Your name and your mail
Buying or connecting a domain, SSL, and the mailbox that comes with every paid plan.
Overview
A custom domain is your own web address — something like yourbusiness.com — that makes your site easier to find and easier to trust. You can register a brand-new domain through us, or connect one you already own.
A domain is not included in any plan. The name itself is sold separately and billed per year; connecting a domain you already own costs nothing extra.
Either way, your site gets a free SSL certificate and a mailbox on your domain. And you're never stuck waiting on the domain: once your site is on a paid plan it goes live on a free Tropic Arts address, so you can connect your name whenever you're ready.
Buying a domain, connecting one you already own, and setting up email all live in your site's Settings (from the side nav, open Home, click the gear button below View site, and choose Settings). Connecting a domain you own also takes a couple of quick steps at your current registrar, which we'll show you.
Buy a new domain
Don't have a domain yet? Search for one and buy it right from your site's Settings — we register it and connect it for you. Domains are sold separately from your plan: you pay for the name itself, per year, on top of your subscription.
- In the side navigation, open Home, click the gear button below View site on the Home panel, and choose Settings.
- Open the Domains section and search for the name you want.
- Available names show two prices: what the first year costs, and what the domain renews at every year after. They are often different.
- Pick the one you want and confirm the purchase. We register the domain, email your receipt, handle the technical setup, and connect it to your site. Your Domains page shows each step until it's live with HTTPS on.
The name you want may already be taken. The search shows the same name across other endings, so it's worth trying a few before settling. Once you've bought one, watch for the registrar's email asking you to confirm your contact details: ICANN requires it, it often lands in spam, and a domain left unconfirmed for 15 days is suspended. Registrations can't be refunded, and they renew every year until you turn renewal off — even if you cancel your plan.
Connect a domain you already own
Already have a domain you love? Keep it — and point it at your Tropic Arts site from your settings in a few guided steps.
- In the side navigation, open Home, click the gear button below View site on the Home panel, and choose Settings.
- In the site's domain settings, choose to connect a domain you already own and enter your domain name.
- We'll show you the exact settings to add at your current registrar — the company you bought the domain from.
- Sign in to your registrar and add those settings. This is what tells your domain to point at your site.
- Come back and confirm. Once the change takes effect across the internet, your site answers to your name.
Not sure where your domain is registered or how to change its settings? Reach out and we'll walk you through it.
Set up your email
Every paid plan includes email on your domain — one inbox for both sending and receiving. All of your site's outbound mail (campaigns, order confirmations, reminders, and replies) sends from your address, and when a customer replies it comes straight back to you.
- In the side navigation, open Home. The Home panel shows the site you're working on — click Switch site to pick a different one.
- Click the gear button below View site, then choose Settings.
- Under Reach, open Email. The Email domain card is at the top.
- Under Domain, enter your site's domain — for example, yourbusiness.com — and click Set up email. If we run your domain's DNS, we add the records for you; otherwise we show the few to add where your DNS is managed, and the card notices when they're in.
- Under Send as, choose the name your mail comes from — for example, “hello.” Your full address becomes hello@inbox.yourbusiness.com, and that's where replies arrive.
One domain handles both sending and receiving. Everything the platform sends for you — newsletters, campaigns, booking reminders, order confirmations — goes out from this address, so a customer's reply always lands back in the same inbox. By default your mail lives at inbox.yourbusiness.com and never touches any other email on your domain; Use my domain directly gives you the cleaner address, but takes over all email at your domain.
SSL & security
You don't have to do anything to secure your site. Every site gets a free SSL certificate and HTTPS on every page — the padlock visitors look for — from day one.
The certificate renews itself automatically, so there's nothing to buy, install, or remember. Whether you registered a new domain or connected one you own, security is handled for you.
Before you connect a domain
You don't need a custom domain to get started — and because a domain is sold separately from your plan, it's a cost you can put off. On the trial you can build and preview the whole site; pick a plan and it publishes to a free Tropic Arts address right away — so you can share it and start taking business without waiting on a domain.
Connect your own name whenever you're ready. There's no downtime when you switch: your site simply starts answering to your domain.
Tips
A couple of things worth knowing:
- Give changes a little time. When you connect a domain, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a day to reach everyone — this is normal, and it's not something we control.
- Keep your registrar login handy. If you're connecting a domain you already own, you'll need to sign in there to add the settings we give you.
- Set up email early. Campaigns and Inbox replies only send from a verified email domain, and a mailbox on your domain makes confirmations look far more professional.
Frequently asked questions
No. Every paid plan includes hosting, SSL, and a mailbox on your domain, but the domain name itself is sold separately and billed per year, on top of your subscription.
Yes, at no extra charge. Point it at your site in a few guided steps and keep your current registrar — your site simply shows up when your name is typed.
Yes — though the domain is sold separately and is not included in any plan, so the name itself is an extra yearly cost. Open your site's Settings, go to Domains, and search for the name you want. You'll see the first-year price and the renewal price before you buy; we then register it, handle the technical setup, and connect it to your site.
Every site gets a free SSL certificate with HTTPS on every page, on from day one. It renews itself automatically — nothing to buy or install.
Yes — every paid plan includes email on your domain. In your site's Settings, under Reach, open Email, enter your domain, and choose a “send as” name; your address becomes something like hello@inbox.yourdomain.com. All of your site's outbound mail sends from there, and replies come straight back to that inbox.
Usually a few minutes to a few hours, though it can take up to a day to reach everyone. This delay is part of how the internet updates domains — it's normal, and your site stays live on its free address in the meantime.
A free Tropic Arts address, from the moment you publish on a paid plan. Connect your own name whenever you're ready — there's no downtime when you switch.