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# Using a Custom Domain for Your Branded Tracking Page

### Introduction

By default your Branded Tracking Page sits on a Ship24 subdomain. Adding a custom domain lets customers track their orders on your own domain instead, so your brand stays consistent from checkout to delivery.

This article covers adding a domain and verifying it. For the rest of the page setup, see [setting up your Branded Tracking Page](https://help.ship24.com/en/article/setting-up-your-branded-tracking-page-13vfcxl/).

### In this article

* [Why use a custom domain](#3-why-use-a-custom-domain)
* [Before you start](#3-before-you-start)
* [How verification works](#3-how-verification-works)
* [Add your custom domain](#3-add-your-custom-domain)
* [Add the DNS records at your provider](#3-add-the-dns-records-at-your-provider)
* [Finish verification](#3-finish-verification)
* [Troubleshooting](#3-troubleshooting)

### Why use a custom domain

With a custom domain:

* Your tracking page is reached from your own domain
* Customers never see a Ship24 address in the URL bar
* Post-purchase emails and links stay recognisably yours
* Your existing website and DNS setup keep working as they are

### Before you start

You will need:

* An active subscription to the Tracking Solution Pro plan
* A domain you own and control
* Access to the DNS settings for that domain, either at your registrar or your DNS provider

||| You must have DNS access to the domain. Free subdomains, and domains managed by a third party that does not give you DNS access, cannot be configured.

|| Each tracking page has its own custom domain. If you run several pages, add a domain to each one separately. Duplicating a page does not copy its custom domain.

### How verification works

Ship24 asks you to add two DNS records to your domain:

* A **TXT record** to prove you own the domain
* A **CNAME record** to point your chosen subdomain at Ship24

Once both records are detected, Ship24 verifies the domain and activates it. The status changes from **Pending** to **Verified**.

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though in most cases it happens within a few minutes to a few hours.

### Add your custom domain

1. Open **Tracking Pages** in the sidebar and open the page you want to use.
2. Go to the **General** tab and expand **Custom Domain**.
3. Type your domain in the field, then click **Add**.
4. Your domain appears with status **Pending**. Click **Verify** next to it.
5. A window opens with two tabs, one for the **TXT record** and one for the **CNAME record**. Copy both.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/b/0/5/d/b05de28401784000/btp-v2-general-tab_g67ohc.png =1600x900)

The Custom Domain section is marked 2 in the General tab above.

### Add the DNS records at your provider

Add both records wherever your DNS is managed. Guides for common providers follow.

###### Google Domains and Squarespace Domains

1. Go to [domains.squarespace.com](https://domains.squarespace.com) and select your domain.
2. Click **DNS** in the left menu, then **Custom records**.
3. Click **Create new record**.
4. Add the TXT record with type `TXT`, host left blank for the root domain, and the verification string from Ship24 as the value.
5. Add the CNAME record with type `CNAME`, your chosen subdomain as the host, and `track.ship24.com` as the value.
6. Save both records.

###### GoDaddy

1. Log in to [godaddy.com](https://godaddy.com) and go to **My Products > Domains**.
2. Click **DNS** next to your domain.
3. Click **Add New Record**.
4. Add the TXT record with type `TXT`, name `@` for the root domain, and the verification string from Ship24 as the value.
5. Add the CNAME record with type `CNAME`, your chosen subdomain as the name, and `track.ship24.com` as the value.
6. Save both records.

###### HostGator

1. Log in to your HostGator control panel (cPanel).
2. Go to **Domains > Zone Editor** and click **Manage** next to your domain.
3. Click **Add Record**.
4. Add the TXT record with type `TXT`, your root domain as the name, and the verification string from Ship24 as the value.
5. Add the CNAME record with type `CNAME`, your chosen subdomain as the name, and `track.ship24.com` as the value.
6. Save both records.

###### Hover

1. Log in to [hover.com](https://hover.com) and click your domain.
2. Go to the **DNS** tab.
3. Click **Add a Record**.
4. Add the TXT record with type `TXT`, hostname `@` for the root domain, and the verification string from Ship24 as the value.
5. Add the CNAME record with type `CNAME`, your chosen subdomain as the hostname, and `track.ship24.com` as the value.
6. Save both records.

### Finish verification

Go back to Ship24 and click **Verify**. Ship24 checks your DNS for both records. If they are found, the window closes and the status updates to **Verified** with the date.

Your tracking page is then reached at your custom domain, and customers see your domain in the URL bar.

|| If verification fails straight away, wait a few minutes and try again, since DNS changes are not always instant.

| If verification fails, the status shows **Invalid** and your tracking page keeps working on its default Ship24 URL. Nothing breaks while you sort the DNS out.

### Troubleshooting

###### My domain shows Invalid after clicking Verify

* Check that both the TXT and the CNAME record have been added, since both are required
* Check the Name and Value fields for typos
* Wait and try again, as propagation can take up to 48 hours
* If you use **Cloudflare**, disable the proxy on the CNAME record so it shows the grey cloud and reads DNS only. A proxied CNAME will fail verification

###### I do not know who manages my DNS

Your DNS may be managed somewhere other than where you bought the domain. Add the records wherever DNS is currently managed, not necessarily at your registrar. Check with your hosting provider or IT team if you are unsure.

###### I removed my custom domain by mistake

Removing a custom domain is permanent and stops it working immediately. Add the domain again and go through verification from the start.

If you are still stuck, [contact our support team](https://www.ship24.com/contact-us).

### Next steps

With your domain live, [customize the content and styling of your page](https://help.ship24.com/en/article/customizing-your-branded-tracking-page-svsoki/), or set up [delivery notifications](https://help.ship24.com/en/article/customizing-your-delivery-notifications-1qz8zip/) so customers are emailed as their status changes.