Custom Domain Setup

By default, your public Compass site lives at compass.urtravelpro.com/p/yourslug. With a custom domain you can point your own subdomain (e.g. guides.youragency.com) at Compass — visitors see your branded URL, and you get full SEO ownership.

How It Works

You point a CNAME record at Compass's edge, Compass detects the CNAME via Cloudflare, requests a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate, and your site goes live at your custom hostname. The original compass.urtravelpro.com/p/yourslug URL keeps working too — visitors who land there get redirected to your custom domain.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Pick a hostname. Most agencies use guides.youragency.com, travel.youragency.com, or resources.youragency.com. A subdomain of your main site is ideal.

2. Go to Settings → Custom Domain → Add Domain.

3. Enter your hostname (e.g. guides.youragency.com).

4. Compass shows you the CNAME target to add to your DNS — usually compass.urtravelpro.com.

5. Add the CNAME record at your DNS registrar (GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.). Set it as DNS only if your registrar offers a proxy option.

6. Wait for DNS to propagate (usually minutes; up to 48 hours worst case).

7. Back in Compass, click Sync — Compass verifies the CNAME and submits your hostname to Cloudflare for SSL issuance.

8. Wait for SSL issuance (usually 1-5 minutes). Status flows: pending_dns → pending_cf → pending_ssl → active.

9. Once active, visit your custom hostname — your site is live.

Status Lifecycle

• pending_dns — Compass hasn't detected your CNAME yet. Wait for DNS to propagate, or check that the CNAME points at the right target.

• pending_cf — CNAME detected; submitted to Cloudflare for SSL processing.

• pending_ssl — Cloudflare confirmed; Let's Encrypt is issuing the cert (usually under 5 minutes).

• active — Cert issued, site live on your custom hostname.

• failed — Something went wrong. Check Settings → Custom Domain for the error message. Most often: the CNAME was removed, or a conflicting record exists at the same hostname.

What Visitors See

• Once active, your public site is at https://guides.youragency.com (your custom hostname)

• The Compass-default URL (compass.urtravelpro.com/p/youragency) keeps working too, but 301-redirects to your custom hostname

• All guide URLs use your custom hostname (https://guides.youragency.com/guide/your-slug)

• Sitemap and robots.txt are served from your custom hostname

SEO Benefits

• Search engines see your site as part of youragency.com — link equity and brand association accrue to your main domain

• Visitors trust guides.youragency.com more than a third-party subdomain

• You can set up Google Analytics, Search Console, etc. on your hostname normally

Removing a Custom Domain

In Settings → Custom Domain → Disconnect. The custom-hostname site stops responding within a minute; visitors fall back to your compass.urtravelpro.com/p/yourslug URL. Remove the CNAME from your DNS registrar to free up the hostname.

Troubleshooting

• Stuck on pending_dns — your CNAME isn't pointing where Compass expects. Verify with dig CNAME guides.youragency.com (or [dnschecker.org](https://dnschecker.org)). If Cloudflare-managed, set proxy status to gray cloud, not orange.

• Stuck on pending_ssl — Let's Encrypt issuance occasionally hangs. Click Sync to retry.

• Status: failed — the error message in Settings → Custom Domain explains why. Most often a conflicting record at the same hostname; check your DNS registrar and remove or update the conflict.

• SSL works in browser but shows "Not secure" warning — old browser cache or DNS cache. Try in incognito; the warning should be gone.