How to Publish Carrd Site on Carrd

beginner 7 min read Updated 2026-03-24

Quick Answer

Publishing a Carrd site takes 5-15 minutes: click Publish, choose .carrd.co URL or custom domain (Pro required), enter details, add DNS records at provider, then publish and wait up to 1 hour for initialization. Preview mobile/desktop, complete all elements, and test links first to avoid common errors.

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Prerequisites

Free Carrd account with verified email
Site built with all elements complete (no unfinished galleries/containers)
Pro Standard ($19/year) or higher for custom domains
Registered custom domain from provider like Porkbun/Namecheap
Stable browser without auto-fill issues

Step-by-Step Instructions

Sign Up and Verify Carrd Account

Create a free account at carrd.co and verify your email to prevent Not Found errors after publishing. Build your site using the drag-and-drop builder, ensuring all elements like galleries or containers are complete with no red outlines.

Preview on mobile and desktop, test all links/buttons, and use 1200x630px social images.

Access Publish Menu

In the Carrd builder, click the Publish button in the top menu to open the publishing panel.

Enter Site Title and Description

Fill in the required Site Title and Description fields manually—avoid browser auto-fill which turns fields yellow and blocks publishing. The description appears in bookmarks and social shares.

Keep description concise for SEO.

Choose Publishing Action

Under Action, select Publish to a .carrd.co URL for free or Publish to a custom domain (requires Pro Standard or higher at $19/year).

Free option uses <code>yoursite.carrd.co</code>; custom needs DNS setup.

Enter Custom Domain (If Applicable)

For custom domains, enter the exact domain name as desired in the address bar, e.g., domain.ext or www.domain.ext. The unused version auto-redirects to the entered one. Requires Pro Standard plan.

Copy DNS Records

Scroll to the DNS records section. Copy the target IP for the A record (e.g., xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) and note the CNAME for www pointing to bare domain.

Configure DNS at Domain Provider

Log into your domain provider, delete conflicting records, then add:

A record: Host @ to Carrd's IP.
CNAME record: Host www to domain.ext.

Select your provider in Carrd for step-by-step instructions.

Only add the two required records; avoid conflicts.

Publish Changes

Return to Carrd, click Publish Changes. For custom domains, wait for initialization (up to 1 hour, usually faster) with automatic SSL.

Hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R) if changes don't appear.

Verify and Test Site

Access your site via the custom domain or .carrd.co URL. Confirm SSL works, sections display correctly, and no errors occur.

Don't delete local images/videos until after successful publish.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

"Publish Failed"

Disable auto-fill on yellow Title/Description/URL fields, complete unfinished elements (galleries/containers), ensure local media not deleted; manually fill all fields.

"Not Found" Error

Verify email, double-check URL, confirm no terms violations; test preview first.

Domain Stuck on "(initializing)" After 1 Hour

Check DNS records for conflicts, refer to Carrd troubleshooting docs, or contact support.

Only domain.ext Works, Not www (or Vice Versa)

Add missing CNAME record for www pointing to bare domain at provider.

Cached Changes Not Appearing

Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R), wait for DNS propagation.

Prices mentioned in this guide are pulled from current plan data and may change. Always verify on the official Carrd website before purchasing.

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