What is Custom Tracking Domain and what does it do?
To track email opens and link clicks, we insert special code into emails, typically a URL like xyz.inreg1.com/[code]. This URL is shared among Instantly customers unless you set up a custom tracking domain.
With a custom domain, the inserted code uses your domain, ensuring unique tracking and protecting your sender reputation. It's like bringing your own toothbrush on a trip—preventing shared dental problems.
A custom tracking domain acts as a proxy, isolating your sender reputation from others. In short, always opt for a custom tracking domain.
How to add a custom tracking domain to Instantly?
Note: For Done-For-You or Pre-warmed domains/accounts, we will set up the CNAME record and enable the custom tracking domain automatically.
To add a custom tracking domain to Instantly, you should first create a CNAME record in your domain's DNS page and then enable the custom tracking domain in your Instantly account once the CNAME record is propagated.
Here are the steps to add a custom tracking domain to Instantly.
Go to your domain's DNS panel
Find the domain to create a custom tracking domain for.
Go to Manage/ Edit DNS records.
Add a new CNAME record using the following hostname and value.
Record Type: CNAME
Host: inst
Value: prox.itrackly.com
Click Save to the CNAME record.
Then, go to the Email Accounts dashboard.
Click on the email account and navigate to the Settings section in the pop-up window
Scroll down to find the Custom tracking domain setting and check the box to enable the custom tracking domain
Enter inst.yourdomain.com in Instantly, with yourdomain.com being the domain you added the CNAME record in your DNS Zone.
Click Check Status. It can take up to 24-72 hours for CNAME records to propagate. If the CNAME record hasn't propagated or hasn't been added correctly, you'll see the 'Retrying' status at the bottom of the page.
If everything is set up correctly, you will receive the following notification below the Check Status: CNAME Verified
Click Save to save the setting.
How to verify the CNAME record
If you've set up your CNAME record in the DNS panel, but it is not verified in Instantly, please follow the steps below to ensure your CNAME record is added correctly:
Go to the test tool
Select CNAME Lookup from the drop-down list.
Enter your custom tracking domain (e.g., inst.yourdomain.com).
If your CNAME record has been added correctly, the result should show "prox.itrackly.com" in the Canonical Name field:
However, if the result shows 'DNS Record not found', it means the CNAME record has not been added properly. Please check your CNAME records for any typos or contact your domain provider for assistance.
Record Type: CNAME
Host: inst
Value: prox.itrackly.com
If you're getting the notification "Your domain needs additional verification. Please add the following TXT records to your DNS settings". Please add the provided TXT value in your domain's DNS panel as suggested to complete the setup.
