Set Up a Custom Tracking Subdomain

Overview

A tracking subdomain is a secondary domain, or subdomain, that Apollo uses to route tracking pixels, letting you reliably record opens, clicks, and unsubscribes without touching your main site.

In Apollo, you can create and connect a custom tracking subdomain in seconds, protecting your primary domain’s reputation and boosting your email delivery rates. You can even set up multiple subdomains so each person on the team can use the one that matches their mailbox.

Apollo recommends one tracking subdomain per sending domain. For example, if you manage user1@domain.org and user2@domain.org, plus user1@trydomain.org and user2@trydomain.org, you’d create two subdomains, one for the mailboxes on domain.org and one for those on trydomain.org.

Check out the following sections to create, connect, and manage a new tracking subdomain.

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Create and Connect a Custom Subdomain

To create and connect a custom subdomain:

1. Launch Apollo and click Settings > Team email & sequences > Tracking Subdomains.
2. Click Create Subdomain.

3. Enter your tracking subdomain URL.

4. Next, choose whether to automatically or manually add the DNS records:

• Automatic (Recommended)
• Manual

With automatic addition, Apollo automatically generates a CNAME record for you.

5. Select Automatic addition then click Continue. Apollo automatically detects your domain provider. Log in to your domain provider or use an API key to authorize the connection.

5. Next, choose how to apply the tracking domain:
• Set as default for all mailboxes: Make this tracking subdomain the default for all mailboxes on Apollo.
• Apply to all mailboxes on this sending domain: Set this tracking subdomain for all mailboxes on the sending domain.
• Assign to specific mailboxes: Choose one or more mailboxes from the dropdown.
6. When finished, click Save.

You have now connected a custom tracking subdomain. As a best practice, check your subdomain settings 24 hours after you finish setup to ensure a healthy connection. When you've successfully connected a tracking domain, Apollo shows a healthy status for the subdomain.

 

Multiple Subdomains

Did you know? You can connect multiple subdomains on Apollo. Each user with a linked mailbox can choose which connected subdomain to use for each mailbox. Apollo recommends that the subdomain match the domain of your linked mailbox. However, if that tracking subdomain is unhealthy, you should consider deleting the tracking subdomain and creating another one instead. If you connect several tracking subdomains, Apollo will use the one set as default as the fallback when no option is chosen.

With manual addition, you need to manually create a tracking subdomain in your domain provider, then add the DNS records from Apollo.

5. Access your domain management account to create the tracking subdomain.

 

Domain Management

Each domain provider has a different domain management settings. If you need help creating a CNAME record, visit the knowledge base for your domain provider and search for create CNAME.

6. Manually copy each DNS record to your domain provider. Then select Manual addition in Apollo.

The following provides more details about the type of information you'll need to create the tracking subdomain on your domain provider:

Field	Definition	Field value	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 isn't directly related to your website. This name will become the subdomain in the URL that you create: subdomain.yourdomain.com.	subdomainexample	Don't include spaces. This must be text only. Don't include periods. Don't 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.	Copy the custom value from the tracking subdomain settings in Apollo.	Click Settings > Sales engagement > Tracking subdomains > + New Subdomain. Manually copy the value from Apollo.
TTL	TTL (time-to-live) 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.

As an example, here's a CNAME record from a GoDaddy account:

 

Fields May Vary

If you manage your DNS through platforms like AWS or cPanel, consult their subdomain support guides to ensure you’re following the latest, provider-specific instructions.

7. Once you create and save your CNAME record in your domain provider, it can take between 2-24 hours to fully propagate. When finished, click Continue in Apollo, and Apollo checks the records for validity.
8. Next, choose how to apply the tracking domain:
• Set as default for all mailboxes: Make this tracking subdomain the default for all mailboxes on Apollo.
• Apply to all mailboxes on this sending domain: Set this tracking subdomain for all mailboxes on the sending domain.
• Assign to specific mailboxes: Choose one or more mailboxes from the dropdown.
9. When finished, click Save.

You have now connected a custom tracking subdomain.

As a best practice, check your subdomain settings 24 hours after you finish setup to ensure a healthy connection. When you've successfully connected a tracking domain, Apollo shows a healthy status for the subdomain.

 

Multiple Subdomains

Did you know? You can connect multiple subdomains on Apollo. Each user with a linked mailbox can choose which connected subdomain to use for each mailbox. Apollo recommends that the subdomain match the domain of your linked mailbox. However, if that tracking subdomain is unhealthy, you should consider deleting the tracking subdomain and creating another one instead. If you connect several tracking subdomains, Apollo will use the one set as default as the fallback when no option is chosen.

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View Tracking Statistics

You can access Apollo’s tracking statistics to monitor your emails’ performance through open, click, and unsubscribe rates.

To view email tracking statistics:

1. Click ... beside the tracking subdomain. Then, click Check Stats.

Stats include key statistics related to the performance of the emails sent with the default tracking subdomain, like spamblock rate. Learn more about email tracking on Apollo.

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Deactivate a Tracking Subdomain

You can expect that email servers will still occasionally flag your emails as spam. If you start to see a dramatic decrease in your open rates or an increase in spam-blocked emails, set up a new custom tracking subdomain. Then, deactivate the current tracking subdomain to remove it from your options and reset your deliverability. Remember to follow email deliverability best practices to avoid spam filters.

To deactivate a tracking subdomain:

1. Click ✕ beside the tracking subdomain. Choose a tracking subdomain to replace this one, then click Deactivate.

You have now deactivated a tracking subdomain.

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Troubleshoot Errors

After you connect your tracking subdomain to Apollo, encountering an error message or seeing an “unhealthy” status usually boils down to one of two primary reasons:

• CAA permission error
• CNAME error

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Next Steps

Here are some next steps to help you boost your email deliverability and protect your domain reputation:

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