Why publish on your own domain
- Trust. Visitors who click an ad see your brand in the address bar, not a tool’s name.
- Consistency. Ads, emails and pages all point to the same domain.
- Portability. If you change page tools later, you point the subdomain somewhere else and your links keep working.
Subdomain or a path on your main site?
| Subdomain (go.yourbrand.com) | Path (yourbrand.com/offer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | One DNS record. | Needs changes to your main website or a proxy in front of it. |
| Effect on your main site | None; the page is hosted separately. | The landing page tool and your website have to share one domain. |
| Who can do it | Anyone with access to your DNS settings. | Usually a developer. |
For campaign and ad landing pages, a subdomain is usually the practical choice. A path is worth the extra work mainly when the page is a permanent part of your main website.
Choosing the subdomain
Choose something short and neutral that you can reuse for many campaigns: go, try, offer or get are common choices. Avoid names tied to one campaign, because you will want to keep using the subdomain after that campaign ends.
Check that the name is not already in use in your DNS settings. A subdomain that already points to another service (an email tool, a help centre) cannot point to your page host as well.
Setting it up, step by step
- Add the domain in your page tool. Enter the full subdomain, such as go.yourbrand.com. The tool will show you the record to create.
- Open the DNS settings at the company that manages your domain: your registrar, or a DNS service such as your CDN.
- Add a CNAME record. The name is the subdomain (go); the target is the address your page tool gave you.
- Save and wait. The page tool checks the record, confirms you control the domain and issues an HTTPS certificate.
- Publish the page again if your tool asks you to, so it is also served on the new address.
- Open the address in a private browser window and check that the page loads over HTTPS.
How long the change takes depends on your DNS provider: often minutes, sometimes a few hours.
When the domain does not work
- The record is on the wrong name. Some DNS providers add your domain automatically, so entering go.yourbrand.com as the name creates go.yourbrand.com.yourbrand.com. Enter just go.
- The DNS provider is proxying the record. Some providers can route traffic through their own network; for a CNAME to a page host, this can block verification. Follow your page tool’s instructions on whether the proxy should be on or off.
- Another record exists for the same name. Remove the old record before adding the CNAME.
- The certificate is still pending. Wait a little longer; the address will not load over HTTPS until it is issued.