Use a custom tracking domain

By default, the open pixel and rewritten click links in your mail point at a shared Samva tracking host. Custom tracking serves them from a subdomain of your own verified sending domain instead, so a recipient who inspects a link sees track.yourdomain.com rather than a shared host. Analytics and the message timeline are unchanged; only the hostname on the links moves.

Custom tracking is included on the Growth and Scale plans. This guide takes you from enabling it to a live custom host.

Before you start

You need:

• A Samva account on the Growth or Scale plan. On other plans the option shows an upgrade prompt instead.
• A verified sending domain. The custom host must be a subdomain of a domain you have already verified.
• Access to that domain's DNS settings. Some DNS providers also support Samva's automatic setup.

1. Enable custom tracking

Pick the subdomain label that carries your links. Most teams use track, which produces track.yourdomain.com; any label that is valid under your domain works.

Enabling returns the two DNS records you publish next. If your plan does not include custom tracking, the request is refused rather than provisioned.

2. Set up DNS

The dashboard checks whether your DNS provider supports automatic setup. When Set up automatically appears, select it and approve both records at your DNS provider. Returning to Samva means the records were submitted, not that the custom host is ready. Samva keeps checking DNS and certificate readiness before it starts using the host.

If you cancel, the setup link expires, your hostname changes, or your provider cannot complete the request, use the exact manual records shown in the dashboard or start automatic setup again. The manual records are always available and automatic setup never replaces readiness checks.

Add the records manually

Custom tracking uses exactly two CNAME records:

• A tracking record that points your subdomain (for example track.yourdomain.com) at Samva's tracking host.
• A record under _acme-challenge for your subdomain that lets Samva keep the subdomain's HTTPS certificate issued and renewing on your behalf.

Copy the host and value for each from the dashboard section or the status command rather than retyping them; the exact values are specific to your domain.

3. Confirm it goes live

After the records resolve, Samva issues the certificate and points your tracking links at the custom host. Readiness moves from pending to active on its own; how long that takes depends on how quickly your DNS changes are visible. New sends keep using the shared tracking host until readiness is active. Check the status any time:

samva email domains custom-tracking status dom_abc123

If a CAA record on your domain authorizes a different certificate authority, it can block the certificate and readiness stays at caa-blocked. Add a CAA record that authorizes Samva's certificate provider, or remove the conflicting record, and readiness clears on the next check. Once readiness is active, new sends with tracking enabled use your custom host.

Disable custom tracking

Disabling reverts your sends to the shared tracking host and starts tearing the custom host down immediately. There is no grace period: once the custom host is torn down, its tracking links in already-delivered mail stop working. Open and click events already recorded stay in your timeline and analytics; only the custom links stop working.

samva email domains custom-tracking disable dom_abc123 --yes

If your plan changes

A plan change that removes custom tracking is gentler than a manual disable. Samva notices the change when your subscription updates, moves the custom host to teardown-scheduled, and switches new sends to the shared tracking host right away. The custom host keeps serving the links in mail you already sent for a 30-day grace period, and the status reports the teardown date as teardownScheduledAt.

If custom tracking returns to your plan before that date, the custom host goes back to active and new sends use it again, with no DNS changes. Otherwise, at the teardown date Samva tears the custom host down exactly as a manual disable does, and its links in already-delivered mail stop working. To use custom tracking again after that, enable it again.

A custom host still being set up when the plan change arrives, with status pending or caa-blocked, gets no grace period: Samva stops the setup and disables the host right away. If custom tracking returns to your plan, enable it again.

See Control engagement tracking for how open and click tracking, per-send overrides, and recipient opt-outs work regardless of which host serves your links.