Connect a Cloudflare domain
Add every record with the proxy turned off (grey cloud) so the certificates can be issued.
Video walkthrough · 44s · captions on. Uses an illustrated example domain (yourstudio.com).
- 1
Open DNS → Records
In the Cloudflare dashboard pick your domain, then DNS → Records.
CloudflareIllustrationyourstudio.com›DNS›RecordsOverviewDNSSSL/TLSRules - 2
Add the records as “DNS only”
Add record → A @, A @, CNAME www. Set Proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud). The orange cloud stops Champion from issuing your certificate.
CloudflareIllustrationyourstudio.com›DNS›RecordsOverviewDNSSSL/TLSRulesType Name Value TTL A @ 162.159.140.98 1 Hour Add A @ 172.66.0.96 1 Hour Add CNAME www champion-studio-knb4s.ondigitalocean.app 1 Hour Change Add recordProxy: DNS only - 3
Add the payments, contracts and email records
In the same place, add the rest of the rows from Studio: CNAME pay and CNAME sign (your payment pages and contracts), CNAME pm-bounces, the DKIM TXT and the _dmarc TXT (so email Champion sends for you lands in the inbox). Use Copy in Studio for each value — the DKIM key is long, paste it exactly. Set pay and sign to DNS only (grey cloud) too; pm-bounces must be DNS only.
CloudflareIllustrationyourstudio.com›DNS›RecordsOverviewDNSSSL/TLSRulesType Name Value TTL CNAME pay champion-studio-knb4s.ondigitalocean.app 1 Hour Add CNAME sign champion-studio-knb4s.ondigitalocean.app 1 Hour Add CNAME pm-bounces pm.mtasv.net 1 Hour Add TXT 20261021._domainkey k=rsa;p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEB…(copy from Studio) 1 Hour Add TXT _dmarc v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourstudio.com 1 Hour Add Add recordSame sitting — all at once - 4
Check in Studio
Cloudflare updates within a minute or two. Click Check again in Studio.
Champion StudioIllustrationStudio›Domains›yourstudio.com
Check againA @ 162.159.140.98 Found ✓ A @ 172.66.0.96 Found ✓ CNAME www champion-studio-knb4s… Not found yet
Questions
How long does it take?
Most providers update within 5–30 minutes. Occasionally it takes a few hours (rarely up to 48). Studio re-checks every 30 seconds while the Domains page is open, and your HTTPS certificate is issued automatically 5–30 minutes after the records are found.
Why do I have to turn off forwarding?
Forwarding (sometimes called "redirect" or "parked page") tells your provider to answer visitors itself and send them to another website. It overrides the records that point at Champion, so your site can’t load until it’s off.
Will this affect my email inbox?
No. Receiving email uses MX records, and Champion never touches them — leave them exactly as they are. The email records Studio lists (pm-bounces, DKIM, _dmarc) only help email Champion sends for you reach the inbox. If your domain has no MX records, you don’t have an inbox at that domain yet; setting one up (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365…) is separate.
What are pay. and sign. for?
Your payment pages open at pay.yourdomain and your contracts, booking and signing links at sign.yourdomain — so clients only ever see your brand. You can rename them (for example “checkout” or “contracts”) in Studio. Links switch over automatically once each address is secure.
Do I need an SPF record?
Not for Champion. The pm-bounces CNAME covers SPF for mail we send for you. If you already have an SPF record (v=spf1 …), keep it as it is — and never add a second SPF record, because two break each other.
I already have a DMARC record
Keep it. Studio shows “Your existing policy kept ✓” and doesn’t ask for another. If you don’t have one, add the suggested _dmarc TXT (p=none only monitors — nothing gets blocked).
www or no www?
Either works, and Studio connects both. Pick one as your main address (we recommend the shorter one without www). The other automatically sends visitors to it, so nobody lands on an error.
It says “Issuing certificate…” — is something wrong?
No. Once your records are found, Champion asks a certificate authority for a free SSL certificate (the padlock). That usually takes 5–30 minutes. If it’s still pending after an hour, double-check the records and click Check again.
Do I need a TXT verification record?
Not for your website. The two TXT records in the list (DKIM and _dmarc) are for email sending. Add them in the same sitting so everything is done at once.
What if I want to undo it?
Disconnect the domain in Studio and put your old records (or forwarding) back at your provider. Your Champion site stays available at its studio.champion.io address the whole time.