Advice and answers from the UserGuiding Team
Users
Engagement
Settings
Custom Domain for the Knowledge Base
Learn how to change the default UserGuiding subdomain into your custom domain for your Help Center.

Overview

With UserGuiding, you can use either the default subdomain we provide or set up a custom domain for your Knowledge Base. Follow the steps below to configure your custom domain.

 

Using the Default Subdomain

By default, your Knowledge Base will be available through a UserGuiding subdomain. Here’s how to find and customize your default domain:

Turn on Your Knowledge Base

Ensure your Help Center is active by navigating to the Knowledge Base tab.

Find Your Default URL

Go to Domains to see your default Help Center URL. Your app name will be part of this URL. For example, if your app name is ‘ExampleApp’, your URL would look like this:

 

https://example.userguiding.com

 

Customize Your URL

By clicking Change, you can edit the hostname part of your URL to better suit your brand.

 

Setting Up a Custom Domain

If you prefer to use your domain for your Knowledge Base, follow these steps:

Add Your Custom Domain:

    • Navigate to Domains.
    • Enter your custom domain and click Continue.
    • You also have the option to enable Search Engine Indexing in this step.

Add a CNAME Record:

    • Go to your DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare).
    • Add a CNAME ('canonical name') record for your custom domain:

      NAME help.mydomain.com
      TARGET help.userguiding.site
    • After adding the CNAME record, return to UserGuiding and click the Check Status button to verify that the CNAME record has been properly added.

Add a TXT Record:

    • In your DNS provider, add a TXT record to verify domain ownership.
    • The details for the TXT record will be provided in your UserGuiding settings.

Finalize Setup:

    • Your custom domain will be active once the CNAME and TXT records are verified.


Important Notes

  • DNS changes: DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to propagate, though they typically occur much faster.
  • Support for subdomains and subpaths: Only subdomains (e.g., help.example.com) are supported.

 

By following these steps, you can ensure your UserGuiding Knowledge Base is accessible through a domain that aligns with your brand, providing a seamless support experience for your users.

How User IDs Work on Knowledge Base Pages

When users visit your Knowledge Base pages, their user IDs in the panel depend on two factors:

  • Whether you are using a Custom Domain or the UserGuiding Domain
  • Whether User Identification is enabled

Key Points

  1. Custom Domain + User Identification Enabled
    • If a user is first identified on your platform (e.g., logged in as UserID: 123) and then visits the Knowledge Base, they keep the same ID.
    • Example: A logged-in user with UserID: 123 on your app will appear as UserID: 123 on the Knowledge Base as well.
    • If they land directly on the Knowledge Base (without first visiting your app), they get a new random ID (e.g., abcd-5678).
  2. Custom Domain + User Identification Not Enabled
    • Users are given a random ID on your platform (e.g., 1111) and keep that same ID on Knowledge Base.
    • If they visit from another browser or session, a new random ID will be created.
    • Example: Same person might show up as 1111 in one session, and 2222 in another.
  3. UserGuiding Domain + User Identification Enabled
    • Even if the user identification is enabled, users will not carry their platform ID to the Knowledge Base.
    • They always receive a new random ID when landing on the Knowledge Base.
    • Example: A user logged in with UserID: 123 in your app will appear as random-9876 on the Knowledge Base.
  4. UserGuiding Domain + User Identification Not Enabled
    • All visitors are assigned a random ID when they land on the Knowledge Base.
    • Example: A visitor may appear as random-5555, and in a new session as random-8888.

Why This Matters

  • Custom Domain + Identification Enabled = Seamless experience (no duplicate users).
  • All other scenarios = Users can appear multiple times with different IDs. These new IDs also count toward your MAU (Monthly Active Users) in UserGuiding.

 

Note: Please be aware that adding a custom domain is only available for Growth & Enterprise Plans.

Did this answer your question?