Tracking and bounce domains

To get optimal results in your email communications, it's essential to have a properly configured custom domain for your sends with Mailrelay.

What is a custom domain?

A custom domain is a configuration that lets you replace the generic domain assigned to you in tracking links and image URLs with a personalized one, to improve deliverability and give your subscribers a better perception of your emails.

You can create several custom domains in your account, which is useful if your company has multiple domains you're authorized to use in your Mailrelay account. You can also use it for emails sent via SMTP when the "SMTP tracking" option is enabled.

IMPORTANT: This configuration must be done in your domain's DNS panel. If you're not sure how to do it, contact your hosting provider so they can do it for you.

Setting up a custom domain

Go to Settings >> Custom Domain and click +Add.

A new window will appear where you must enter the subdomain you want to use as your custom domain in the Domain field (e.g., newsletter.consultorpc.com). Then click Next.

A window will show the record you need to create to complete setup in two steps:

1. Add the following record to your DNS provider:This displays the CNAME record you must add in your DNS control panel.

   newsletter.consultorpc.com     CNAME     consultorpc2.ipzmarketing.com

   In this example, the Mailrelay account is consultorpc2.ipzmarketing.com and the chosen subdomain is newsletter.consultorpc.com. (If you are unsure how to add this record, contact your hosting provider for assistance.)

2. Once added, click Check: After creating the CNAME record in your DNS control panel, check the box I have added the records and click the Check button.

Clicking Check will yield one of two outcomes:

The domain is correct

If the custom domain is correctly configured, a green message will appear: Custom domain has been created successfully.

The new entry will appear under Settings >> Custom Domain. Finally, enable asynchronous bounces for your account by clicking "Enable asynchronous bounces" (this will change the red "No" label to a green "Yes" label); this feature captures bounces that occur after the message has been sent, so we recommend enabling it. With asynchronous bounces enabled, your custom domain is also used as the Return-Path address for emails sent via SMTP, regardless of whether or not SMTP tracking is enabled.

The domain is not correct

If the configuration was not done correctly, a red error message will appear: This domain is not configured yet. You will need to create the DNS entry pointing to our server.

If this happens, re-check your DNS settings or contact Mailrelay online support for help.

Deleting a custom domain

Under Settings >> Custom domains, click the red trash can icon that appears to the right of the domain. Once deleted, your emails will use Mailrelay’s generic domain.

If you have published landing pages, please first review the "Custom domains and landing pages" section.

Custom domains and landing pages

In the dashboard, the URL for each landing page is displayed using your default custom domain. If you change the default domain, the dashboard will show the URL with the new domain; however, existing links will continue to work—each landing page can be accessed via any of the custom domains in your account. This allows you to use whichever domain you prefer for your links.

Conversely, if you delete a custom domain, any landing page links that use that domain will stop working and result in a "page not found" error. If you have shared a landing page using that domain (for example, in advertisements or on social media), do not delete it. If you have already deleted it, add it back under Settings >> Custom domains. Provided the CNAME record remains in your DNS settings, the links will begin working again.

If images do not appear in your emails but are visible in the dashboard

If the domain you are using as a custom domain expires, or if its CNAME record is deleted, the emails you send will fail to load images, and tracking links will not work—even if everything looks correct in the dashboard preview and the "DNS configured?" column still shows "Yes." Check with your domain provider to ensure the domain is still active and that the CNAME record points to your account; alternatively, delete the custom domain to revert to using the generic one. Afterward, send yourself a new test email to verify that everything is working correctly.