GoDaddy DNS setup

Overview

DNS, or Domain Name System, converts the numeric IP addresses for websites into names you can easily remember.

If you are using GoDaddy as your domain name registrar, follow these instructions to use your custom domain as the address for your WildApricot website.

Note: To use your custom domain as your From email address with WildApricot, your custom domain must be set as Primary in your WildApricot Domain name management settings. See Add your custom domain to WildApricot below for details.

Configure your GoDaddy DNS records for WildApricot

To use your GoDaddy custom domain as your WildApricot website address, you'll need to perform certain actions in the DNS records of your GoDaddy account. Follow the steps in the sections below to configure the required DNS record. 

Note: Most DNS changes take effect within an hour but could take up to 48 hours to update globally.

Pro Tip: Instructions for accessing and managing your GoDaddy domain portfolio are provided here as a courtesy. For the most updated help, visit GoDaddy's help center.

1. Log in to your GoDaddy domain portfolio.

2. Select the domain name and navigate to DNS > DNS Records. 

3. As you follow the steps in each section below, use the Type drop down menu to select each record type.

A record

Address (A) records are used to indicate the IP address of a domain. The most common A record is for the root domain and typically connects the domain to a hosting account.

1. Select Add New Record and then select A for the Type. If you already have an A record entry, select it for editing. 

Important Note: You should only have one A record entry to ensure optimal performance with WildApricot.

2. Enter the details for your new A record as follows:

Name = @
This is puts the A record on your root domain.

Value = 34.226.77.200
This is the IP address for WildApricot sites.

TTL = Default
Time to Live (TTL) is the amount of time the server should cache information before refreshing. The default setting is 1 hour.

3.  Select Save. 

First CNAME record

CNAME records use a domain prefix to connect your domain to a different domain name. The most common CNAME is www, with the @ symbol entered for the Value field. This will makes addresses entered without the www load to the same webpage as the root domain. 

1. Select Add More Records and then select CNAME for the Type. If you already have a CNAME entry, select it for editing.

2. Enter the details for your new CNAME record as follows: 

Name = www
This is the prefix for the record.

Value = sites.wildapricot.org
This is the URL you are setting as the host destination.

TTL = Default
Time to Live (TTL) is the amount of time the server should cache information before refreshing. The default setting is 1 hour.

3.  Select Save.

Second CNAME record -- DKIM

1. Select Add More Records and then select CNAME from the Type menu. 

2. Enter the DKIM details for the second CNAME record as follows: 

Name = default._domainkey

Value = dkim.wildapricot.org

TTL = Default

3.  Select Save.

TXT record (SPF)

A TXT record, or text record, associates a string of text with a host or other name. They're commonly added to a domain's zone file to verify domain ownership, complete SSL verification, and create email sender policies. TXT records are also referred to as SPF records.

1. Select Add More Records and then select TXT for the Type. If you already have a TXT entry, select it for editing.

2. Enter the details for your new TXT record as follows: 

Name = @
This is the hostname or prefix for the record. Enter @ to put the record on your root domain.

Value = v=spf1 mx include:wildapricot.org ~all
This is the text string for use with WildApricot.

TTL = Default
Time to Live (TTL) is the amount of time the server should cache information before refreshing. The default setting is 1 hour.

3.  Select Save.

CAA record

Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) records specify which certificate authority (CA) is allowed to issue SSL certificates for the domain. When issuing a certificate, all publicly trusted CAs are required to check and respect CAA records. 

If you need to authorize multiple certificate authorities, you can add one CAA record for each certificate authority. CAA record details are typically available through your SSL provider.

1. Select Add More Records and then select CAA for the Type. If you already have a CAA entry, you can select it for editing, or add an additional CAA record if you have another certificate from another issuing authority. 

2. Enter the details for your new CAA record as follows: 

Name = @
This is the domain or subdomain for the record. Enter @ to put the record on your root domain.

TTL = Default
This is the amount of time the server should cache information before refreshing. The default setting is 1 hour.

Flag = 0
A flag of 0 (zero) is used for standard CAA records where the Tag is issue.

