Configure Custom Link Tracking
Configure optional custom tracking domains (CNAME records) to brand and secure email click metrics under yourdomain.com.
Overview
Link tracking allows you to measure recipient interaction with your sent emails by wrapping links inside your messages. By default, click tracking is disabled for each email and must be explicitly opted-in by passing the enableClickTracking parameter set to true in your API send requests. For transactional emails, we recommend leaving click tracking disabled to minimize delivery latency and avoid link mismatch warnings. When enabled, tracking links will use Simply Send's default tracking domain unless you configure a custom tracking subdomain here to route links through your own branded subdomain.
Why It's Needed
Setting up a custom CNAME record maps a branded subdomain (e.g. us-t-link.yourdomain.com for transactional or us-m-link.yourdomain.com for marketing) to Simply Send's tracking servers. When recipients hover over or click links inside your emails, they see your domain instead of a third-party tracking domain. This builds brand consistency, increases recipient trust, and prevents modern anti-spam filters from flagging your emails for link destination mismatches.
Note on Open Tracking
Open tracking does not require a dedicated DNS record. It is handled automatically using an invisible 1x1 transparent tracking pixel injected into your email HTML body. Similar to click tracking, open tracking is disabled by default. We recommend leaving open tracking disabled for transactional emails to avoid latency and spam-filter scrutiny. If you set up a custom link tracking domain, the open tracking requests will automatically route through your custom subdomain as well.
Step 1: Retrieve Your Tracking Records
Log in to Simply Send, go to the Domains page, select your domain, and navigate to the DNS Records page. Under the Tracking section, you will find your custom CNAME record details.
Step 2: DNS Record Specifications
Add the following CNAME record to your DNS configuration panel:
| Stream Type | Record Type | Host / Name | Value / Points to | TTL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transactional | CNAME | us-t-link.yourdomain.com | us-t-link.simplysend.email | 1 hour | Optional |
| Marketing | CNAME | us-m-link.yourdomain.com | us-m-link.simplysend.email | 1 hour | Optional |
Step 3: Configuration Guide & Critical Considerations
Optional vs. Mandatory Verification Toggle
By default, verifying the custom tracking subdomain is optional. You can choose whether it is required to verify your domain by configuring the Tracking toggle switch in your DNS Settings panel:
- Toggled OFF (Default - Optional): Your domain can achieve a
SUCCESSverification status even if the link record is missing or unverified. If click tracking is enabled during send calls, tracking URLs will automatically fall back to Simply Send's default tracking domain. - Toggled ON (Mandatory): The domain status will remain
PENDINGuntil the respective CNAME record (e.g.us-t-link.yourdomain.com) is successfully verified in DNS. Once verified, click and open tracking will route through your custom subdomain.
CNAME Flatting & Cloudflare DNS Only Mode
If you use Cloudflare as your DNS provider, ensure the tracking CNAME record (e.g. us-t-link) is configured as DNS Only (grey cloud icon). Proxying this subdomain through Cloudflare's CDN will block Simply Send from verifying the CNAME and routing redirect parameters.
Example CNAME DNS Entry:
Host: us-t-link.yourdomain.com
Type: CNAME
Value: us-t-link.simplysend.emailStep 4: Verify and Activate
Wait for Propagation
DNS CNAME record propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours to replicate across global caching servers.
Enable in Console
Once propagation completes, click "Verify Domain" in your Simply Send dashboard to activate branded tracking links.