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Custom Domain FAQs


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Custom Domain FAQs

Josh M.
Josh M.
  • Updated
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Custom Domain FAQs

Josh M.
Josh M.
  • Updated

You can use a custom domain purchased through a third-party provider to direct your clients to your Professional Website. 

In this guide, you’ll find answers to commonly asked questions about the Custom Domain:

Note: For more information on setting up domains in SimplePractice, see Setting a domain. 

What does the status of my Custom Domain indicate?  

Once you’ve connected your Custom Domain, you can view the status by navigating to Settings > Domains: 

Pending 

  • Until the connection processes and is linked successfully, you’ll see the status indicated as Pending. We’ll notify you via email if the connection is successful, or if there are any other steps you’ll need to take in order to set it up properly.

Connected

  • Your Custom Domain has been successfully connected. Your Professional Website can now be accessed using this domain. 

Failed

  • Your Custom Domain failed to connect, indicating that something was entered incorrectly in the DNS settings through your domain provider. You'll see one of the following explanations:
    • “A CNAME record could not be found. Follow the instructions again to add this record.”
      • Next steps: Review your DNS settings to make sure you've entered a CNAME record. 
    • “The CNAME record points to {url}, but should point to "website.simplepractice.com" exactly as written.” 
      • Next steps: Review your DNS settings to make sure you've entered a CNAME record that is pointing to website.simplepractice.com, exactly as written. 
      • For example: 

  • “Your custom domain {custom_url} could not be found. Please confirm that you followed the instructions and entered the correct domain.”
    • Next steps: Double check that you've entered your custom domain correctly in your Domains settings within your SimplePractice account. Enter the full domain including the www. at the beginning and the appropriate ending based on which custom domain you own the rights to. 

Disconnected 

  • This status means something was changed such that the URL no longer works.
    • Next steps: Log in to your domain manager account and double check that the DNS settings are correct and that you still own the rights to the custom domain.

For more information on how your DNS settings should reflect, see Connecting a Custom Domain. 

Note: When connecting a new Custom Domain, it can take up to 72 hours for a new connection to process and be fully established.

Can I connect a Custom Domain to the Client Portal only? 

The Custom Domain is only available if you’re using the Professional Website. Once the Custom Domain is established, your Professional Website can both be accessed using the domain. If you’re not using the Professional Website, only the Default Domain can be used for your Client Portal.  

For more information on the Professional Website, see Setting up your Professional Website. 

If I already have an external website, can I purchase the domain and use it for the Professional Website? 

You can direct a custom domain that you own and that’s hosted outside of SimplePractice to the Professional Website. If your current website host owns the domain, we recommend that you request that they release the domain to you or provide a transfer code to move it to a new domain host. Once your custom domain is hosted elsewhere, you can then direct the domain towards SimplePractice. For more information, see Connecting a Custom Domain. 

Will the Default Domain redirect to the Custom Domain once connected? 

After setting up the Custom Domain for your Professional Website, the old Default Domain URL will automatically redirect to the Custom Domain. The Client Portal can then be accessed from your Professional Website. 

Can I connect multiple domains to SimplePractice? 

Only one Custom Domain can be connected to your Professional Website. This feature isn’t designed to be used with subdomains. If you have additional domains through your domain host, we recommend that you reach out to them for guidance on setting up forwarding to group multiple domains together.

Why did my Custom Domain stop working?

After your custom domain has been linked to your Professional Website, it must remain actively registered with your domain provider for the entirety of the time that you’d like to use it in SimplePractice. If your subscription with your domain provider expires, this will cause the link to become disconnected from your website.

Note: If a custom domain is successfully connected, both the Custom Domain and the Default Domain will work. If a custom domain hasn’t been connected, only the Default Domain will work.

How do I disconnect a Custom Domain from the Professional Website?

If you successfully connect a Custom Domain for your SimplePractice Professional Website and later decide that you would like to disconnect the Custom Domain and use a different website provider, you can: 

  • Navigate to Settings > Domains
  • Under Custom Domains, slide the toggle to the off position to disable the connection

Next, you can work with a representative from your domain provider's support team to remove the custom CNAME record type and the naked domain forwarding from your DNS setting. Please keep in mind that, because these settings are managed by a third party, this is a process that SimplePractice can’t assist with. 

Once these steps are completed, your custom domain will be available again and can be connected to a website hosted by a different website provider.  

Note: Once the custom domain is disconnected from SimplePractice, your Professional Website will be accessed using the Default Domain included in your SimplePractice account. It’ll be important to tell your clients that your Professional Website domain has changed.

If you choose to reconnect in the future, you can follow the same initial steps to connect the custom domain again. For more information, see Connecting a Custom Domain. 

If I leave SimplePractice, can I take my custom domain with me?

If you choose to leave SimplePractice, or decide to use a different website provider, you can disconnect your custom domain from your account, so that it can be connected to a different website.

However, if the domain for your Professional Website is set up using the Default Domain provided by SimplePractice, this URL won’t be available to set up with a different website builder. In this case, you can purchase a custom domain to connect to your website builder, or use the default domain that is provided by the website builder.  

Important: If the domain for your website is changing, it’s important to make sure that you relay the address change to your clients and potential leads.

Can I transfer my custom domain to be hosted by SimplePractice?

SimplePractice doesn’t host custom domains, so it isn’t possible to transfer a custom domain to be hosted by SimplePractice. 

If you'd like to connect a custom domain to your Professional Website, keep it registered through a third-party domain provider.

There are many domain providers that you can choose from as long as they offer full DNS access and naked domain forwarding. If your existing domain provider doesn’t offer this functionality for websites hosted by third parties, you'll need to transfer your domain to a domain provider that does. We recommend using Google Domains or GoDaddy as two reputable options that work well when connected to the Professional Website.

If you need assistance with transferring a custom domain to a new domain provider, reach out to the support teams from your old domain provider and new domain provider for assistance with this process. Please keep in mind that, because this is managed through third parties outside of SimplePractice, this is a process that SimplePractice can’t assist with.

Can I set up an email/MX record with my domain provider to deliver to SimplePractice? 

It isn’t possible to set up an email/MX record through your custom domain provider to deliver emails to SimplePractice. Additionally, SimplePractice doesn’t provide an integrated email feature. 

If you’d like to message clients through SimplePractice, we recommend using our HIPAA-compliant Secure Messaging feature. For more information, see Getting started with Secure Messaging.

Will my email/MX record with my domain provider be affected?

If you have an external email/MX record with your custom domain provider, it shouldn’t be affected by pointing your custom domain to SimplePractice as long as your DNS settings are set up correctly. For additional guidance, we recommend that you reach out to your custom domain provider. 

For more information on setting up your DNS settings, see Connecting a Custom Domain.

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