Your website starts on a temporary SDP address. This guide shows how to connect a domain you already own so visitors can open your site at a professional URL.
SDP only accepts a custom domain after its DNS is on Cloudflare. If you have not done that yet, start with How to Move Your Domain to Cloudflare.
1. Open Connect Domain
Log in to SDP Platform and open Websites.
Click the website you want to update.
Click Connect Domain in the top right. You can also go to Advanced, then Link Domain.
2. Move DNS to Cloudflare first
Add the domain in Cloudflare and set Cloudflare’s nameservers at the company where you bought the domain.
Wait until Cloudflare shows the domain as active. Then come back to SDP.
Need the registrar steps? Follow How to Move Your Domain to Cloudflare. It works for Namecheap and any other host.
3. Add the domain in SDP
On the Connect Domain page, find Add Domain.
Enter the address visitors should use, such as example.com, www.example.com, or shop.example.com.
Do not include https://.
Click Submit.
The page will say DNS setup is pending.
4. Connect DNS
Preferred: click Connect with Cloudflare, log in, and approve the request. You should see DNS records created.
Or add the records yourself:
Type CNAME — Name: your domain — Target: cname.sdp-builder.com
Type CNAME — Name: www — Target: @
Remove any old A or CNAME records for the same name before you save.
5. Lookup Domain
Click Lookup Domain.
If it is still pending, wait a few minutes and click it again.
You are done when you see Your website is live on this domain.
Keep using Temporary Domain until that message appears.
6. No domain yet?
On the same page, use Use a free sm.ke domain instead.
Enter a name, such as hauzisha, then click the button to use hauzisha.sm.ke. No DNS setup is needed.
Pro-Tip
If SDP says the nameservers must point to Cloudflare, finish How to Move Your Domain to Cloudflare first, then add the domain again.