A branded short domain is the single highest-leverage branding move for your links: every URL you send becomes a trust signal instead of a liability (the data on CTR is unambiguous). The setup is small — a DNS record, a TLS certificate, a dashboard toggle — but the details matter. This guide walks the exact steps, the troubleshooting, and the migration path.
Step 1 — Choose the hostname
The standard pattern is a subdomain of your main domain:
go.yourbrand.com ← recommended
link.yourbrand.com ← also common
lnk.yourbrand.com ← shorter for SMS
Why a subdomain rather than the apex: the link platform's DNS stays isolated from your site's records, cookies on your main domain don't interact with the link layer, and traffic classification (logs, analytics, security reviews) becomes trivial.
Step 2 — Add the domain in the dashboard
In the dashboard's domain settings, enter go.yourbrand.com. The platform validates that the domain is not already claimed, then presents the record to create.
Step 3 — Point DNS
At your DNS provider, create a CNAME:
Type: CNAME
Name: go
Value: <edge hostname provided in the dashboard>
TTL: 300 (or lowest available)
For apex domains (yourbrand.com directly), your provider may require A/ALIAS records to the platform's edge IPs — the dashboard shows the exact values after validation.
Verify propagation:
dig +short go.yourbrand.com CNAME
# → <edge hostname> (when propagated)
Step 4 — TLS
The platform issues and renews certificates automatically (Let's Encrypt, 90-day rotation, auto-renewal). Expected timeline: seconds to minutes after DNS resolves. HTTPS is enforced — plain HTTP requests are upgraded with HSTS (max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains).
Step 5 — Create branded links
New links can now use go.yourbrand.com by default; the custom alias rules apply unchanged. Existing links keep their old domain — migration is a separate, deliberate step.
Migrating existing links
If you're moving links from another domain or provider:
- Export all links (CSV export or the provider's export).
- Re-shorten the same destinations under the new domain — the bulk creation guide covers volume workflows.
- Forward the old URLs with 301s from the old domain so bookmarks and printed materials don't die. For Bitly and Short.io specifically, the migration guides give the exact mapping.
- Compare analytics for two weeks before sunsetting the old domain.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Domain not verified" | DNS not propagated / wrong record | dig the record; wait TTL; re-verify |
| Certificate pending | DNS just propagated | Wait 1–2 min, refresh |
| Mixed content warnings | Links embedded on HTTP pages | Upgrade the embedding page to HTTPS |
| Links stop resolving | Domain removed / DNS removed | Re-add; check dashboard state |
| Email clients blocking | Domain flagged elsewhere | Check reputation; use subdomain |
Measurement: the branded domain dashboard
Every link on the custom domain reports into the same analytics pipeline: bot-filtered clicks, devices, referrers, daily series, per-link breakdowns. The domain itself becomes a filter — compare go.yourbrand.com traffic vs your old domain during migration to prove the switch didn't cost clicks.
Conclusion
Branded short domains are a five-minute DNS task with a permanent trust dividend: every link you ship carries your brand instead of a stranger's. Add go.yourbrand.com in the dashboard, point the CNAME, let TLS issue itself, and start creating branded links — the API picks up the domain automatically for all new links.