If you're putting a custom domain on a Get Paid To (GPT) site you built with the OGAds GPT Builder, the Cloudflare SSL/TLS mode you want is Flexible. It's one of only a few settings you'll touch, and the rest of the setup is short.
Which SSL/TLS mode to pick for an OGAds custom domain
Pick Flexible. OGAds requires it for custom domains, so there's no decision to make between modes.
You'll find the setting in your Cloudflare dashboard. Click your domain, open SSL/TLS, and go to the Overview page. That's where you choose the Flexible encryption mode.
The free Cloudflare plan is enough for this. You also don't need to buy or install a certificate, because Cloudflare provides the one your visitors' browsers see.
What Cloudflare Flexible SSL does for your rewards site
Say your domain is lootcorner.com. When someone opens it, their request doesn't go straight to the server that hosts your site. It makes two hops: first from their browser to Cloudflare, then from Cloudflare to the hosting server.
The SSL/TLS mode decides which of those two hops is encrypted. With Flexible, the first hop uses HTTPS, so the visitor sees the padlock next to lootcorner.com. The second hop, from Cloudflare to the server, travels as plain HTTP.
Cloudflare has four encryption modes you'll see on that page:
| Mode | Visitor to Cloudflare | Cloudflare to the hosting server |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Not encrypted | Not encrypted |
| Flexible | Encrypted | Not encrypted |
| Full | Encrypted | Encrypted, server certificate not checked |
| Full (strict) | Encrypted | Encrypted, server certificate checked |
Guides written for people who run their own server spend a lot of time on Full and Full (strict). You don't run one, because OGAds hosts your site. Flexible is the mode its custom domains are built to work with.
What you need before you start
Have these four things ready:
- An OGAds publisher account. The GPT Builder lives inside the OGAds dashboard, and it's free to use.
- A GPT site already created. You make it in the GPT Sites tool by giving it a name, choosing a theme and filling in your branding. If you haven't done that yet, start with setting up your rewards site in the GPT Builder.
- A brand new domain. One that already has a website or landing page on it can't be used.
- A free Cloudflare account. Your domain can stay at the registrar where you bought it, such as Namecheap or GoDaddy. You only point its nameservers to Cloudflare.
The order matters: create the site, set up the domain, then assign the domain to the site. The domain can only be attached to a site that already exists, which is why the site comes first.
How to connect your domain through Cloudflare, step by step
Keep three tabs open: your registrar, Cloudflare and the OGAds dashboard.
- Add your domain to Cloudflare. Log in, add the site, type your domain (lootcorner.com in our example) and choose the free plan.
- Turn off DNSSEC at your registrar if it's on. Cloudflare warns that changing nameservers with DNSSEC still active can make the domain unreachable.
- Change the nameservers. Cloudflare gives your account two nameservers. In your registrar's settings, replace the current ones with those two. Then wait until Cloudflare shows the site as added.
- Set SSL/TLS to Flexible. In Cloudflare, open SSL/TLS, go to Overview and choose Flexible.
- Get your record from OGAds. In the OGAds dashboard, go to Tools → Custom Domains and click Add Your Domain. You'll see a record that belongs to your account. Copy it.
- Add the CNAME in Cloudflare. Open the DNS section and add a record of type CNAME. In the Name field, type "@", which stands for the domain itself. Paste the value you copied as the target. Leave the proxy status on, so the cloud icon stays orange. On a brand new domain, you can delete the records Cloudflare listed there before you added yours.
- Add the domain in OGAds. Back in Custom Domains, click Add Your Domain, enter your domain and click Add Domain.
- Assign it to your site. Once the domain shows as active, return to your GPT site in the GPT Sites tool and select it.
OGAds also has its own custom domain guide with screenshots if you'd like to see the screens.
Where people get stuck
Copying values from a picture
Screenshots in guides show someone else's nameservers and someone else's CNAME value. Yours are different. The nameservers come from your own Cloudflare account, and the record comes from your own Custom Domains screen. If you typed something from an image, replace it.
Turning the orange proxy off
Cloudflare only applies Flexible to traffic that passes through it. If you click the orange cloud and it turns gray, visitors skip Cloudflare completely and the SSL setting has nothing to work on. Keep it orange.
Troubleshooting too early
Nameserver and DNS changes take a little while to spread. If lootcorner.com doesn't show as active right after you click Add Domain, that's normal. Give it some time before you start changing things, because undoing correct settings is how a five-minute wait turns into a lost evening.
"Too many redirects"
This browser error is the one most often linked with Flexible. The general cause is a loop. Under Flexible, Cloudflare asks the hosting server for the page over HTTP. If that server answers "use HTTPS instead," Cloudflare asks again over HTTP, gets the same answer, and the visitor is bounced in a circle until the browser gives up. Cloudflare explains the mechanics on its ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS page.
Since you don't manage the server, your checks are the settings on your side:
- The SSL/TLS mode is set to Flexible, not Full or Full (strict).
- The CNAME has "@" as its name and the exact value from your Custom Domains screen.
- The proxy is on and orange.
- Enough time has passed since your last change.
After your domain is active: email sending
Your site sends emails to users for things like sign-ups and verification, and those should come from your own domain, for example support@lootcorner.com.
The easiest route is an email sending service like Resend. Create a free Resend account and add your domain there. Resend notices the domain is on Cloudflare and opens a popup where you authorize the DNS changes, so you don't copy records by hand. Once Resend verifies the domain, you connect it in your GPT site's email settings.
FAQ
Do I need to pay for Cloudflare?
No. A free Cloudflare account covers adding the domain, the DNS record and the Flexible setting.
Can I use a domain that already has a site on it?
No. The domain has to be brand new. One that already runs a website or landing page can't be connected, so register a fresh one for your rewards site.
Do I need to buy a certificate?
No. Cloudflare supplies the certificate visitors see on the encrypted part of the connection. With Flexible, nothing has to be installed on the hosting server either.
How long until my domain shows as active?
There's no fixed time. DNS changes take a little while to take effect, so if the domain isn't active right away, wait before you troubleshoot. If it still isn't active later, go through the four checks in the redirects section above.