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Setting a domain

Setting a domain

Connecting your domain is one of the first steps to improving your practice’s online discoverability. In today’s virtual world, your domain is how potential clients will find you online, so it’s important to select a domain that identifies your practice.

In this guide, we'll cover:


Using domains

In SimplePractice, your domain is the web address where your Client Portal and/or Professional Website can be accessed. You can customize the default domain provided by SimplePractice, or you can choose to connect a custom domain, hosted by a third-party domain provider, for your Professional Website.

Note: SimplePractice doesn’t host custom domains or direct domains to external websites. 

The Professional Website and custom domain features are only available with the Essential and Plus plans. For additional details, see Can I connect a Custom Domain to the Client Portal only?

To learn more about the Professional Website, see Setting up your Professional Website.


Setting a default domain

You can customize a portion of the URL used to access your Client Portal and your Professional Website, known as the default domain. You may choose to include your name, your practice name, or whatever else you’d like to use to identify your business. We recommend keeping the domain as short as possible, so it's easier to remember for your clients.

Tip: If you’re looking for more customization beyond the free text field that’s included in the default domain and you use the Professional Website, you can connect a custom domain from a third-party domain provider. See Setting a custom domain to learn more.

To customize the default domain:

url.simplepractice.domain.png

  • Click Save or the lock icon to lock your domain
    • If the URL you entered has already been taken, you can enter a different URL and click Save or the lock icon

Important: Locking the default domain can't be undone from your SimplePractice account. This is designed to prevent clients from losing access to your website when they reach an outdated domain. To unlock your default domain, please contact our support team.

Once you've locked your default domain, click the hyperlink to see your Client Portal or Professional Website from the client’s perspective, or you can click the copy icon to share the link elsewhere.


Setting a custom domain

Connecting a custom domain is one step you can take toward building your practice’s online presence. Your domain is an extension of your brand, how people will find you online, and the first impression for potential leads landing on your site.

In this section, we’ll walk you through the process of purchasing a custom domain from a third-party domain provider and connecting a custom domain in your SimplePractice account.

Note: The custom domain feature is only intended for use with the Professional Website.


Purchasing a custom domain

Tip: If you already have an actively registered custom domain, you can jump ahead to our steps for Connecting a custom domain.

There are various domain providers to choose from when purchasing a custom domain. In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps for GoDaddy, one of the most popular providers used by our customers.

Important: You don't need to purchase an SSL certificate with your domain. When you connect your domain to Simple Practice, this will be automatically provided.


Purchasing a custom domain from GoDaddy

To purchase a custom domain from GoDaddy:

  • Navigate to GoDaddy.com
  • Click Find Your Domain
  • Use the domain search bar to find an available domain name that suits your practice
  • Add it to your cart and follow the prompts to complete your domain name purchase
    • You can opt for the basic package without any of the additional add-on features offered by GoDaddy

Connecting a custom domain

Now that you’ve purchased a custom domain through a third party, you can follow the steps below to connect your custom domain to your SimplePractice Professional Website.

We’ve outlined the specific connection steps for connecting domains hosted by GoDaddy, but the same setup requirements will apply for other providers. If you have any specific questions about connecting a custom domain from another third-party domain provider, you may need to contact the domain provider’s support team for further assistance.

Note: After these steps are complete, it’ll take some time for the new connection to process. This typically takes from 24 to 72 hours. Please keep this timing in mind when planning your target go-live date for linking your custom domain to your Professional Website.


Connecting a custom domain hosted by GoDaddy

To get started with connecting your GoDaddy domain:

myproducts.simplepractice.godaddy.png

  • Under All Products and Services, locate the Domains section
  • Next to the domain you want to connect to your SimplePractice Professional Website, click DNS

DNS.simplepractice.godaddy.png

Note: Your options may look slightly different depending on your GoDaddy account settings.

  • Review the table under DNS Records to check if you already have a listing with the following properties:
    • Type: A
    • Name: @
  • If you do, select Edit next to that listing

edita.simplepractice.godaddy.png

  • Edit the A record to match the following information:

Type

Name

Value

TTL

A

@

99.83.227.95

½ Hour

    • If you don't have a record with Type:and Name: @, click Add and enter a record with this information

typea.simplepractice.godaddy.png

Note: If you can’t edit an existing A record, it may be due to domain forwarding. To remove domain forwarding, scroll down to Forwarding, select the Edit pencil icon, and delete the existing forwarding. If you removed forwarding or don't have it enabled, contact GoDaddy support for assistance.

