Custom domains
Connect your organisation's own domain to your public website — add the domain, set the DNS records, and let WAQAF verify it automatically.
When you create a website, WAQAF gives it a free address straight away — a subdomain
such as yourcharity.waqaf.uk. That address works from the moment you publish, and many
organisations are happy to keep it. But if your charity already owns its own domain (say
istiqama.org), you can connect a part of it — for example donate.istiqama.org — so
your public site lives at an address that belongs to you. This page walks you through
connecting one, setting the DNS records it needs, and watching WAQAF verify it.
You don't replace the subdomain when you do this — it keeps working. Once your custom domain goes live, your old subdomain address simply redirects visitors to the new one, so no old link ever breaks.
Who can do this. You need the Site Manager role, which grants manage over domains. The Site Editor and Site Viewer roles can only see the domain settings, not change them, and an organisation Owner or Admin can manage them too. If you can open the Domain section but the Connect domain button and DNS instructions are missing, your role is read-only; see Members & roles.
Where to find it. Website → Settings → Custom domain.
Custom domains may be a paid feature on your plan, and they only work once WAQAF has been set up to host them. If the section shows "Custom domains aren't available yet" instead of the connect form, the feature isn't switched on for your organisation — speak to your administrator or check Billing & plan. Nothing on this page is possible until that message is gone.
Before you start
A custom domain only works if a website already exists for your organisation. If you haven't built one yet, the section will tell you to create a website first — see Creating your site — and there will be nothing to connect a domain to.
You'll also need access to wherever your domain's DNS is managed. That's usually the company you bought the domain from (your registrar, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap or Cloudflare) or whoever runs your charity's website. You don't do anything technical inside WAQAF — WAQAF tells you exactly which two kinds of record to add, and you (or your IT contact) add them at the registrar.
Use a subdomain, not the bare domain. WAQAF connects a subdomain such as
donate.yourcharity.org or www.yourcharity.org — not the bare yourcharity.org on its
own. If you type a bare domain, you'll be asked to enter a subdomain instead. This is a
deliberate limit, not an error.
Connecting your domain
Open the Custom domain section
From the dashboard go to Website, open Settings, and choose Custom domain from the list of sections. You'll see a field labelled Your domain.
Enter your subdomain and connect
Type the subdomain you want to use — for example donate.istiqama.org — into the Your
domain field, then select Connect domain.
WAQAF tidies up what you type (it lowercases it and strips off any https:// or trailing
slash), so don't worry about getting the formatting exactly right. If what you entered
isn't a valid subdomain, you'll get a clear message and nothing is connected.
A domain can only be connected to one site. If you see "That domain is already connected to a site", it's in use elsewhere; and if this site already has a custom domain, you'll need to remove the existing one first before adding another.
Add the DNS records WAQAF gives you
As soon as the domain is connected, WAQAF shows you the DNS records to add at your domain provider. There are two kinds, and you copy each value with the copy button beside it:
- Point your domain to us — one CNAME record. This is what sends visitors of your subdomain to your WAQAF site.
- Verify ownership — one or more TXT records. These prove you control the domain and let WAQAF issue the HTTPS certificate (the padlock) so your site is served securely.
Add every record exactly as shown — the Name and the Value for each — at your registrar. The values are unique to your domain, so copy them rather than typing them.
Wait for verification
You don't press anything to verify — WAQAF checks for you. DNS changes take a little while to spread across the internet (usually a few minutes, occasionally longer), and the section shows a status badge that updates on its own as it progresses:
- Pending verification — WAQAF is waiting to see your records.
- Verifying certificate… — your records were found and the HTTPS certificate is being issued.
- Active — everything is verified and your site is live on your domain.
- Action needed — something needs your attention; see the next section.
Leave the page open, or come back to it later — each time the section loads it fetches the latest status. There's nothing to "save".
You're live
Once the badge reads Active, the section shows Live at with a link to your domain, and a note confirming that your old subdomain now redirects there. Visit the link to see your public site on its new address.
If something needs attention
If the badge reads Action needed, WAQAF couldn't verify the domain. The most common reasons are simple:
- A DNS record was typed instead of copied, or one record is missing.
- The change hasn't finished spreading yet — give it more time and reload the section.
- Your registrar added the record to the wrong name, or kept an old conflicting record.
When there's a specific problem, the section shows a short explanation beneath the badge. Fix the records at your registrar to match exactly what WAQAF lists, then reload — WAQAF re-checks automatically and the badge recovers on its own once the records are right. You don't need to disconnect and start over.
Most "it's not working" moments are just DNS taking its time, or a single mistyped value. Re-copy the Name and Value straight from WAQAF, confirm there are no leftover records pointing the same subdomain somewhere else, and wait a few minutes.
Removing a domain
To disconnect a custom domain, open the same section and select Remove, then confirm. This unlinks the domain from your site and stops it serving — your subdomain address keeps working as before, so your site is never offline. You can connect a different domain afterwards if you wish.
Removing a domain only disconnects it inside WAQAF. The DNS records you added at your registrar stay there until you delete them yourself — tidy them up at your provider once you no longer need the domain, especially the CNAME pointing to us.
See also
Creating your site
Build your public website first — a domain has nothing to point at until it exists.
Publishing & preview
Preview your site and publish it so visitors — on either address — can see it.
Your website
The map of everything you can manage about your public site.
Members & roles
Why the Connect domain button may be hidden — domains need the Site Manager role.