What a Custom Tracking Domain Is
A custom tracking domain is a subdomain you own, like track.yoursite.com, that your tracking tool uses instead of its own shared domain. Your links become track.yoursite.com/offer rather than a long address on someone else's domain.
It's a small setup job, usually one DNS record, with benefits that last as long as your links do.
Why It Matters
Trust
Links on your own domain look like yours, which matters in emails, ads and social posts.
First-Party Tracking
Code served from your domain is treated as first-party and isn't on common blocklists of third-party trackers.
Deliverability
Email links that match your sending domain avoid a shared domain's reputation.
Portability
Your links aren't tied to the reputation of everyone else on a shared domain.
Setting One Up
- Pick a subdomainSomething like track, click or go, on your main domain.
- Get the target from your toolYour tracker or email platform gives you the host the CNAME should point to.
- Add a CNAME recordIn your DNS provider, create a CNAME with your subdomain as the name and the tool's host as the value.
- Wait for DNSOften within an hour, sometimes up to 48 hours.
- Enable SSLMost tools issue a certificate so links load over HTTPS.
- Add it in your tool and testCreate a link on the new domain and click it to confirm the redirect and tracking.
Example DNS Record
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME | track | The host your tool provides |
If your DNS is on Cloudflare, check your tool's instructions on whether the record should be proxied or DNS-only; some tracking setups need DNS-only.
Common Problems
- Typos in the CNAME value, so the domain doesn't resolve.
- An existing record on the same name blocking the new one.
- No SSL yet, causing browser warnings.
- Deleting the record later, which breaks every link that uses it.
- Changing domains often, which wastes the reputation you've built.
Custom Domains in ClickMagick
ClickMagick lets you serve tracking from your own custom domain, which it describes as making its tracking code unblockable, and its older guides recommend a custom tracking domain for links used on Facebook or in email. Setup takes a CNAME record and a few minutes in your account. See our ClickMagick setup guide.
Put your tracking on your own domain.
Try ClickMagick FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What is a custom tracking domain?
It's a subdomain you own, such as track.yoursite.com, that your tracking or email tool uses for its links and code instead of its own shared domain.
How do I set up a custom tracking domain?
Add a CNAME record in your DNS that points your chosen subdomain to the host your tool gives you, enable SSL, then add the domain in your tool's settings. DNS changes can take from minutes to 48 hours.
Does a custom tracking domain help email deliverability?
It generally helps, because your links match your sending domain and don't share a tracking domain's reputation with other senders.
Does a custom tracking domain stop ad blockers?
It helps, because tracking on your own domain is treated as first-party and isn't on common blocklists of third-party tracking domains. No method avoids every blocker.
What happens if I delete the CNAME record?
Links and tracking that use the domain stop working. Leave the record in place for as long as those links are in use.