Custom domain guide

How to connect a GoDaddy domain to GitHub Pages

The exact records to add at GoDaddy, written the way its form asks for them, for both www and the bare domain.

Checked 16 October 2026

In short

The records you'll add

Type
A
Name
Value
Type
A
Name
Value
Type
A
Name
Value
Type
A
Name
Value
Type
CNAME
Name
Value

Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard.

Your user or organization name, without the repository name

Step by step

Set it up

  1. 1

    Add the domain in GitHub Pages first

    In GitHub Pages, go to Repository→Settings→Pages→Custom domain and enter your domain (for example www.example.com). With records for both www and the bare domain, GitHub Pages redirects one to the other. GitHub recommends making www the main address.

    Custom domains are free.

  2. 2

    Open the DNS records at GoDaddy

    Sign in, then go to Domain Portfolio→your domain→DNS

    The domain has to use GoDaddy's nameservers.

  3. 3

    Clear what's in the way

    A new GoDaddy domain usually has an A record for @ showing "Parked" and a CNAME for www. Edit those rather than adding a second record with the same name.

  4. 4

    Add the record for www

    Click Add New Record and add:

    Type
    CNAME
    Name
    Value

    Replace the capitals with your own value from the host's dashboard.

    Your user or organization name, without the repository name

  5. 5

    Point the bare domain

    GoDaddy has no ALIAS record type, so the bare domain uses GitHub Pages's addresses as A records.

    Type
    A
    Name
    Value
    Type
    A
    Name
    Value
    Type
    A
    Name
    Value
    Type
    A
    Name
    Value
  6. 6

    Wait, then check

    Changes at GoDaddy take effect within an hour, sometimes up to 48 hours. Once GitHub Pages sees the records, it issues the certificate for https by itself. Use the check below to see what the world sees.

Check your domain

Once the records are in, see whether the world can see them pointing at GitHub Pages.

Changes can take from a few minutes to a day to show up everywhere.

Good to know

Common snags

  • Add the domain in the repository's Pages settings before creating the records, so nobody else can claim it.
  • Never use a wildcard record (*.example.com): it lets others take over your subdomains.
  • Turn on Enforce HTTPS once it becomes available, which can take up to 24 hours.
  • There's no ALIAS record type. For a host that needs one at the bare domain, use www and set up Forwarding from the bare domain to it.
  • With Domain Protection on, GoDaddy asks you to verify your identity before saving.

Still not working?

Questions

Before you start

Should I use www or the bare domain with GitHub Pages?

With records for both www and the bare domain, GitHub Pages redirects one to the other. GitHub recommends making www the main address. www always works with a single CNAME; the bare domain depends on what GoDaddy offers, covered in step 5.

Why does my site show a certificate error?

The certificate is issued once GitHub Pages sees your records, which can take a while after DNS changes. If it stays, check for old records on the same name (parking pages, AAAA records) and, at Cloudflare, that the record is set to DNS only.

Will this affect my email?

No. Email uses MX records, which these steps don't touch. Only change the records for @ and www.

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