Tag = issue
A tag of issue authorizes a single certificate authority (CA) to issue any type of certificate for the domain. 

Domain = letsencrypt.org
This is the certificate authority (CA) allowed to generate a certificate for the domain. Enter letsencrypt.org in the Domain field as the CA for your WildApricot website.

3.  Select Save.

DMARC record

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance) is a method of authenticating email messages. A DMARC policy is a TXT record that tells a receiving email server what to do after checking a domain's SPF and DKIM records.

For an in-depth explanation of DMARC, view Cloudflare's article. 

Your DMARC record can also include a rua tag with instructions about where to send reports of emails that pass or fail DKIM or SPF. 

Important Note: To view an example of a DMARC record with a rua tag, please see the DMARC rua tag section below.

To add a DMARC policy to your Go Daddy DNS records:

1. Select Add More Records and then select TXT for the Type. 

2. Enter the details for your new TXT record so it can be used as a DMARC record.

Here is an example of what a basic DMARC record, without a rua tag, might look like for a custom domain of {yourdomainname}:

Name:  _dmarc.{yourdomainname}
Value:  v=DMARC1; p=none; adkim=r; aspf=r; 

What does this mean?

• v=DMARC1 indicates that this TXT record contains a DMARC policy and should be interpreted as such by email servers.
• p=none allows emails that fail to still go through, while p=quarantine indicates that email servers should "quarantine" emails that fail DKIM and SPF — considering them to be potentially spam. Another possible setting is p=reject, which instructs email servers to block emails that fail.
• adkim=r means that DKIM checks are "relaxed." This can also be set to "strict" by changing the r to an s, like adkim=s.
• aspf=r is the same as adkim=r, but for SPF.
• Note:  aspf and adkim are optional settings. The p= attribute is required and indicates what email servers should do with emails that fail SPF and DKIM.

DMARC rua tag
The rua part of a DMARC policy indicates what email address your DMARC reports should be sent to.

The DMARC rua tag is used to designate an email address or addresses to send DMARC aggregate feedback reports to. These reports are incredibly valuable to any business that sends email, as a they provide a view into email delivery when reports are combined. 

Even if a business does not use the domain for sending email, setting up a DMARC record and receiving these DMARC reports can provide insight into domain spoofing or phishing attacks impersonating the domain, which may impact your business and reputation.

The rua tag is set as a comma-separated list of email addresses which you want DMARC aggregate reports sent to. Each email address you wish to send reports to should be formatted with a prefix of mailto: 

You can add an optional rua tag to the DMARC value in your DNS settings. A sample DMARC record with a rua tag for the custom domain {yourdomainname} might appear as follows:

Name:  _dmarc.{yourdomainname}
Value:  v=DMARC1; p=none; adkim=r; aspf=r; rua=mailto:something@{yourdomainname}; 

Important Note: The DMARC information provided in the examples above are only examples, and the specific Name and Value settings will be unique to your account. As long as you have a TXT record that provides a DMARC policy in your DNS settings, your domain will pass WildApricot's domain status check for DMARC.

Add your custom domain to your WildApricot account

In the admin view of your WildApricot account, select Website on the sidebar menu.

Select Settings from the top menu, and select Domain name under Site settings.

Enter your custom domain name (with or without the www prefix - both are treated the same), then click Save.  

The system will generate two options for your custom domain in addition to your free wildapricot.org domain. 

If you don't want to use both domains, you can remove one by clicking Remove beside the appropriate entry. If you want to keep both, you must designate one as the primary domain by clicking Set as primary.

Important Note: To use your custom domain as your From email address with WildApricot, your custom domain must be set as Primary in your WildApricot Domain name management settings.

 To secure your custom domain, we will automatically issue a custom security certificate for your domain from Let's Encrypt. 

For detailed help with your GoDaddy domain portfolio, we recommend consulting their help center for reference.

Note: While the custom-domain process on WildApricot's end takes only a few minutes to complete, the process on GoDaddy's end can take up to 48 hours, although most DNS changes take effect within an hour. During this time, your free WildApricot domain and From email address can function as a backup option.