Set up a custom domain

How to get there: Go to Settings in the sidebar → Custom Domain tab.

Want your portal to feel more like your own product? Connect a custom domain like roadmap.yourdomain.com or feedback.yourdomain.com. ProductLift sets up the SSL certificate automatically, no support ticket required.

How it works (in three steps)

  1. Add a CNAME record at your DNS provider that points to your default ProductLift portal address (e.g. yourname.productlift.dev).
  2. Enter the new domain in Settings → Custom Domain and click Connect.
  3. Wait 1-2 minutes while ProductLift provisions an SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt. The page updates automatically when it's ready.

Step 1. Add a CNAME record

In your DNS provider, create a new CNAME record with these values:

  • Hostname / Name: the subdomain you want to use (e.g. roadmap or feedback)
  • Value / Target: your current portal address (e.g. yourname.productlift.dev)
  • TTL: leave on auto, or set to 3600

Apex / root domains: Use a www. subdomain instead (e.g. www.yourdomain.com). Bare apex domains (yourdomain.com) can't use CNAME records.

Cloudflare users: Make sure the record is set to DNS only (grey cloud). Proxy mode (orange cloud) will break the SSL setup.

DNS records can take a few minutes to propagate worldwide, sometimes longer.

Step 2. Connect the domain in ProductLift

  1. Go to Settings → Custom Domain.
  2. Type your full domain (e.g. roadmap.yourdomain.com) into the input next to the CNAME instructions.
  3. Optionally click Verify it's visible globally to open whatsmydns.net and check your CNAME has propagated. If it hasn't, wait a few minutes before connecting.
  4. Click Connect.

ProductLift will register the domain and start provisioning an SSL certificate.

Step 3. Wait for SSL

You'll see a "Setting up SSL for ..." indicator while Let's Encrypt issues the certificate. This usually takes 1-2 minutes.

When it finishes:

  • The page shows a green "connected" badge with your custom domain.
  • A modal asks you to continue to the new URL (you'll need to log in again).
  • The original xxxx.productlift.dev URL automatically redirects to your custom domain.

Switching to a different subdomain

If you're already on a custom domain (e.g. roadmap.yourdomain.com) and want to move to a different subdomain on the same domain (e.g. help.yourdomain.com), the order matters. Changing only the CNAME in your DNS provider will break access, because ProductLift still has the old subdomain registered and no SSL certificate exists for the new one yet.

Follow these steps in order:

  1. Keep the old CNAME record in place for now (e.g. roadmap still pointing at yourname.productlift.dev). This keeps you logged in.
  2. In your DNS provider, add a second CNAME record for the new subdomain (e.g. help) pointing to the same yourname.productlift.dev target. Cloudflare users: set it to DNS only (grey cloud).
  3. In ProductLift, go to Settings → Custom Domain, click Remove on the current domain, then enter the new one (e.g. help.yourdomain.com) and click Connect.
  4. Wait 1-2 minutes for the new SSL certificate to provision. When it's ready, ProductLift redirects you to the new URL and you'll need to log in again.
  5. Once the new domain is confirmed working, you can delete the old CNAME record from your DNS provider.

If you already changed the CNAME first and are now locked out: revert the CNAME back to the original subdomain in your DNS provider. Once DNS propagates, you'll be able to log in to your portal again, and you can then follow the steps above in the correct order.

Troubleshooting

"SSL certificate setup failed"

If the setup fails, the page shows a red error with a direct link to whatsmydns.net for your domain. Check that the CNAME record points to the exact value shown in the instructions (your current portal subdomain). Common causes:

  • CNAME record not added or still propagating
  • Cloudflare proxy is enabled (set the record to "DNS only" / grey cloud)
  • Trying to use an apex domain instead of a www. subdomain
  • Typo in the CNAME target

Click Remove and try again once the DNS is fixed.

Setup is taking longer than expected

If the "Setting up SSL" state hangs for more than a few minutes, click the Verify your CNAME is visible globally link inside that card. It opens whatsmydns.net and shows the live state of the record across global DNS servers.

FAQ

Do you support HTTPS / SSL?

Yes. ProductLift provisions and renews SSL certificates automatically through Let's Encrypt.

What happens to the old *.productlift.dev URL?

Once your custom domain is active, the original URL automatically redirects users to your new custom domain.

Can I change my custom domain later?

Yes. Go to Settings → Custom Domain, click Remove, then add the new one. Your portal reverts to the default *.productlift.dev URL in between. If you're switching between two subdomains on the same root domain, see Switching to a different subdomain so you don't lock yourself out.

Is a custom domain available on every plan?

Custom domains are a paid-plan feature. The setup form is hidden on plans that don't include it.

Serving a board under a subfolder

You can also host a ProductLift board under a subfolder of your marketing site (for example yourdomain.com/feedback/, /changelog/, or /help/) instead of on a subdomain. This keeps the SEO signal on your main domain rather than splitting it across two properties, which is usually the reason people ask for it.

How it works. Your marketing site reverse-proxies the subfolder path to ProductLift. Two common ways to do that:

  • Cloudflare Pages / Workers: add a function that proxies /{prefix}/* to https://{your-portal}.productlift.dev/* and passes the Host and X-Forwarded-* headers.
  • nginx or your existing CDN: add a location /{prefix}/ { proxy_pass ... } block pointing at your portal.

What ProductLift takes care of. When a board is served this way, it emits:

  • A sitemap scoped to the subfolder path (so Google sees a coherent set of URLs on your main domain).
  • <link rel="canonical"> that points at the subfolder URL rather than the productlift.dev one.
  • RSS feeds on changelog boards under the subfolder path, so subscribers get the on-brand URL.

If you would like this set up, contact support with your target subfolder path and we will help wire it up. A working example is rubyfoundry.dev/feedback/.