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How to Set Up a Custom Subdomain (CNAME)

Blair Matheson
  • Updated

For a fully white-labeled experience, you can host your campaigns on your own custom subdomain (e.g., play.yourbrand.com). This guide walks you through the CNAME setup process, which involves configuring settings in both our platform and your domain registrar (like GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.).

Requires DNS Access

This is a technical process that requires access to your website's DNS settings. We strongly recommend working with your IT department or website administrator to complete these steps.

Part 1: Generate CNAME Records in Gamify by Optimove

First, you need to tell our system which subdomain you want to use so we can generate the necessary security certificates and DNS records for you.

  1. Navigate to your main account Settings → My domain.
  2. Select 'Custom Domain'
  3. In the 'Domain' field, enter the full subdomain you wish to use (e.g., play.mybrand.com).
  4. Click "Generate certificates for this domain".
  5. The system will generate two CNAME records. For each record, carefully copy both the 'Name' and the 'Value'. You will need these for the next part.

Screenshot 2025-07-10 at 15.31.06.png

Important: You must add these records to your DNS within 72 hours, or the certificate will expire and you will need to restart this process.

Part 2: Add the CNAME Records to Your Domain Registrar

Now, you must add the two records you just copied to your domain's DNS settings. The interface for this varies depending on your provider (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.), but the general process is the same.

  1. Log in to your domain registrar's website.
  2. Find the DNS management page for your domain.
  3. Create two new CNAME records.
  4. For each record, paste the 'Name' and 'Value' that you copied from our platform into the corresponding fields in your registrar's form.
  5. Save the new DNS records.

Note: DNS changes can take up to 24-48 hours to propagate across the internet. The validation in our system may not be successful immediately.

Part 3: Using Your Custom Domain

Once the CNAME records are validated on our end, your custom subdomain is active. The URL for any campaign within the connected brand will now automatically be available on your custom subdomain.

You can find the new URL for any campaign from its Publish page. It will follow the format: your.subdomain.com/campaign-slug.

Fallback Settings (Optional)

These settings determine what a user sees if they try to visit an invalid or broken campaign link on your custom subdomain. These can be found under the 'Additional Settings' tab within the Custom Domain page.

  • Default Campaign: Select a campaign to show as a fallback instead of an error page.
  • Default Error Redirect: Alternatively, enter a URL (like your company's homepage) to redirect users to in case of an error.

If neither is set, users will see a standard 404 error page.

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