Connect a Custom Domain

A custom domain replaces your default yourboard.cavuno.com address with something you own, such as jobs.yourcompany.com or remotejobs.io. It gives you control of the public hostname and keeps board links under your brand. Search engines evaluate the content and technical signals on either a custom domain or Cavuno subdomain; connecting one does not guarantee stronger rankings.

Every board starts with a free Cavuno subdomain that works immediately. You can connect a custom domain whenever you're ready. There's no deadline, and switching later won't break anything.

Before you begin

You need a domain you own and access to its DNS provider. If you're using a subdomain like jobs.yourcompany.com, make sure you can add DNS records for the parent domain.

Connect your domain

1. Go to Settings in the sidebar and click the Domains tab
2. Click Connect existing domain
3. Enter the full hostname where your board should live (for example, jobs.acme.com or remotejobs.io)
4. Click Add domain

Cavuno adds the domain and shows you the DNS records you need to configure. The domain appears in your list with a Pending status until DNS is verified.

Configure your DNS records

1. Open the three-dot menu next to your domain
2. Click Manage to see the exact DNS records you need

One-click setup with Domain Connect

If Cavuno can detect that your domain's DNS is managed by a Domain Connect-capable provider, the manage dialog says so and includes a Click here link to apply the required records at that provider automatically.

1. Click the link in the manage dialog
2. Sign in at your DNS provider if prompted and approve the template
3. Return to Cavuno and use Refresh status when the provider confirms the records

You can still add the records manually from the same dialog if you prefer. Providers without Domain Connect only show the manual checklist.

Manual setup

Log in to your domain registrar and add the records shown in the Manage dialog. Use the values currently shown there even if an older email, screenshot, or registrar guide shows different values.

For a subdomain (like jobs.yourcompany.com): add a CNAME record pointing your subdomain to the target value shown in the management dialog.

For a root domain (like yourjobboard.com): add an A record pointing @ to the IP address shown in the management dialog. You may also see an optional CNAME record for www that forwards www traffic to your board.

If a TXT record for domain verification is shown, add it exactly as displayed. The record name and value must match precisely.

Disable any registrar Domain forwarding, URL forwarding, or URL redirect rule for the same hostname. Those rules can intercept requests before they reach the DNS records Cavuno asks you to add. This is separate from the DNS records Cavuno manages for the primary domain.

Set the TTL to 3600 (or Auto if your registrar offers that option). Lower TTL values mean faster propagation if you need to make changes later.

The management dialog shows a status indicator next to each record: Valid means the record is correctly configured, Missing means it hasn't been detected yet, and Mismatch means the record exists but points to the wrong value.

Verify your domain

DNS changes typically propagate within a few minutes to a few hours, though it can take up to 48 hours in rare cases. Once you've added your records:

1. Open the three-dot menu next to your domain
2. Click Refresh status

You don't need to keep clicking refresh. Check back after a few minutes if the first attempt still shows Awaiting DNS. Once everything resolves correctly, the status changes to Active and your domain starts serving your job board over HTTPS automatically.

Set a primary domain

If you connect multiple domains, you can choose which one Cavuno uses as the canonical domain for job links, emails, and SEO meta tags.

1. Open the three-dot menu next to an active domain
2. Click Set as primary

This option only appears for domains with Active status.

Your primary domain is used in Cavuno's job-alert links, canonical metadata, and Google for Jobs structured data. Google decides which URL to show in search results, but a consistent primary URL reduces conflicting signals.

If Google still shows the old Cavuno address or branding

First separate the live website from Google's saved search result. If the custom domain opens your board and the Domains page marks it Active, live routing works. Google's result can still reflect an earlier crawl of the Cavuno address, title, or description.

1. In Settings → Domains, confirm the custom domain is Active and marked Primary
2. Open the public homepage on that hostname and confirm it has the intended page title and branding
3. Confirm the canonical URL and sitemap.xml use the primary hostname; see Technical SEO
4. In Google Search Console, select or add a property that contains the exact custom hostname. A URL-prefix property must match the protocol and hostname; a Domain property can cover its subdomains
5. Inspect the full custom-domain homepage URL. Run Test live URL, then use Request indexing if the page is available to Google
6. Submit the sitemap from the custom hostname in that same property

The indexed result and the live test can differ until Google crawls the page again. A request asks Google to recrawl the URL but does not guarantee when or whether the displayed result will change. For more checks, see Troubleshooting.

Cloudflare users

If you manage your DNS through Cloudflare, make sure the proxy status on your CNAME record is set to DNS only (the cloud icon should be grey, not orange). Cloudflare's proxy is incompatible with Cavuno's hosting and will cause verification to fail. Cavuno detects this automatically and shows a warning if a CDN proxy is detected.

Troubleshooting

Domain stuck on Pending or Awaiting DNS: Double-check that your DNS records match exactly what the management dialog shows. Use a tool like dnschecker.org to verify your records are visible globally. If it's been more than 48 hours, there may be a configuration issue. Reach out to support.

DNS records look correct but the domain opens somewhere else: Check the registrar for Domain forwarding, URL forwarding, or URL redirect rules on the same hostname and disable them. Then compare every DNS record with the current values under Settings → Domains → Manage.

SSL certificate errors after verification: Cavuno provisions SSL certificates automatically once your domain is verified. If you see certificate warnings, wait 10–15 minutes and try again in an incognito window. Cached certificate data in your browser can cause false errors.

"Domain already in use" error: This domain is connected to another Cavuno board. If you own the domain and need to move it, contact support.

Next steps

After the domain is Active and primary, configure Google sign-in or LinkedIn sign-in, then connect Google Search Console for the new hostname.