Connect a subdomain for external tools

Frontpage is great for your website: pages, modules, and design by chat. Many businesses still need a special tool Frontpage does not include yet, like restaurant ordering, event tickets, or industry billing.

You can keep Frontpage and still use those tools. The setup looks like this:

1. Frontpage runs your main site on www.yourdomain.com.
2. The other tool runs on an address like order.yourdomain.com, tickets.yourdomain.com, or pay.yourdomain.com.
3. Your Frontpage menu or buttons link to that address.

For Square Online (and how it differs from Frontpage’s Square connection), see Using Square Online with Frontpage.

When this setup is a good fit

• You already sell in a tool customers know (ordering, tickets, signups).
• That tool has features Frontpage modules do not cover yet.
• The tool lets you use your own domain or subdomain.
• You want Frontpage for your brand and story, and the other tool for checkout.

Prefer a Frontpage module when Frontpage already does the job (forms, simple Stripe payments, store, bookings, call bar). Linking out is for tools Frontpage does not replace yet.

Pick a short name

Choose a short word that matches the job:

Use	Common name	Example
Food or retail ordering	order	order.yourdomain.com
Events or tickets	tickets or events	tickets.yourdomain.com
Payments or invoices	pay or billing	pay.yourdomain.com
Outside booking tools	book or schedule	book.yourdomain.com

Use letters and numbers only. No spaces. Make sure the other company accepts that name before you change domain settings.

Step 1: Connect the address in the other tool

Most tools have a “custom domain” or “connect domain” screen. In general:

1. Sign in to the other company’s dashboard.
2. Find Domains, Custom domain, or Branding, then Domain.
3. Enter order.yourdomain.com (or tickets, pay, and so on).
4. Choose manual setup when they offer it.
5. Copy the DNS instructions they show (a number for an A record, or a CNAME address).

Until that company accepts the address, domain settings alone will not give you a working secure checkout page.

Step 2: Add the DNS record

DNS tells the internet where your new address should go. Add the record they asked for where your domain is managed. Two common kinds:

If Frontpage already manages your domain, ask Frontpage support or your onboarding contact to add the record. If your domain is at your registrar or Cloudflare, add it there.

Go back to the other company and finish Verify or SSL. This can take a few minutes, or up to a day or two.

Check: open the exact secure link they give you. Make sure checkout loads.

Step 3: Clean up what customers see there

Many tools put their own top menu (logo, Home, About) around checkout. Home clicks often stay on that subdomain, which can feel like a second website next to Frontpage.

When the tool lets you:

• Simplify the menu so the page feels focused on order, tickets, or pay.
• Point logo or Home to https://www.yourdomain.com so people can return to Frontpage.
• Use the same logo and colors as your Frontpage site so the jump feels planned.

Step 4: Add the link on Frontpage

Ask the Frontpage agent to place the link where customers should click:

Add an “Order online” button in the header that links to https://order.yourdomain.com/...

Change the words and link for your case (“Get tickets”, “Pay invoice”, “Book now”). Put one clear button in the menu or at the top of the page. You can repeat it in the footer if you want.

Use the full secure link the other company verified. Do not guess the path. If the tool only gives you their own free address (no custom subdomain), you can still link that from Frontpage and skip the DNS steps.

Step 5: Be careful when moving www to Frontpage

If the other tool currently runs on www.yourdomain.com and you are moving www to Frontpage:

1. Set up the branded subdomain on the other tool first.
2. Confirm the Frontpage link works.
3. Disconnect the other tool from www if it still uses that address.
4. Then finish pointing www at Frontpage.

Moving www first, while checkout still depends on www, is how sites go down.

Examples

System	Common address	Frontpage link goes to
Square Online	order.	https://order.yourdomain.com/s/order (see the Square Online guide)
Other restaurant ordering	order.	The order URL their custom domain docs list
Tickets or events	tickets.	Their event list or checkout URL
Pay or billing portals	pay.	Their customer payment page
Outside booking tools	book.	Their booking URL (or use Frontpage’s Booking module when it fits)

What Frontpage still does well

• Your brand, story, and pages, edited by chat.
• Built-in modules for leads, simple payments, and a store when those are enough.
• Site analytics on Frontpage. The other tool keeps its own order or ticket reports.

Customers will finish paying in the other tool. That is expected. Your Frontpage job is a clear, trusted path into that flow.

If something goes wrong

What you see	Likely cause
The subdomain shows Frontpage instead of checkout	It was added as a Frontpage domain, or DNS still points at Frontpage
Browser says “Not secure”	The other company has not finished Verify, or DNS is wrong or still updating
Checkout works, but Home goes to the wrong place	Their Home link still points to their own home page. Point it at Frontpage www.
They reject the hostname	Your plan does not include custom domains, or you used the wrong record type (A vs CNAME)

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Quick checklist

• Choose a name (order, tickets, pay, and so on).
• Connect that address in the other tool. Copy their DNS instructions.
• Add the A or CNAME in DNS only. Do not add it as a Frontpage site domain.
• Verify. Open the real checkout link.
• Trim their menu. Point Home or the logo at Frontpage www when you can.
• Ask Frontpage to add the menu or button link.
• If moving www to Frontpage, finish the subdomain first, then move www.

Related: Using Square Online with Frontpage, How to use Modules, Getting started with Frontpage.

Frequently asked questions