ or leave it blank. Both mean the same thing.
- GoHighLevel provisions SSL certificates automatically. You do not need to upload anything.
- If you want www to forward to the root rather than resolve independently, set up domain forwarding at your registrar instead of adding a second GoHighLevel domain entry.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a root domain and a subdomain?
Root is yourdomain.com. A subdomain adds a prefix, like www.yourdomain.com.
Why does a root domain need an A record instead of a CNAME?
DNS rules forbid CNAME records at the apex of a domain. An A record is required.
Do I have to link the www version separately?
Yes. GoHighLevel treats the root and www as two distinct domains.
What happens if I skip the step to set the home page?
Visitors will see an error or a blank page instead of your intended content.
How long does it take for the root domain to start loading?
Usually a few minutes after DNS propagates, plus a brief SSL build on first load.