Launch a Website with a Notion Custom Domain

Using a notion custom domain is a simple way to turn your public Notion pages into a real website.

Instead of a clunky notion.site URL, you get your own branded address, like www.yourbrand.com. It’s a small change that makes your content feel instantly more professional and legitimate.

Why a Notion Custom Domain Is a Game Changer

Swapping out the default Notion URL for your own is more than just a cosmetic tweak—it's a smart business move. It connects the dead-simple editing of Notion with the authority of a self-hosted website.

Think about it. You get a professional-looking site without the headache and cost of traditional web development.

This is perfect for all kinds of projects. A freelance designer could spin up a portfolio in a few hours. A startup could launch a simple "coming soon" page or a knowledge base without writing a single line of code. You're just using a tool you already know to build something that strengthens your brand.

Credibility and Brand Identity

Your domain name is your digital storefront. A clean, custom domain like yourname.com builds way more trust than a generic subdomain ever could.

This is a big deal for:

• Building trust with potential clients or customers.

• Creating a memorable brand that’s easy to find and share.

• Keeping your branding consistent across all your online channels.

A professional online presence isn't optional anymore. A Notion custom domain is one of the fastest ways to build that credibility without the usual costs and maintenance of a full website.

Simplified Content Management

The best part? You manage everything right from Notion. There’s no clunky CMS to learn or plugins to constantly update.

If you can edit a Notion doc, you can update your website. Your changes go live almost instantly. It’s no wonder the platform has exploded to over 30 million users—it makes complex tasks like this feel easy. You can learn more about Notion's impressive growth and why it's become such a popular choice.

To really drive this home, let's break down the core advantages of connecting a custom domain to your Notion pages.

Key Benefits of Connecting a Custom Domain to Notion

Ultimately, this simple setup gives you the best of both worlds: a powerful, flexible content editor and a professional, branded online presence.

Gathering Your Tools Before You Start

Before you can set up a notion custom domain, a little prep work goes a long way. Think of it like getting your ingredients ready before you start cooking—it just makes the whole process smoother and avoids any last-minute headaches.

First things first, you'll need a domain name. If you already have one from a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap, great! You're a step ahead.

If you don't have one yet, you'll need to buy one. A quick search will let you register your domain through a service that fits what you're looking for.

Your Notion and Domain Essentials

Next up, you need to make sure your Notion plan actually supports custom domains. Notion’s free plan is fantastic, but connecting a custom domain is a feature you get with their paid subscriptions, like the Plus Plan. That's what unlocks the ability to use your own professional URL.

You'll also need the login details for your domain registrar. This part is critical. You have to get into your DNS (Domain Name System) settings, which is basically the control panel where you'll tell your domain to point to your Notion page. It sounds more technical than it really is.

Key Takeaway: Having your domain registrar login and an eligible Notion plan ready before you start is the single best way to prevent common setup headaches. It turns a potentially confusing process into a simple checklist.

Connecting Your Domain to Notion

Got your tools ready? Good. It's time to connect the dots.

This is the part where we link your professional domain name to your public Notion page, turning it into a real, live website. We’ll jump between your Notion workspace and your domain registrar's dashboard, but don't worry—it’s mostly just a "copy and paste" job.

First thing's first: the Notion page you want to use must be public. Head over to the page, click Share in the top-right corner, and flip the Share to web toggle on. This creates a public link, which is the foundation for everything else. No public page, no website.

Finding Your Notion Site Settings

Next, let's head to the command center for your public Notion sites.

In your Notion sidebar, find Settings & Members, and then click into the Sites tab. This is where you'll manage all your public-facing pages and, you guessed it, add your custom domain.

Once you’re in the Sites tab, you'll see a list of your published pages. It’s pretty straightforward.

Here’s what that Notion Sites dashboard looks like. You can see right where you’d add your domain.

The interface is clean and simple, designed to guide you right to the "connect domain" option without any fuss.

Adding Your DNS Records

Pay attention, because this is the most critical step.

After you type your domain name into Notion's Sites settings, Notion will spit out two specific bits of text: a CNAME record and a TXT record. Think of the CNAME as a forwarding address and the TXT as a key. One tells the internet where to send visitors, and the other proves you actually own the domain.

You’ll need to pop these records into your domain registrar's DNS settings. Whether you bought your domain from GoDaddy, Namecheap, or somewhere else, you’ll find a section for managing DNS records. Just copy the CNAME and TXT values from Notion and paste them there. Simple as that.

Pro Tip: Be patient. After you add the DNS records, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours for the changes to go live everywhere. This delay is called DNS propagation, and it's totally normal. Just grab a coffee and check back later.

While a full custom domain is great, sometimes you just need to drop a piece of Notion content into an existing website. If that's your goal, you might be interested in our guide on how to embed a Notion page into a website. It’s a different approach but just as effective for sharing your work.

Optimizing Your New Notion Website

Alright, your notion custom domain is officially live. The hard part is over. Now, let's get to the fun stuff: turning that functional page into a polished website that actually looks and feels professional.

