How can I publish my Webflow site on my GoDaddy domain?

Published on
September 22, 2023

To publish your Webflow site on your GoDaddy domain, you will need to follow several steps. Here's a comprehensive guide:

  1. Export Code from Webflow
    -1. Open your project in the Webflow Designer.
    -2. Click on the "Export Code" button at the top right corner of the Designer.
    -3. Choose the export settings that fit your needs. Select "Export HTML," "Export CSS," and "Export JavaScript."
    -4. Click on the "Download ZIP" button to download the exported code.

  2. Upload Code to GoDaddy
    -1. Login to your GoDaddy account and navigate to the Hosting Control Center.
    -2. Scroll down to the "Web Hosting" section and click "Manage" next to the domain you want to use.
    -3. In the "Content" section, click on the "Upload" button.
    -4. Select the exported ZIP file from Webflow and click "Upload."

  3. Extract the ZIP File
    -1. After the upload is complete, click on the "Extract" button next to the uploaded ZIP file.
    -2. GoDaddy will automatically extract the files into a directory named "Website" or "www" in your hosting account.

  4. Set Index and Error Documents
    -1. Access your hosting account's File Manager.
    -2. Locate the "Website" or "www" directory.
    -3. Create or edit an existing file named ".htaccess" in the root folder.
    -4. Add the following lines of code to the .htaccess file:
    ```
    DirectoryIndex index.html
    ErrorDocument 404 /index.html
    ```
    -5. Save the changes to the .htaccess file.

  5. Verify Your Domain
    -1. Open the File Manager again.
    -2. Navigate to the "Website" or "www" directory.
    -3. Create a new file named "googlexxxxxxxxxxxxx.html" (replace "xxxxxxxxxxxxx" with your unique Google verification code).
    -4. Save the file and close the File Manager.
    -5. Go to Google Search Console and add your domain as a property.
    -6. Click on the "Alternate methods" tab and select "HTML tag."
    -7. Copy the value from the content attribute inside the tag.
    -8. Go back to the GoDaddy File Manager and open the "googlexxxxxxxxxxxxx.html" file.
    -9. Paste the content attribute value into the file and save it.

  6. Point Your Domain to GoDaddy
    -1. Go to your GoDaddy account and navigate to your domain's DNS settings.
    -2. Locate the "A" record and change the value to your GoDaddy hosting IP address.
    -3. If you have a "CNAME" record for "www," update that as well.
    -4. Save the changes to update the DNS records.

  7. Set Up SSL Certificate
    -1. If you want to use SSL (recommended), go to your GoDaddy account and find the SSL Certificate section.
    -2. Choose the type of certificate you want to purchase (e.g., Standard SSL).
    -3. Follow the instructions to purchase and install the SSL certificate.
    -4. Once installed, enable HTTPS on your domain.

After completing these steps, your Webflow site should now be successfully published on your GoDaddy domain. Note that it may take some time for DNS changes to propagate across the internet, so your site may not be immediately visible.