Custom Domain

Master this essential documentation concept

Quick Definition

Using your organization's own web address (e.g., docs.yourcompany.com) for your documentation site instead of the platform's default domain

How Custom Domain Works

graph TD A[Documentation Team] --> B[Choose Custom Domain] B --> C[Configure DNS Settings] C --> D[docs.company.com] D --> E[Documentation Platform] E --> F[SSL Certificate Applied] F --> G[Branded Documentation Site] H[Users] --> I[Visit docs.company.com] I --> G G --> J[Professional Experience] G --> K[SEO Benefits] G --> L[Brand Consistency] M[Search Engines] --> D D --> N[Domain Authority] N --> O[Higher Rankings]

Understanding Custom Domain

A custom domain allows documentation teams to present their content under their organization's branded web address, creating a seamless user experience that reinforces brand identity and builds trust with users accessing technical documentation.

Key Features

  • Brand-consistent URL structure that matches your organization's domain
  • SSL certificate support for secure HTTPS connections
  • DNS configuration flexibility for subdomain management
  • SEO ownership that builds authority under your domain
  • Custom redirects and URL routing capabilities

Benefits for Documentation Teams

  • Enhanced credibility and professional appearance for technical content
  • Improved SEO performance as search rankings benefit your main domain
  • Consistent user experience across all company digital properties
  • Greater control over analytics and traffic data
  • Reduced dependency on third-party platform branding
  • Easier migration between documentation platforms without losing SEO value

Common Misconceptions

  • Custom domains don't require advanced technical knowledge to implement
  • They work with most modern documentation platforms, not just self-hosted solutions
  • SSL certificates are typically handled automatically by the platform
  • Custom domains don't significantly impact page loading speeds when properly configured

Managing Custom Domain Knowledge in Technical Documentation

When implementing custom domains for your web platforms, your technical teams often record setup tutorials, configuration walkthroughs, and troubleshooting sessions as videos. These recordings capture valuable knowledge about custom domain implementation, DNS configuration, and brand consistency practices that your organization needs to preserve.

However, when this custom domain expertise remains trapped in video format, team members waste time scrubbing through recordings to find specific configuration steps or troubleshooting tips. New team members struggle to quickly understand your organization's custom domain standards and implementation procedures when they're buried in lengthy video meetings.

By transforming these video resources into searchable documentation, you create a central knowledge base where technical teams can instantly find custom domain setup instructions, configuration parameters, and best practices. Your documentation can include step-by-step guides for implementing custom domains across different platforms, troubleshooting common DNS issues, and ensuring brand consistency across all web properties.

With properly documented custom domain processes, onboarding new team members becomes more efficient, and your organization maintains consistent implementation standards across all projects.

Learn how to turn your custom domain knowledge videos into actionable documentation →

Real-World Documentation Use Cases

Enterprise API Documentation Branding

Problem

A SaaS company's API documentation hosted on a generic platform URL (platform.com/company-docs) lacks credibility with enterprise customers and doesn't contribute to the company's domain authority.

Solution

Implement a custom domain like api.company.com to host all API documentation, creating a professional branded experience that builds trust with enterprise developers.

Implementation

1. Register or configure subdomain (api.company.com) 2. Update DNS CNAME records to point to documentation platform 3. Configure SSL certificate 4. Set up redirects from old URLs 5. Update all internal links and marketing materials

Expected Outcome

Increased developer trust, improved SEO rankings for API-related searches, and seamless brand experience leading to higher API adoption rates among enterprise customers.

Multi-Product Documentation Consolidation

Problem

A growing tech company has documentation scattered across different platforms with inconsistent URLs, making it difficult for users to find comprehensive product information and hurting overall brand cohesion.

Solution

Establish a unified custom domain structure like help.company.com with organized subdirectories for each product, centralizing all documentation under one branded domain.