Think of it this way—the technical setup is just the foundation. The real magic happens with the small tweaks you make inside Notion. These details are what elevate a simple page into something that truly represents you or your brand.

Beyond just the setup, strong website branding is what creates a memorable first impression. It’s what helps visitors connect with your work and builds immediate trust.

Structure Content for Readability and SEO

First thing’s first: let’s talk structure. Don't just throw a wall of text onto the page and call it a day. Notion's built-in headings are your best friend for creating a clean hierarchy.

Your main page title is automatically the H1 tag, which is a huge signal for search engines like Google. From there, use H2s and H3s to break down your content into digestible chunks. It’s not just for looks—it makes the page much easier for people to scan and helps search engines understand what your content is all about.

Here are a few quick wins to focus on:

• Page Title & Meta Description: Jump into your site settings and write a custom title and meta description. A snappy, keyword-focused title and a compelling description are what convince people to click on your site in search results.

• Custom Favicon: Don't skip this. Upload a small icon that represents your brand. That tiny image in the browser tab adds a surprising amount of polish.

• Cover Image: A great cover image can completely set the tone for your site. But getting it right can be tricky. You'll want to check the ideal Notion cover sizes to make sure your image isn't blurry or awkwardly cropped.

The goal here is to make your Notion site feel intentional, not like a document you published by accident. Spending a few minutes on these settings makes a world of difference for the user experience.

Create a Simple Navigation Menu

A single landing page can work, but what if you want more of a traditional multi-page website feel? You can easily fake it using internal page links.

All you have to do is create a row of links right at the top of your main page. These links just point to your other public Notion pages. For instance, you could have links for "Home," "About," and "Contact."

This simple trick ties all your separate pages together into a cohesive website that's a breeze for visitors to get around.

Troubleshooting Common Connection Problems

Even with the best instructions, you might hit a snag trying to get your Notion custom domain up and running. It happens to the best of us. The good news is that most of these issues are surprisingly common and usually have a simple fix once you know what to look for.

The biggest culprit is almost always DNS propagation. That’s just a technical term for the time it takes your new domain settings to get updated across the internet. It can feel like your setup is broken, but often you just need to be patient. While it can take up to 24-48 hours, you'll typically see changes much faster.

Another common pitfall? A tiny typo in your DNS records. A single wrong character in the CNAME or TXT record is enough to stop the whole process in its tracks. That's why it's so important to copy the values straight from Notion and paste them directly into your domain registrar.

Pinpointing the Exact Issue

If you've given it some time and you're still hitting an error, it’s time to do a little detective work. Head back over to your domain registrar’s DNS settings and carefully review your work.

Here’s a quick checklist to run through:

• Check for Typos: Meticulously compare the CNAME and TXT values in your registrar with the ones Notion gave you. Is every letter and number identical?

• No Extra Characters: Make sure there are no stray spaces before or after the records you pasted. Some systems are very sensitive to this.

• Correct Record Type: Did you actually create a CNAME and a TXT record? It's easy to accidentally create two of the same kind.

I can't tell you how many times the most frustrating problem turns out to be the simplest one. Before you pull your hair out, just take a breath and give your entries a quick proofread. You’d be surprised how often that alone fixes everything.

Once your domain is live and stable, you might think about adding more security, especially for sensitive content. If that's on your mind, you can learn more about how to password protect Notion pages to keep things private. Getting the domain working is step one; making sure it's secure is the logical next step.

Answering Your Notion Custom Domain Questions

Once you've got your custom domain set up, you might still have a few questions floating around. That's totally normal. Let's clear up some of the most common ones I hear so you can feel confident running your new site.

Do I Need a Paid Notion Plan for This?

Yes, you do. Connecting a custom domain is a perk that comes with Notion's paid plans, like the Plus Plan.

The free plan is fantastic for getting pages online, but they'll always live on the standard notion.site URL. To use your own branded domain, you'll need to upgrade your account.

How Long Until My Notion Website Is Live?

After you add the DNS records with your domain provider, it's a bit of a waiting game. The official line is that it can take up to 48 hours for the changes to spread across the internet.

But in reality? I usually see sites go live within an hour or two.

I can tell you from experience that it's rarely instant, but it's almost never the full "48 hours" they warn you about. If it’s been more than a few hours, the first thing I do is double-check my DNS settings for any sneaky typos. That's usually the culprit.

Can I Use a Notion Site for Ecommerce?

This is a tricky one. While you can build a gorgeous product gallery or a clean catalog on a Notion page, it doesn't have true ecommerce features built in. You won't find things like a shopping cart or a way to process payments directly.

For a full-blown online store, you’ll have to get creative by embedding third-party tools or linking out to a dedicated platform like Shopify or Gumroad.

Is a Notion Website Actually Good for SEO?

Surprisingly, yes! A Notion website can do quite well with SEO, especially for things like portfolios, blogs, and sites with a lot of information.

You can control key elements that search engines care about:

• Page titles

• Meta descriptions

• Structured headings (H1, H2, H3)

It might not have all the advanced plugins of a platform like WordPress, but its pages load fast and are structured cleanly—two things Google loves. If you combine your custom domain with good content, you can definitely climb the search rankings.