Configuring a Custom Hostname for Email Tracking and Unsubscribes

Last updated: June 1, 2026

This guide explains how to set up a custom domain for open-tracking, click-tracking, and unsubscribe links. This setup process is a prerequisite for tracking emails in Nooks for opens and link clicks.  

Background

As part of email deliverability best practices, Nooks requires a dedicated custom hostname for email-open tracking, click tracking, and unsubscribe links. By aligning your email tracking and unsubscribe links with your sending domain, these links appear as part of your own organization’s domain instead of a shared one. This setup meaningfully enhances the likelihood that major email providers (such as Google and Outlook) will route your emails directly to the recipient’s inbox rather than their spam folder. Implementing this configuration:

  • Protects sender reputation

  • Improves inbox placement 

  • Minimizes potential deliverability complications

Important Note: To safeguard your sender reputation, email-open tracking, link-click tracking, and unsubscribe links will remain inactive for your Workspace until this setup is complete. Any emails sent during this time will not be tracked for opens or link click; if unsubscribe links are enabled, Nooks will be appended with a plain text prompt to unsubscribe to ensure recipients still have a method to opt out. Once this setup is complete, tracking- and unsubscribe-link functionality will be enabled for your team.

Setup Steps

Follow the steps below to complete the initial tracking hostname configuration.

Note: Step 2 of this process requires DNS access. We recommend reaching out to your IT administrator or domain owner early in the process to expedite the setup.

Step 1: Choose Your Custom Hostname

Determine the subdomain you would like to use for tracking purposes. The format will be track.<your_domain>.com. 

Your domain name must not contain any special characters. We also recommend avoiding the words “Sales” and “Marketing” in your domain name. 

Once you have decided, you can move on to updating your DNS record. 

Step 2: Update Your DNS Record

Next, you or your IT administrator must add a new DNS record through your domain registrar. 

Add the following record:

  • Type: CNAME

  • Name/Host: [your_chosen_hostname]

  • Value/Target: tracking.sep.nooks.in

  • TTL: default/auto

  • Proxy/Cloud/CND: None. Leave this record as a plain, un-proxied CNAME. Do not put it behind Cloudflare, Akamai, or any other CDN.

Adding a CNAME record varies depending on the DNS provider. Instructions for adding a CNAME record for some common DNS providers are linked below. 

Once you have added the DNS record, notify your Nooks Deployment Strategist, Nooks CSM, or Nooks support of your chosen hostname.

Step 3 (Nooks): Platform Configuration

After you provide your chosen hostname, Nooks will configure the backend infrastructure within Cloudflare to support your domain. Nooks will then enable email tracking and unsubscribe link functionality for your Workspace. This process may take up to 24–48 hours, as it can take that long for a new CNAME record to fully propagate.

Your Nooks representative will notify you as soon as the configuration is complete. You can then move on to configuring the email tracking and unsubscribe settings for your Workspace.

FAQs

Why are open-tracking, click-tracking, and unsubscribe links disabled prior to this setup being completed?

As a protective measure for new Nooks Sequencing Workspaces, tracking and unsubscribe links are intentionally paused until your custom domain infrastructure is in place. This ensures you never send emails with at-risk tracking or unsubscribe links, which can negatively impact your sender reputation and your emails’ inbox placement.

Why can’t we proxy the CNAME record through our own CDN (like Cloudflare or Akami)?

The tracking domain must point directly to Nooks’ servers to securely and accurately process tracking events. Proxying the record through an additional CDN will break Nooks’ tracking functionality. 

How long does it take for this setup to take effect? 

Once you add the DNS record on your side, propagation usually occurs within 24–48 hours. Tracking and unsubscribe link functionality will be enabled for your Workspace immediately after.   

Should we use the domain that we are sending emails from as our hostname?

For better deliverability, we recommend configuring your hostname to match the domain your team is using to send emails. 

If your team uses multiple sending domains, we recommend aligning your CNAME’s hostname with the sending domain that has the most send volume.