How to set up your custom tracking domain

Outline:

• Create a sub-domain and a CNAME DNS record
• Connect your CTD to your Snov.io email account
• Test your CTD

Setting up your own custom tracking domain (CTD) will increase deliverability and inbox ratio of your emails.

If your sender email is based on the same domain which you set up as your CTD, it will be helpful for deliverability, since the domain in your tracked links will match the domain in your sender email address.

In addition, using a custom tracking domain will help to build up on your sender reputation and make recipients’ ESPs trust your emails more.

Your outgoing emails will refer to your own domain, instead of default domains that are shared among many Snov.io customers.

Custom tracking domain will be used for: 

• Unsubscribe link: the Unsubscribe button in your emails will use your own domain
• Email open tracking: your own domain will be used to track opens from your  Snov.io emails
• Link tracking: your own tracking domain will be used to track link clicks from your emails

Create a sub-domain and a CNAME DNS record

Creating a subdomain requires making a change to the DNS (Domain Name Service) records for your domain.

Changing your domain’s DNS settings requires admin access.

Adding and editing DNS records differs from one web host to another, but generally you need to do the following:

log in to your domain hosting account

go to DNS section

select the domain you want to add a subdomain to

find a button to create a new record in the DNS

choose CNAME in the TYPE field

type snov-stream.com. (Snov.io tracking domain you need to connect to) in the VALUE or POINTS TO field

Tip: leave the dot after com if its accepted, if not remove it.

  type track in the HOST or NAME field

Tip: the host name can be changed per your liking, e.g. tracking or trk.

choose the default option in the TTL field and save the record

Tip: The newly created sub-domain’s URL address will have a format: track.yourdomain.com.

Depending on your hosting provider, the above steps may vary. Here are a few tutorials for specific hosting providers:

• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• BlueHost
• Hostinger
• WIX.com

Note: It may take some time for the DNS (Domain Name System) to update the settings for your domain. You may have to wait anywhere from a few minutes to 72 hours before being able to connect your CTD to Snov.io.

Before going to the next step, check the DNS propagation at whatsmydns.net.

Type in the URL address of your sub-domain in the search field (1) → choose CNAME type (2) → click the Search button (3).

If you see that your CTD has spread globally and connected to snov-stream.com, we’re ready for the next step. 

Connect your CTD to your Snov.io email account

Go to your Snov.io account.

Click on the avatar icon in the top-right corner of your Snov.io screen:

open the My Account menu

select the Email Accounts tab

click the Edit button near your email account record

scroll down and enable Custom tracking domain option

type in the URL address of your sub-domain

click the Save Settings button

Tip: for example, if your domain is domain.com, then the URL address should be track.domain.com.

Don’t worry if the URL address is not recognized by Snov.io right away as it may take up to 72 hours before your DNS record gets activated. Give it some time and get back to finish the set-up later if you see this error. 

Test your CTD

Once you’re able to Save Settings, there’s a way to double-check if it’s working:

Copy-paste your custom domain URL into your browser and see if it displays the message below:

From that point onward, Snov.io will use your own domain to handle unsubscribes, track opens and link clicks statistics on every email sent using this specific email account.

Check out our video guide on how to set up your custom tracking domain:

Feel free to ping us over the chat box if you have any remaining questions.

Happy sending!