Set up your tracking domain

A tracking domain is a branded subdomain on your own domain (for example track.acme.com) that powers open and click tracking and rewrites the links in your emails. Using your own subdomain — instead of a shared one — protects your link reputation and keeps your branding consistent.

RadarSend automatically provisions the TLS certificate for your tracking domain, so there’s nothing to buy or renew. You just add two DNS records.

Before you begin#

• Access to your domain’s DNS settings.
• (That’s it — a tracking domain doesn’t depend on a sending provider.)

Step 1 — Start the tracking setup#

Go to Settings → Developer → Web & tracking domains and click Set up tracking. (You can also reach this from the Set up email tracking item in the home-page setup checklist.)

The wizard has three steps: Address → DNS records → Your senders.

Step 2 — Choose your tracking address#

On Choose your tracking address, pick the subdomain label. Most people use track, which becomes track.yourdomain.com. Click Continue.

Step 3 — Add the DNS records#

On Add these to your DNS, RadarSend shows two CNAME records. Add both at your DNS provider, then click I’ve added these records.

1. Routing (CNAME) — points your tracking hostname at RadarSend.
2. Certificate validation (CNAME) — a one-time _acme-challenge.… record that lets RadarSend auto-issue and renew the SSL certificate.

Use the Copy buttons to copy each Name and Value exactly.

RadarSend checks the records automatically (it re-checks every few seconds) and you’ll see the status move from Awaiting DNS → Issuing certificate → Live. You can also click Check again. There’s an Email these instructions to someone option if your DNS is managed by a teammate.

Step 4 — Turn it on for your senders#

Once the domain is Live, the Use this for your senders step lists your senders on that domain. Tick the ones that should use this tracking domain and click Finish — turn on for {n} sender(s).

That’s it — your links and open/click tracking now run through your branded domain.

Common issues#

• Stuck on “Awaiting DNS.” The CNAME records aren’t visible yet. Double-check the Name and Value match exactly, and give DNS time to propagate (usually minutes, sometimes longer).
• Stuck on “Issuing certificate” (Cloudflare). The routing record is likely proxied — switch it to DNS-only (grey cloud) so the certificate can validate.
• Sender still shows “Needs setup.” Open the sender and make sure a Tracking domain is selected, or re-run the wizard’s Your senders step.

Good to know#

• You can run tracking from your primary domain with an optional first-party setup (the wizard offers Set up first-party tracking at the end). It forwards tracking links through your main site for the strongest first-party signal — an advanced, optional step.
• A tracking domain is separate from your sending domain: the sending domain authenticates who sends, the tracking domain measures what recipients do.