Like most rental businesses online, you probably have already purchased a custom domain from a provider like GoDaddy or Domain, so your customers can easily find your store on the web.
Thankfully, you are free to now connect that custom domain to the website you create with the Booqable Rental Website Builder! Keep reading to learn how.
How it works
When you first enable your online store with Booqable, you are given a booqable.shop domain automatically, to use as your website's web address should you need it.
This is activated by enabling the Online reservations feature, and the URL should look like below.
Keep reading to learn all the steps you can take to change this domain to one that will attract more customers, boost your online exposure, and make life even easier through Booqable.
1. Choose the right domain type
There are two types of domains you can attach to your Booqable website. Main domains (sometimes called 'full' domains), or subdomains.
Main domains are website URL's such as example.com.
Subdomains are website URL's such as rentals.example.com.
Subdomains are recognized by their unique prefixes to your primary domain name.
💡Note: If you are a business who already has a website dedicated to selling items, such as example.com, you may be opening up your business for rentals as a new endeavour. If this is the case, we highly suggest using the Booqable Rental Website Builder to add your rental store to your current website on a subdomain, such as rentals.example.com.
Adding an extension of your website on a subdomain purely focused on your rentals can provide a smoother online experience while maintaining a cohesive brand identity for your business.
When you have chosen which type of domain you would like to purchase for your rental business, move onto the next step below.
2. Purchase your domain
Before attaching it to your Booqable online store, you will firstly need to purchase your custom domain from your domain provider of choice.
1. Providers such as godaddy.com and domain.com are providers chosen by many Booqable users each day.
2. You can connect both a top-level domain name, like your-domain.com, or a subdomain name, like rentals.your-domain.com, to your Booqable online store.
3. Attach your domain
1. You will now need to connect this domain to your Booqable account, to override the default Booqable domain name already assigned to your online store.
2. In your Booqable account, go to Settings > Online reservations > Preferences > Custom domain.
3. Enter the custom domain you want to use in the field provided . For example, 'your-domain.com’ to attach a top-level domain, or ‘rentals.your-domain.com’ to attach a subdomain.
4. Set up an A record for main domains, like www.rentals.com
This step is required to finalize the connection of your custom domain to your Booqable online store.
It is standard procedure within the digital sphere so both Booqable and your domain provider can communicate with each other effectively, and make sure clients can find your beautiful new online store.
1. Setting up an ‘A record’ is the process of mapping your domain to the physical IP address of the computer hosting your domain. It is the last step required before your full domain can go live on your Booqable online store.
1. Start by going to your domain providers website (such as GoDaddy.com or Domain.com), and login to your account. Most domain providers have created their own guides for setting up an A record for your domain, which you can follow along through the links below.
Namecheap.com:
💡Note: If you are using an alternative domain provider to those included above, they should have a guide available in their help centre for completing this step.
2. To find it, try searching the domain provider name, like ‘GoDaddy’ for example, with the phrase ‘Set up an A record’. This should bring up the article in the google search results.
3. If you still find no luck, try reaching out to the customer support service of your domain provider, who should guide you through the process step-by-step.
2. Point to Booqable’s IP address.
During the process of setting up an A record for your domain, your provider will ask you for an IP address to point your custom domain to. For this, you can enter in the exact IP address below:
54.160.66.7
💡Note: The time it takes for this change to go live is called Propagation, and it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 48 hours, depending on your domain provider. If your domain is purchased through GoDaddy, it is possible that when adding an A record you can set your TTL (Time To Live) to 600 seconds. Although not guaranteed, this is great for escalating the propagation.
5. Setting up a CNAME record for subdomains, like rentals.your-domain.com
Setting up a CNAME record is a process that makes sure your subdomain is directed to the full domain where your online store is hosted. It is the last step required before your subdomain can go live on your Booqable online store.
1. Start by going to your domain provider's website (such as GoDaddy.com, Domain.com, or Cloudfare.com), and login to your account.
Most domain providers have created their own guides for creating a CNAME record for your domain, which you can follow along through the links below.
Namecheap.com: https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/9646/2237/how-to-create-a-cname-record-for-your-domain/
If you are using an alternative domain provider to those included above, they should have a guide available in their help center for completing this step.
To find it, try searching the domain provider name, like ‘GoDaddy’ for example, with the phrase ‘add a CNAME record’. This should bring up the article in the Google search results.
If you still find no luck, try reaching out to the customer support service of your domain provider, who should guide you through the process step-by-step.
2. Enter your host domain
During the process of adding a CNAME record, your provider will ask you for a host domain to point your custom subdomain to. For this, enter the exact phrase below:
custom.booqable.shop
*Important: Use the above phrase exactly.*
💡Note: If you are using Booqable on a 3rd party website and you would like for the checkout to also take place on your domain, follow the steps above to create a CNAME record for a subdomain. An example of such a subdomain would be checkout.your-domain.com.
6. Double-check your domain
Before you get on with the bigger tasks of your rental business, you will need to check that this process went smoothly, and your custom domain has been attached to Booqable correctly.
DNS checker.org is a free service that many of the Booqable community use to lookup all DNS information and records for your domain.
1. Click the link below.
2. Enter in your domain.
Enter in your domain into the section ‘Enter any Valid URL’. Set the DNS Server as Google.
3. If you have a full domain, like your-domain.com, make sure the A box is selected under the Record Type field.
If you have a subdomain, like rentals.your-domain.com, make sure the CNAME box is selected under the Record Type field.
4. Check Address/Canonical Name is correct.
For A records, the results should appear with your domains Type, Domain Name, TTL, and Address. Under the Address heading, the IP address should read ‘54.160.66.7’ and the owner should read ‘Booqable’.
For CNAME records, the results should appear with your domains Type, Domain Name, TTL, and Canonical Name. Under the Canonical Name heading, the address should read with your original Booqable domain, such as your-business-name.booqable.shop.
You're all set!
You have now officially attached your custom domain to your Booqable online store!