Implementation

1. Plan URL structure (help.company.com/product-a, /product-b) 2. Set up custom domain with documentation platform 3. Migrate existing content to new structure 4. Implement proper redirects from old URLs 5. Create unified navigation and search

Expected Outcome

Improved user experience with centralized documentation, better SEO performance, reduced support tickets due to easier information discovery, and stronger brand consistency across all products.

White-Label Documentation for Partners

Problem

A B2B software provider needs to offer documentation to partners under their own branding, but the current generic platform URLs expose the underlying documentation system and break the white-label experience.

Solution

Configure custom domains for each partner (docs.partner1.com, docs.partner2.com) that serve the same content with partner-specific branding and styling.

Implementation

1. Set up custom domain capability with documentation platform 2. Create partner-specific DNS configurations 3. Implement dynamic branding based on domain 4. Configure SSL for each partner domain 5. Set up analytics tracking per partner

Expected Outcome

Seamless white-label experience for partners, increased partner satisfaction and adoption, maintained brand consistency for each partner relationship, and better tracking of partner-specific documentation usage.

Internal Documentation Security and Access

Problem

An enterprise needs to host internal documentation that requires secure access controls, but using external platform URLs raises security concerns and doesn't integrate well with existing corporate infrastructure.

Solution

Deploy custom domain on internal subdomain (docs.internal.company.com) with integrated authentication and access controls that align with corporate security policies.

Implementation

1. Configure internal subdomain with IT department 2. Set up custom domain with documentation platform 3. Integrate with corporate SSO/LDAP 4. Configure access controls and permissions 5. Implement audit logging and compliance features

Expected Outcome

Enhanced security posture, seamless integration with existing corporate systems, improved compliance with internal policies, and better user adoption due to familiar domain structure.

Best Practices

✓ Choose Intuitive Subdomain Structure

Select subdomains that clearly communicate the purpose and make logical sense to your users. The subdomain should immediately convey that users are accessing documentation or help content.

✓ Do: Use clear, descriptive subdomains like docs.company.com, help.company.com, or api.company.com that align with user expectations and are easy to remember.
✗ Don't: Avoid confusing or overly technical subdomains like kb.company.com, support.company.com (if it's not support), or random abbreviations that users won't associate with documentation.

✓ Implement Proper SSL and Security

Ensure your custom domain has proper SSL certificates and security configurations to protect user data and maintain trust, especially for sensitive technical documentation.

✓ Do: Use HTTPS with valid SSL certificates, implement proper security headers, and regularly monitor certificate expiration dates to prevent access issues.
✗ Don't: Never launch with HTTP-only access, ignore SSL certificate warnings, or assume the documentation platform handles all security aspects without verification.

✓ Plan URL Structure for SEO and Usability

Design a logical URL hierarchy that supports both search engine optimization and user navigation, making it easy to find and share specific documentation pages.

✓ Do: Create clean, descriptive URLs like docs.company.com/api/authentication that reflect content hierarchy and include relevant keywords for better SEO.
✗ Don't: Use complex query parameters, random page IDs, or deeply nested structures that make URLs difficult to share or remember.

✓ Set Up Comprehensive Redirects

When migrating to a custom domain, implement proper redirects from old URLs to maintain SEO value and ensure existing bookmarks and links continue to work.

✓ Do: Create 301 redirects for all existing URLs, test redirect chains, and monitor for broken links during the transition period.
✗ Don't: Leave old URLs returning 404 errors, create redirect loops, or assume users will find new URLs without proper redirection from old ones.

✓ Monitor Performance and Analytics

Regularly track your custom domain's performance, including page load times, search rankings, and user engagement metrics to ensure optimal documentation experience.

✓ Do: Set up Google Analytics, monitor Core Web Vitals, track search console data, and establish baseline metrics to measure improvement over time.
✗ Don't: Ignore performance metrics after initial setup, rely solely on platform analytics without comprehensive tracking, or fail to monitor for DNS or SSL issues that could impact accessibility.

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