  • Next, review the table under DNS Records to see if you already have a listing with the following properties:
    • Type: CNAME
    • Name: www
  • If you do, click Edit next to that listing
  • Edit the CNAME record to match the following information:

Type

Name

Value

TTL

CNAME

www

website.simplepractice.com (exactly as written)

½ Hour

typeCNAMEsimplepractice.godaddy.png

  • When completed, you should have at least two records with fields that match the A and CNAME records below:

ACNAME.simplepractice.godaddy.png

To complete the domain connection process, return to your SimplePractice account, then:

turnon.simplepractice.customdomain.png

  • Choose GoDaddy as your domain provider
  • Click Watch Video or Read Guide
    • You must complete this step to proceed
  • In the text field, enter your full custom domain name, including www. and .com
  • Select Connect Domain

connectdomain.simplepractice.customdomain.png

While the connection is processing, you’ll see the status indicated as Pending. We’ll notify you by email if the connection is successful, or if additional steps are required.

Important: If you make any changes to your domain settings after clicking Connect Domain, you'll need to disconnect the and reconnect the custom domain. Changes in domain settings aren't sent automatically to SimplePractice, and are only received by SimplePractice during the 72-hour connection process.


Connecting a custom domain hosted by other domain providers

There are many different domain providers you can choose from. While we don't endorse GoDaddy, it is the most commonly used domain providers for connecting to the SimplePractice Professional Website.

Note: Google Domains was recently purchased by Squarespace. If you previously purchased a domain from Google Domains, it will be migrated to Squarespace. Until your domain is migrated, you can continue to manage your DNS settings in your Google Domains account. To learn more, please see About the Squarespace purchase of Google Domains registrations and About the Google Domains migration to Squarespace.

If you have a domain hosted by another third-party domain provider, you can follow these general steps to connect this domain with the SimplePractice Professional Website. If you need assistance beyond the steps provided here, we recommend that you contact your domain provider’s support team so they can help you manage your DNS settings in their platform.

To get started:

  • Log in to your domain provider’s account and locate the domain you want to connect to SimplePractice
  • In the domain’s settings, locate the area where you can manage your DNS
  • You should see a table that looks similar to the one below
    • There may be a separate table just for CNAME and/or A records

advancedDNS.simplepractice.customdomain.png

  • Check the list of records to see if there is a record with the either of the following properties
    • Type: CNAME
      • Host: www
    • Type: A
      • Host: @
  • If there is a record like either of the above, edit them so they include the following information in the table below 
    • The fields may have different names or may be in a different order, depending on the domain provider
Name Type TTL Domain/Data
www CNAME 1H website.simplepractice.com (exactly as written)
@ A 1H 99.83.227.95

Note: Make sure you type the address exactly as follows: website.simplepractice.com. TTL may not have 1H or 1 Hour as an option. In this case, select the next shortest timeframe.

  • If there are no records, or only one record, find a button where you can add a new record with the information above
    • The fields may have different names or may be in a different order, depending on the domain provider
  • When completed, you should have at least two records in the table with fields matching the A and CNAME records below:

connectingcustomdomain.simplepractice.professionalwebsite.png

To complete the domain connection process, return to your SimplePractice account, then:

turnon.simplepractice.customdomain.png

  • Choose Other as your domain provider
  • Click Read Guide
    • You must complete this step to proceed
  • In the text field, enter your full custom domain name, including www. and .com
  • Select Connect Domain

connectdomain.simplepractice.customdomain.png

While the connection is processing, you’ll see the status indicated as Pending. We’ll notify you by email if the connection is successful, or if additional steps are required.

Important: If you make any changes to your domain settings after clicking Connect Domain, you'll need to disconnect the and reconnect the custom domain. Changes in domain settings aren't sent automatically to SimplePractice, and are only received by SimplePractice during the 72-hour connection process.


Troubleshooting your custom domain

If you followed these steps to connect your custom domain and are experiencing issues, see Custom Domain FAQs.

Still have questions?

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