Custom Domain (Vanity URL): Admin Guide - Genius CE & Enterprise

In This Article:

• What Is a Custom Domain
• Before You Start
• What Happens During Setup
  • Step 1: Configure Your DNS
  • Step 2: We Configure Our Systems
  • Step 3: We Verify and Hand Off
• What to Expect After Setup
  • Both Addresses Work
  • Emails and Notifications
  • Forms and Agreements
  • Payments
• Troubleshooting
• After-Setup Checklist
• Getting Help

What Is a Custom Domain

A custom domain (also called a vanity URL) lets your organization access your Genius+ portal using your own branded web address instead of the default address we provide. For example, instead of visiting yourschool.geniussis.com, your users could visit learn.yourschool.edu.

When a custom domain is set up, both your original address and the new custom address work at the same time. Your original geniussis.com address is never disabled — any existing bookmarks or links that use it will continue to work.

Note: Setting up a custom domain is a coordinated process between your organization and the Genius team. This article explains what to expect and how to resolve common issues.

 

Before You Start

To set up a custom domain, your organization will need to provide the following information to your Genius CX representative:

1. The exact web address you want to use (e.g., learn.yourschool.edu). This should be a hostname your organization owns and controls.
2. Confirmation that you control the domain’s DNS settings. You’ll need to create a DNS record as part of the setup process. If a different team at your organization manages DNS, coordinate with them before getting started.
3. Whether you’re also changing your organization’s display name (for example, if you’re rebranding). The display name appears in emails, invoices, and agreements.
4. Your SSL certificate preference. We can provision a free, auto-renewing certificate for you (recommended), or you can provide your own certificate file if required by your security policy.

What Happens During Setup

Once you’ve provided the information above, the setup process involves a few steps:

Step 1: Configure Your DNS

Your Genius representative will provide you with the specific DNS records you need to create. You or your IT team will add a CNAME record to your vanity domain, redirecting it to client.geniussis.com. Additionally, you will need to include some TXT records that grant Genius the authority to use your domain and issue SSL certificates for it.

Note: DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to take effect, depending on your DNS provider’s settings. During this window, the custom address may work intermittently.

Step 2: We Configure Our Systems

After your DNS record is in place, the Genius team will:

1. Add your custom domain to our server configuration so it’s recognized as a valid address for your portal.
2. Provision an SSL certificate (the security lock icon in the browser) so your custom address uses HTTPS.
3. Register your custom domain in our system so your organization’s data loads correctly when someone visits the new address.

Step 3: We Verify and Hand Off

The Genius team will verify that your custom domain loads correctly, then notify you that setup is complete. At that point, you should:

1. Test the custom domain yourself by browsing to it and confirming your portal loads.
2. Update any links you’ve published externally (on your website, in emails to learners, etc.) to use the new address.
3. Review your form embed codes, agreement templates, and email templates for any references to your old geniussis.com address — your Genius representative can help with this.

What to Expect After Setup

Both Addresses Work

Your original geniussis.com address and your new custom domain both remain active. Users can reach your portal from either one. If you’ve shared the original address in printed materials, emails, or other places, those links continue to work. The old address does not automatically redirect to the new one — both remain independent, working paths to your portal.

Emails and Notifications

If you’ve manually typed your portal address into an email template (for example, “Visit us at https://yourschool.geniussis.com”), that text will not update automatically. Check your email templates and update any hardcoded addresses to your new custom domain.

Forms and Agreements

Custom form embed codes and shareable links are generated with the domain that was active at the time they were created. After setting up a custom domain, regenerate any form links you want to display the new address. The same applies to agreement templates that include a portal link in their body text.

Note: Existing embed codes and shareable links that still reference your original geniussis.com address will continue to work — they are not broken. You only need to regenerate them if you want the links to display your new custom domain instead.

Payments

Online payments continue to work as expected after a custom domain is set up. Payment processing is independent of your portal domain.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter an issue after your custom domain has been set up, use the table below to identify the most likely cause and the recommended next step.

What You See	Most Likely Cause	What to Do
The custom domain shows a “page not found” (404) error or doesn’t load at all.	The DNS record hasn’t finished propagating, or the server hasn’t been configured to accept the new address yet.	Wait up to 48 hours if you just created the DNS record. If the issue persists, contact your Genius representative.
The browser shows a security warning or certificate error.	The SSL certificate for your custom domain hasn’t been provisioned yet, or there’s a mismatch between the certificate and the domain.	Contact your Genius representative. This is resolved on our side.
The portal loads but data doesn’t appear, or you see errors on the page.	The custom domain hasn’t been fully registered in our system yet, or our system needs a moment to recognize the new address.	Contact your Genius representative. They can verify the domain registration and resolve this on our side.
Your organization’s name or browser tab title appears incorrectly.	The display name in the system needs to be updated. This is separate from the domain change and is common when a rebrand is also in progress.	Contact your Genius representative to update the display name. The change takes effect immediately.
Form links or embed codes still show the old geniussis.com address.	Form links are generated with the domain that was active at the time they were created. They aren’t updated automatically.	Admin Portal → Custom Forms, regenerate the embed code or shareable link, and replace any published versions.
Online payments aren’t going through.	This is unlikely to be caused by a custom domain change. Payment processing is independent of your portal domain.	Contact your Genius representative so they can check the payment gateway configuration.

After-Setup Checklist

Once your Genius representative confirms your custom domain is live, walk through the following steps to make sure everything is updated on your end:

1. Browse to your custom domain and confirm your portal loads correctly.
2. Log in and navigate through a few pages to confirm everything works.
3. If you process payments, test a payment from the custom domain and confirm it completes.
4. Update any links to your portal on your organization’s website.
5. Review your email templates in the Admin Portal for any hardcoded geniussis.com addresses and update them.
6. If you use custom forms, regenerate the embed codes and shareable links and update any published versions.
7. If you use agreements that include a portal link, review the template text and update the address.
8. If your invoices include a portal URL, check the invoice settings and update to the new address.
9. Communicate the new address to your users. Let them know the old address still works, so there’s no urgency to update bookmarks.

Note: You don’t need to update all of these at once. The original geniussis.com address continues to work, so your users won’t be disrupted while you make these updates.

 

Getting Help

If you run into any issues during or after the custom domain setup, contact your Genius CX representative or submit a support request. When reaching out, it’s helpful to include:

1. The custom domain address you’re having trouble with.
2. A description of what you’re seeing (e.g., error message, screenshot).
3. The browser you’re using and whether the issue happens on other browsers too.
4. Whether the issue affects the Learner portal, Admin portal, or both.