Connect a custom domain
Everything the person managing your DNS needs to know: which records to add, where, in what order, and how to check that everything is in place.
Before you start
This guide is for whoever has access to the domain's DNS settings: the Capturia account owner, their webmaster, their agency, or their domain provider's support (GoDaddy, Squarespace, OVH, Cloudflare…).
The exact values to copy live in Capturia, not here. In the dashboard, open Administration → Domains, then Details on the domain card (or step 3 of the Add a domain wizard). The Copy all records button copies the full list. The examples below use example.com: replace it with the real domain.
Two rules that apply to every record:
- Add, don't replace. A record already in place that serves something else (your Google Workspace email, another website) must stay.
- Name and value, exactly as shown. No spaces, no
https://, no trailing dot added or removed.
Website hosted with Capturia
When the domain serves your funnels, pages, website or pre-suasion tools, it must point to Capturia's hosting (operated by Vercel). The record type depends on the name you connect:
| Connected name | Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Root domain (example.com) | A | @ (or example.com) | 76.76.21.21 |
www twin of the root domain | CNAME | www | cname.vercel-dns.com |
Subdomain (go.example.com) | CNAME | go | cname.vercel-dns.com |
A subdomain is the recommended choice when a website already lives on the root domain: only go.example.com points to Capturia, while example.com and www.example.com keep working as before.
The security certificate (https) is issued and renewed automatically once the domain is verified: nothing to buy, nothing to install. If the domain already carries CAA lines, read the certificate section below before calling it done.
Email sending
To send from [email protected], Capturia (through Resend) prescribes three authentication records, plus an optional tracking record. The values are specific to each account: copy them from Capturia.
| Role | Type | Name (example) | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| DKIM | TXT | resend._domainkey | Signs your emails: without it, they go out from a generic Capturia address |
| SPF (return path) | MX | send | Receives delivery receipts and bounces |
| SPF | TXT | send | Allows Capturia to send on behalf of the domain |
| Open and click tracking | CNAME | links (or similar) | Measures opens and clicks; without it, they stay at zero |
If your incoming email already runs through this domain (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), nothing changes for it: these records live on sub-names (send, resend._domainkey, links) that don't touch your existing MX records.
Https certificate and CAA lines
A CAA line tells which services a domain trusts to create its security certificates. Most domains have none: any authority may issue, nothing to do. But as soon as a zone carries at least one CAA line, only the listed authorities may issue, and every other one is refused.
Capturia issues your website's certificate through Let's Encrypt. If your domain already carries CAA lines that don't name it, the certificate will never be issued, or will stop being renewed: the website ends up showing a security error. The Capturia wizard detects this at the very first step and then adds this line to the list to copy:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CAA | the name that already carries your CAA lines (usually @, the root domain) | 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" |
With email sending and open tracking enabled, a second CAA line shows up, for Amazon (0 issue "amazon.com"): it secures the click-tracking subdomain. Both lines go in side by side: each line allows one more service, they never replace each other.
Three rules:
- Don't remove any existing CAA line. A line added before Capturia probably serves another certificate (your current website, your mail service).
- Add the line on the name that already carries the CAA set. A name that is a CNAME (
go.example.compointed to Capturia) cannot carry any other record: the line goes on the parent, usually the root domain. - Check. From a terminal:
dig CAA example.com +shortmust list0 issue "letsencrypt.org"among the results.
Verification and timing
Once the records are added, click I've configured my DNS in the wizard (or Verify now on the domain card). Capturia then re-checks automatically, several times an hour.
- Propagation: from a few minutes to a few hours depending on the provider's TTL; 5 to 30 minutes in most cases.
- "Live" badge: hosting is active and the certificate issued. "Email sending enabled" in the Email section: authentication is recognized.
- "Issue" after 24 hours: a record is missing or differs. The domain card names which one; fix it, then click Verify now.
- Open tracking: verified separately from sending. A domain can send (SPF and DKIM green) while the tracking CNAME is still to be added; the card says so.
To check a record from a terminal: dig TXT resend._domainkey.example.com +short, dig CNAME go.example.com +short, dig A example.com +short.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Pending DNS" for more than an hour | The record isn't on the right name, or an old record with the same name remains | Compare with the list in Capturia; delete the old A/CNAME with the same name |
| The website shows a certificate error, or the padlock disappears after a few weeks | A CAA line without letsencrypt.org | Add 0 issue "letsencrypt.org" on the name carrying the CAA lines, without removing anything |
| Emails go out from a generic Capturia address | DKIM never verified (the 1-click connection doesn't add it) | Add the resend._domainkey TXT with the value copied from Capturia |
| Opens and clicks stay at zero | Tracking CNAME missing | Add the CNAME listed under "Open and click tracking" on the card |
www.example.com doesn't respond while example.com works | www CNAME missing | Add www → cname.vercel-dns.com |
| The provider refuses to add a CAA on the subdomain | The name is a CNAME | Add the CAA line on the root domain |
If the problem persists, open Get Support in the dashboard: mention the domain and the record involved, and we'll check it with you.
Leaving Capturia: what to remove, what to keep
Capturia cannot change the DNS at your provider: when you remove a domain, the dialog lists the records actually prescribed to that domain. Clean up in this order:
To remove
- The Capturia hosting records: A
@→76.76.21.21, CNAMEwwwor subdomain →cname.vercel-dns.com. Without this cleanup, visitors see a "Not Found" error. - The Capturia email records if sending was enabled: TXT
resend._domainkey, MX and TXTsend, tracking CNAME.
To keep
- Any CAA line that existed before Capturia, or that serves another service.
- The
0 issue "letsencrypt.org"line if your next host uses Let's Encrypt (most do): removing it can make a website that is still online lose its padlock. - The
0 issue "amazon.com"line only if another Amazon/CloudFront service still issues certificates for this domain.
When in doubt about a CAA line, leave it: one authorization too many has never broken a website, a missing one has.