How to connect a custom domain name to SmugMug

By Rebecca Goutorbe

Disclaimer – This website contains affiliate links to the products and services I use and recommend including SmugMug, you won’t pay any more for the products or services they offer but I may get a commission Thank you

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Easy steps to connect a custom domain name to a SmugMug website

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What is a domain name

The domain name is the URL or address of your website for example www.yourwebsite.co.uk By typing in the URL or web address (www.yourwebsite.co.uk) in to the search bar on a page that is how people can see your website online.

Default SmugMug domain name

All SmugMug websites have a domain name with the website it’s free with all the plans. Although it’s not free to take and use on another website it’s your’s free to use on your SmugMug website. You don’t have to connect up the domain name from SmugMug it’s already there for you.

SmugMug Domains

The domain from SmugMug will read www.yourchoice.smugmug.com the part what say’s yourchoice is what you can control and change. You can change this by clicking in the right hand corner of your SmugMug dashboard on the profile square, then click Account Settings this will take you to the account settings. You need ME on the left in green this will show the site URL in the box is where you change the site default URL which SmugMug gave to you. Once you change this you will be asked to save, that’s it if you want to change it.

Why have a custom domain name

By having a custom domain name it will help to build your brand. A must if you serious about photography.

How do I remove SmugMug from my URL?

You can add your own custom domain name to your SmugMug website if you have the Power, Portfolio or Pro account. This will mean you will have a web address without the smugmug.com on the end.

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Your own website address

It is up to you what you would like to use as your domain name (website address). Just make the web address readable and try and make it match or be relevant to what your website is about. For example if you photograph pets and your business name is Joe Bloggs Pet Photography don’t go for a web address like www.fluffytoesphotos.co.uk it wouldn’t make sense. Go for something more like www.joebloggs.uk or www.joebloggspetphotography.co.uk would be much more suited if it is available. For dog breeder websites
use your Affix for the domain name.

.co.uk, .com, .uk?

You don’t have to use .co.uk on the end of your web address, instead you can use .com .uk see what is available. If you are in the UK then it will probably be a good idea to use co.uk , .uk or .com at the end of your domain name.

Purchase a domain name at GoDaddy

If you don’t already own a domain name then head to GoDaddy and purchase one, a domain name only costs around £15 per year. Purchasing the domain from GoDaddy is the easiest way to connect up a custom domain name to your SmugMug website. SmugMug has joined up with GoDaddy so all the technical stuff has been dealt with and all you have to do is fill in your website address into in the SmugMug settings and press a button, its that easy.

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Connect your GoDaddy domain name to SmugMug

This so easy to do!!!
Once you have purchased your domain name from GoDaddy
Go to your SmugMug website
Click on the profile pic in the right hand corner of the screen and find –

> Account Settings
> ME (Should be in green on the left)
Scroll down the page to
Custom Domain

Follow the instructions, which are put your custom name in the box.
By buying the domain from GoDaddy all you then have to do is click on the GoDaddy Connect, this will bring up a new window. You will be asked if you would like to connect your domain to SmugMug. Well yes of course you do, click connect, then click close window. This will take you back to your SmugMug account page where you started then click SAVE that is it, your custom domain is sorted. So easy.

TIP

A tip with connecting up your domain name is to be patient. Although connecting up your domain to SmugMug from GoDaddy is easy and takes seconds to do. It also doesn’t happen immediately, by this I mean your URL on your SmugMug website will still be the SmugMug one for a while. You have to wait maybe an hour, 4 hours or 24 hours. You just set everything in motion, you have set it up but your new domain name will not appear as your website address instantly, it takes time.

Be Patient......

Have a custom domain but not from GoDaddy

Don’t panic, this is exactly what happened to me with my first SmugMug website. I went off bought a domain name, got in to the SmugMug account settings and thought “how do I point my domain name to SmugMug?” Really don’t panic, it will take longer to connect up than if you had a domain from GoDaddy. But if you follow the instructions it is easy and you only have to do it once. It requires you to go back to where you got your domain from, get into the account, find the Cpanel, then the DNS records. Once you are in the DNS records then follow the instructions below they are from the SmugMug hero’s page. Again once you’ve done it all and pressed save be patient and wait for it to work.