# Adding a Domain



Domains are the websites you want to monitor. Each domain has its own configuration for every module.

## Adding Your First Domain [#adding-your-first-domain]

1. From the dashboard, click **Add Domain**
2. Enter your website URL (e.g., `https://example.com`)
3. Select the workspace (if you have multiple)
4. Click **Start monitoring this domain**

VitalSentinel will verify your domain is accessible before adding it.

<Callout type="info">
  You can add domains with or without `www`. VitalSentinel normalizes URLs automatically.
</Callout>

## What Happens When You Add a Domain [#what-happens-when-you-add-a-domain]

Once a domain is added, VitalSentinel immediately starts:

1. **Sitemap Discovery** - Finding and scanning your sitemap
2. **CrUX Data Collection** - Collecting Core Web Vitals data from Chrome User Experience Report
3. **Lighthouse Tests** - Running performance tests of the homepage (mobile and desktop)
4. **Uptime Monitoring** - Checking homepage availability
5. **SSL Monitoring** - Verifying certificate status and expiration
6. **Domain Expiration Monitoring** - Tracking when your domain registration expires
7. **Robots.txt Monitoring** - Watching for changes to your robots.txt

To collect real user data, you'll need to [install the tracking scripts](/installation/rum-script).

## Domain Limits [#domain-limits]

The number of domains you can add depends on your plan:

| Plan     | Maximum Domains |
| -------- | --------------- |
| Free     | 1               |
| Starter  | 3               |
| Lite     | 5               |
| Standard | 25              |
| Advanced | 50              |

If you've reached your limit, you can:

* Remove unused domains
* Upgrade your workspace plan

## Domain Settings [#domain-settings]

Configure your domain by navigating to the domain and clicking **Edit** in the sidebar:

### Sitemap Scanning [#sitemap-scanning]

* **Scan Now** - Manually trigger sitemap discovery
* View total URLs discovered and last scan status

### Real User Monitoring (RUM) [#real-user-monitoring-rum]

* **Consent mode** - **No consent** (default) or **Consent given**. RUM saves nothing on the visitor's device at either setting; the setting controls whether the script may read device characteristics such as screen size, device memory, processor, and connection speed. Only pick **Consent given** for visitors who accepted your consent banner.
* **Sample Rate** - Percentage of visitors to track (1-100%)
* **Engagement Tracking** - Track clicks, scroll depth, and form interactions
* **Debug Mode** - Enable console logging for troubleshooting (under **Advanced settings**)
* Copy-ready script tag with your tracking ID

### Web Analytics [#web-analytics]

* **Storage Mode** - None, Session, or Persistent. Session and Persistent store an identifier on the visitor's device, so obtain your visitors' consent before you enable either.
* **Advanced settings** (collapsible):
  * **Single Page App (SPA) Mode** - Auto-detect, Enabled, or Disabled
  * **Debug Mode** - Enable console logging
  * **Page titles and search terms** - tick **Do not store page titles or site-search terms** to stop both from being stored. It is applied when events reach us, so there is no snippet change and no redeploy, and it reaches all traffic on the domain within about a minute. Your reports then show pages by URL only and you lose what visitors searched for.
* **Currency** (under **Report settings**) - Set currency for e-commerce revenue display
* Copy-ready script tag with your tracking ID

### Google Integrations [#google-integrations]

The Edit page shows the linked Google property for the domain:

* **Google Search Console** - Track search performance and indexing

If a property is already linked, the Edit page shows **Change** and **Remove** buttons. To link a property for the first time, open the domain's **Google Search Console** page from the sidebar – the property picker lives there. You connect the underlying Google account once, at the workspace level; see [Workspace Integrations](/workspace/integrations).

## Managing Multiple Domains [#managing-multiple-domains]

### Domain Overview [#domain-overview]

View all your domains from the dashboard:

* Domains are grouped by workspace by default – use **Customize** to organize them into your own custom groups
* Each domain card shows key metrics at a glance:
  * RUM, CrUX, and Synthetic Core Web Vitals
  * Web Analytics (visitors, pageviews, bounce rate)
  * Indexing percentage
  * Robots.txt status
* Click any domain to see detailed monitoring

## Removing a Domain [#removing-a-domain]

<Callout type="warn">
  Deleting a domain immediately deactivates it and removes it from your dashboard. All associated monitoring data is kept for 30 days and then permanently deleted. Once that window ends, the data cannot be recovered.
</Callout>

To remove a domain:

1. Go to **Domain** → **Edit**
2. Scroll to **Danger Zone**
3. Click **Delete Domain**
4. Confirm the deletion

## Troubleshooting [#troubleshooting]

### Domain Not Accessible [#domain-not-accessible]

If VitalSentinel can't verify your domain:

* Check that the URL is correct
* Verify the site is publicly accessible
* Ensure no firewall is blocking our [monitoring IPs](/others/monitoring-ips)

### Missing Data [#missing-data]

If you don't see monitoring data:

* Verify tracking scripts are installed correctly
* Check browser console for script errors
* Ensure sample rate is greater than 0

## Next Steps [#next-steps]

<Cards>
  <Card title="Install RUM Script" href="/installation/rum-script">
    Add real user monitoring
  </Card>

  <Card title="Install Web Analytics Script" href="/installation/analytics-script">
    Track pageviews and events
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set Up Alerts" href="/alerts/setting-up-alerts">
    Get notified about issues
  </Card>
</Cards>