Configuring a custom domain in Sites and Domains spans Salesforce-side setup, DNS configuration on the customer's domain provider, SSL certificate provisioning, and final site routing. The workflow below covers a typical Experience Cloud site deployment at a customer-branded URL.
- Register the custom domain in Setup
From Setup, navigate to Sites and Domains and click Add a Custom URL. Enter the full domain name (community.acme.com or whatever the target URL is). Save. The page generates the DNS configuration values you will need: the CNAME target (typically a long Salesforce-specific hostname) and the verification TXT record. Note them down before leaving the page.
- Configure DNS at your domain provider
Log into the domain provider where the org's DNS is managed (Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, GoDaddy, etc.). Create the CNAME record pointing the custom domain to the Salesforce-provided target. Create the TXT verification record at the indicated host name. Save the DNS changes and wait for propagation. Verify propagation using dig or an online DNS lookup tool from multiple geographic locations.
- Provision SSL and verify the domain
Return to Sites and Domains in Setup. Click Verify on the domain. Salesforce queries DNS, confirms the CNAME and TXT records, and provisions the Salesforce-managed SSL certificate. For BYO certificates, upload the certificate file and intermediate chain through the Certificate Manager. Wait for the domain status to show Active. SSL provisioning typically completes within minutes of successful DNS verification.
- Map the domain to the target Experience Cloud site and test
On the Sites and Domains page, attach the new domain to the target Experience Cloud site or Salesforce Sites page. Configure any path-based routing rules. Save. Test the new URL in an incognito browser: confirm HTTPS loads cleanly, no certificate warnings, the right site content appears, and authentication flows work. Test from multiple browsers and devices. Communicate the new URL to the relevant audience (customers, partners, internal users) once everything is verified.
- DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours. Verifying the domain too early returns errors that resolve themselves once propagation completes.
- Salesforce-managed SSL certificates are best-effort renewal. Monitor expiration warnings in the Sites and Domains page anyway.
- Cookies and CSP headers configured on the parent domain do not always inherit to subdomains. Test header behavior explicitly per subdomain.
- Removing a custom domain immediately breaks any URL using it. Coordinate the removal with a redirect or fallback plan to preserve user access.
- Salesforce Sites and Experience Cloud sites have different feature sets despite sharing domain configuration. Pick the right site type for the use case before configuring the domain.