Using a custom domain for your Formora forms (e.g., forms.yourwebsite.com or apply.yourcompany.org instead of a generic Formora domain) significantly enhances brand recognition, professionalism, and user trust. It makes your forms appear as a seamless part of your own online presence.

The ability to use custom domains is often a feature of paid Formora subscription plans. Check your current plan details or Understanding Formora Plans for availability.

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Benefits of Using a Custom Domain

  • Branding: Reinforces your brand identity with every form interaction.
  • Trust & Credibility: Users are more likely to trust and complete forms served from a domain they recognize.
  • Professionalism: Presents a more polished and integrated appearance.
  • Improved SEO (Potentially): While forms themselves might not be primary SEO content, consistent branding across your web properties is good practice.
  • Memorability: Custom subdomains can be easier for users to remember and type.

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How Custom Domains Work

To use a custom domain, you typically need to configure your Domain Name System (DNS) settings to point your chosen subdomain (or root domain, though this is more complex and less common for hosted services) to Formora’s servers. Formora will then handle routing requests for that domain to your forms.

Diagram showing a custom domain (forms.yourwebsite.com) pointing to Formora servers

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Setting Up a Custom Domain in Formora

The exact steps can vary slightly based on Formora’s interface, but the general process involves:

1

Choose Your Custom Subdomain

Decide on the subdomain you want to use (e.g., forms.yourwebsite.com, apply.yourwebsite.com, feedback.yourwebsite.com). Using a subdomain is generally recommended and easier to configure than a root domain for third-party services.

2

Access Custom Domain Settings in Formora

  1. Log in to your Formora dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Account Settings or a dedicated section for Domains or Branding.
  3. Look for an option like “Add Custom Domain” or “Manage Domains.”
3

Add Your Subdomain to Formora

Enter the full subdomain you wish to configure (e.g., forms.yourwebsite.com). Formora will then provide you with specific DNS record details (usually a CNAME record) that you’ll need to add to your DNS provider’s settings.

Formora interface for adding a custom domain and displaying required DNS record values

4

Configure DNS Records with Your Provider

  1. Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, etc.).
  2. Navigate to the DNS management section for the domain you want to use (e.g., yourwebsite.com).
  3. Add a new DNS record with the Type, Host/Name, and Value/Target provided by Formora.
  • Example (CNAME):
    • Type: CNAME
    • Name/Host: forms (or your chosen subdomain prefix)
    • Value/Target: target.formora.site (the hostname Formora gave you)
    • TTL (Time To Live): You can usually leave this at the default (e.g., 1 hour or Automatic).

Generic example of adding a CNAME record in a DNS provider's interface

DNS changes can take some time to propagate across the internet, from a few minutes to several hours (though typically much faster).

5

Verify Domain in Formora

Once you’ve added the DNS record, return to the Custom Domain settings in Formora. There should be a “Verify” or “Check Status” button for your pending domain. Formora will attempt to confirm that your DNS records are correctly pointing to its servers. The domain status should update to verified once successful. If verification fails, double-check your DNS record entries for typos or wait a bit longer for propagation.

6

SSL/TLS Provisioning

After successful verification, Formora will typically automatically provision an SSL/TLS certificate for your custom subdomain. This ensures your forms are served securely over HTTPS (e.g., https://forms.yourcompany.com). This process might take a short while.

7

Assign Forms to Use the Custom Domain (If Applicable)

Depending on Formora’s setup:

  • Automatic: All your forms might automatically become accessible via the verified custom domain.
  • Per-Form Setting: You might need to go into individual Form Settings (under “Share” or “Publish” tabs) and select your custom domain from a dropdown to make that specific form use it.
  • Linking in Domain Settings: The custom domain settings page itself might allow you to specify a default form or link forms to it.

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Managing Your Custom Domains

In the Formora domain settings, you should be able to:

  • View a list of your configured custom domains.
  • See their verification status (e.g., Pending, Verified, Error).
  • Re-trigger verification if needed.
  • Delete a custom domain configuration if you no longer wish to use it.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

  • DNS Propagation Delays: Wait up to 24-48 hours in rare cases, though usually much faster. Use online DNS checker tools to see if your records are visible globally.
  • Incorrect DNS Record Values: Carefully check for typos in the Host/Name or Value/Target fields in your DNS settings.
  • CNAME Flattening/ANAME Records: If you’re trying to use a root domain (e.g., yourbrand.com directly, not a subdomain) and your DNS provider doesn’t support CNAME records on root domains (which is common), you might need to see if Formora or your provider supports ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME flattening records. This is an advanced scenario; subdomains are generally easier.
  • SSL Certificate Not Active Yet: Give it some time after verification for the SSL certificate to be fully provisioned.

Using custom domains significantly elevates your form’s presentation. Once set up, your forms will seamlessly integrate with your existing brand presence. This concludes the “Sharing & Embedding” section. Next, we move to Response Management.