Why and How To Set Up A Custom Tracking Subdomain (URL)

Overview

A Tracking Domain is a secondary (or sub) domain name related to your original domain. It allows Apollo to redirect a tracking pixel added to emails to track opens, clicks, and unsubscribes.

Tracking pixels are often flagged as SPAM. To improve the delivery rates for the emails you send through Apollo, you can set up a custom Tracking Subdomain.

Custom Plans Only

Please note, you must purchase an annual Custom plan for access to the Custom Tracking Subdomain feature in Apollo.

Refer to the sections below for more information about how to create, connect, and manage a new Tracking Subdomain.

Create a Custom Tracking Subdomain

To create a custom Tracking Subdomain, you need to first create a CNAME record. To do so, you need admin access to your domain management account.

Domain Management Interface

Please note, every domain provider has a different domain management interface. If you are not sure how to create a CNAME record, visit the online knowledge base for your domain provider and search for Create CNAME.

The table below provides more details about the type of information you will need.

Field	Definition	Field Information	Additional Notes
DNS Record Type	DNS Records include essential information about your domain or host. To set up a Tracking Subdomain, you need to select the record type: Canonical Name (CNAME).	CNAME	A CNAME record maps an alias name to a canonical domain name.
Host/Host Name/Name	Choose any name that is not directly related to your website. This name will become the Subdomain in the URL that you create: subdomain.yourdomain.com	`subdomainexample`	Do not include spaces. This must be text only. Do not include periods. Do not include any words that SPAM filters can easily identify, such as `tracking`.
Value/Data/Points To	The value you enter establishes the connection between your Subdomain and the Apollo tracking servers.	`aplolinks.com`	This field must be `aplolinks.com`.
TTL	TTL is a technical term that refers to how often your subdomain information will be rechecked by relevant servers.	Leave as Default	You can leave this field as whatever value your domain provider uses by default.

Although the interface may vary for each domain provider, here is an example of the layout from an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account. You will need to add data into all of the same CNAME record fields.

Set-Up Time

Please note, once you create and save your CNAME record, it can take between 2-24 hours to fully propagate.

Connect a Custom Subdomain to Apollo

Launch Apollo, hover your mouse over Settings in the navbar, and then click Tracking Subdomains.

Click + New Subdomain.

Enter the custom subdomain in the Domain text-box.

Click Create.

Default Subdomain

Please note, you can only use 1 Tracking Subdomain at a time. If you connect several Tracking Subdomains, Apollo will only use the one you set as default.

When you connect your CNAME record, the word HEALTHY appears on the right-hand side of your screen.

You have now connected your custom Tracking Subdomain.

Tracking Subdomain Status

Please note, if you receive an error message or you see the word UNHEALTHY on the right of your Tracking Subdomain when you connect it with Apollo, check for spelling mistakes and confirm that you filled in all of the required fields in your domain management account. If the problem persists, you need to contact your domain provider's support team. Your account may have been deleted or deactivated on their end.

Manage Tracking Subdomains in Apollo

Refer to the section below for more information about how to make a Tracking Subdomain the default domain, check the statistics, and deactivate a subdomain.

Make a Tracking Subdomain Default in Apollo

You can only use one Tracking Subdomain at a time. The Tracking Subdomain you set as default is the one that Apollo will use.

To set a Tracking Subdomain as default, click the Additional Options (...) button on the right-hand side of the Tracking Subdomain. Then, click Make Default.

You have now changed the default Tracking Subdomain.

View Tracking Statistics

To evaluate the performance of the emails you send and keep track of the open, click, and unsubscribe rates, you can access the Apollo Tracking Statistics.

To view Tracking Statistics, click the Additional Options (...) button on the right-hand side of the Tracking Subdomain. Then, click Check Stats.

The Stats modal includes key statistics related to the performance of the emails sent with the default Tracking Subdomain.

Apollo Tracking Stats

Please note, few contacts open an email immediately after you send it. For this reason, Apollo Tracking Stats reflect data from the previous week and month, rather than from the current week and month.

Deactivate a Tracking Subdomain

Tracking Links Do Not Expire

If your tracking subdomain is Healthy, it means that your recipients’ email servers are not flagging your emails as SPAM. When you check your email statistics in Apollo, you should see high open rates and low bounce rates. If your tracking subdomain is Unhealthy, it means that your recipients’ email servers are flagging your emails as SPAM.

You can expect that email servers will still flag your emails as SPAM on occasion. If you start to see a dramatic decrease in your open rates or an increase in SPAM-blocked emails, you can follow the instructions in Create a Custom Tracking Subdomain to create a new Tracking Subdomain. You can then deactivate the current Tracking Subdomain to remove it from your options and reset your deliverability.

To deactivate a Tracking Subdomain, click the Additional Options (...) button on the right-hand side of the Tracking Subdomain. Then, click Deactivate.

You have now deactivated the Tracking Subdomain.