Connecting a custom domain to Base44, and why SEO depends on it

To connect a custom domain to Base44 you need the Starter plan or higher, then either buy the domain through Base44 (which sets DNS for you) or point your own domain at Base44 with an A record and a www CNAME. For SEO this is the step that matters most: Base44’s search features are built for custom domains, and its docs call connecting one “the single biggest improvement you can make to your search visibility.”

This guide covers the setup and the mistakes that stop a domain from verifying. For the rest of the SEO work, see the Base44 SEO guide.

Which plan you need#

Per Base44’s domain documentation, custom domains are available on the Starter, Builder, Pro and Elite plans. The pricing page lists a free domain for the first year on Builder, Pro and Elite. See the pricing guide for what each plan costs.

Option 1: buy the domain through Base44#

The simplest route. Base44 sells domains (through Wix or directly) and configures the records itself, so there’s nothing to set at a registrar. It’s also the easiest way to add email later, since Base44 handles those records too.

Option 2: connect a domain you already own#

From Base44’s external domain guide, at your DNS provider:

Pick one of the two root records. ANAME or ALIAS is the better choice where your provider supports it, since it doesn’t tie your root domain to one IP address.

Then:

1. Delete any other A records on the root, including parking or default records your registrar added. Base44 requires that its A record be the only one.
2. Delete any AAAA records on the root and www.
3. Remove or update CAA records that could block the certificate authorities Base44 uses.
4. Go back to your app’s Domains page and verify.

DNS changes can take anywhere from minutes to 48 hours to spread. Check what the world sees:

dig +short A yourdomain.com        # should print 216.24.57.1 (or the ALIAS target's IPs)
dig +short CNAME www.yourdomain.com # should print base44.onrender.com.
dig +short AAAA yourdomain.com     # should print nothing

Subdomains#

For something like app.yourdomain.com, you add a CNAME for the subdomain, which Base44 can add for you or you can add yourself and verify from the dashboard. Base44’s docs note that the CNAME alone isn’t always enough: the www version needs registering on their side too, or the address keeps failing.

What changes for SEO once the domain is live#

A few things switch on or change the moment your app is served from its own domain.

• Base44’s SEO features apply fully. The docs say its SEO setup “is designed and supported for apps that are published on a custom domain”, and llms.txt, social previews and the managed sitemap are described as custom-domain features.
• The base44.app copy should go quiet. Your app keeps answering at its base44.app address. In our test, 43 of 46 apps with a custom domain sent x-robots-tag: noindex on that copy. Confirm yours does:

curl -sI https://yourapp.base44.app/ | grep -i x-robots-tag

• www always redirects to the root. There’s no setting to reverse it, so your root domain is your canonical address. Use it everywhere: Search Console, social profiles, backlinks.
• You can set 301 redirects. Page redirects are available on the Starter plan and above. If you had pages indexed on the base44.app address under different paths, or you rename pages later, the redirects guide covers it.

Moving from another domain or platform#

If your site lived on another domain before, redirect every old URL to its new equivalent from the old host, page by page. A single redirect of everything to the new homepage throws away most of what the old pages had earned. Base44 can also redirect an entire connected domain to another one on the same app, which needs both domains verified on the app.

After the move:

1. Add the new domain to Google Search Console and submit its sitemap.xml.
2. If the old domain is in Search Console too, use the Change of Address tool there.
3. Update links you control: social profiles, directory listings, email signatures.

Email on your domain#

A custom domain lets Base44 send your app’s emails from an address like hello@yourdomain.com instead of no-reply@base44-apps.com, on the Starter plan and above. It’s a separate setup on the same Domains page, covered in the email guide.

What to do next#

1. Connect the domain and confirm the three dig checks.
2. Check that the base44.app copy sends noindex.
3. Verify the root domain in Google Search Console and submit the sitemap.