Custom domain

White-label your portal with a custom domain and send out branded client email notifications with a custom email domain.

Custom domain

Custom domains help elevate your brand and make your clients feel secure when they're in your portal. If your website is {yourname}.com, with a custom domain you can set up portal.{yourname}.com. The word "portal" can be replaced with a term of your choice. We recommend setting up a custom domain before inviting all of your clients; otherwise they'll need to log in again at the new URL.

Connect a custom domain

1. Navigate to Settings > Domain.

2. Enter your domain.

3. Enter the word you'd like to use for your subdomain. Many users choose portal, but it can be any single word with no special characters.

   1. Note: You should only enter the subdomain, not the full URL. The subdomain is in bold: portal.{yourname}.com, so you would only enter portal in the subdomain input.

   2. This can be any subdomain of your choice. For example, if you want your custom domain to be clients.{yourname}.com, you would enter clients.

4. You must log into your domain registrar (hosting provider) and add the CNAME record we provide after setting up your domain in Almox. This step is required for your domain to verify.

5. Wait for the setup to complete. DNS propagation typically takes a few minutes to a few hours, depending on your registrar.

Adding a CNAME record at your registrar

Most hosting providers have similar steps for adding a CNAME record:

• GoDaddy: Domain settings > DNS > Add Record (CNAME)
• Squarespace: Domains > Manage > DNS Settings > Add CNAME
• Namecheap: Domain List > Manage > Advanced DNS > Add New Record
• Cloudflare: Add CNAME record. Be sure to disable the proxy (orange cloud → grey cloud)
• Google Domains: DNS > Manage Custom Records > Add CNAME
• Bluehost: DNS Management > Add Record

If your registrar isn't listed, search their help center for "add a CNAME record", the language is standard across providers.

Custom email domain

A custom email domain ensures the notifications your clients receive come from your address (e.g., notifications@{yourname}.com) instead of Almox's default sender. This makes the emails feel native to your brand and reduces the chance of them landing in spam.

Connect a custom email domain

1. Navigate to Settings > SMTP.

2. Enter your SMTP details: host, port, username, password, the from-email address, and a from-name.

3. Click Verify and Save. Almox checks the connection and saves the configuration if it works.

Until the connection is verified, Almox keeps using the default sender for outbound emails to your clients.

Changing your custom domain

If your domain changes, or you want to switch the subdomain, update it from Settings > Domain. Disconnect the current domain first, give it a little time for records to clear, then connect the new one. Allow some time for the new records to propagate.

Frequently asked questions

Why hasn't my domain verified yet?

Most often this is because the CNAME record hasn't been added at your registrar, or the proxy is enabled (Cloudflare specifically, make sure the cloud is grey, not orange). Verification time can also depend on your registrar's TTL settings. If it's been a while and still not working, contact support.

Do my custom web domain and email domain need to match?

Your portal can be on portal.acme.com and your email can come from @acme.com, they share the same root domain, which is the supported case. If you want to use a completely different domain for email than for the portal, contact support to discuss.

My emails are landing in spam. What now?

Set up a custom email domain (above), and check that your SMTP provider has SPF and DKIM correctly configured for your sending address. These two records, plus a custom email domain, are usually enough to keep mail out of spam.