A custom subdomain allows you to host your Avocadata white-label data marketplace on your own branded URL (e.g., data.youragency.com or marketplace.yourcompany.io) instead of a generic Avocadata-hosted link. This guide walks you through the complete process of connecting your domain, from DNS configuration to SSL certificate provisioning.

Whether you're using Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, DigitalOcean, AWS Route 53, or any other DNS provider, you'll find step-by-step instructions tailored to your setup. The entire process typically takes 5-20 minutes of active work, plus some waiting time for DNS propagation.

This guide also covers setting up tracking subdomains for email engagement monitoring, allowing you to track opens, clicks, and other metrics through your own branded domain.

Why Use a Custom Domain for Your Data Marketplace?

Setting up a custom subdomain for your Avocadata store isn't just about aesthetics—it delivers tangible business benefits that can impact your bottom line. Here's why leading data sellers prioritize branded domains:

Build Trust and Credibility with Data Buyers

When potential customers see data.yourcompany.com instead of a third-party URL, they immediately recognize your brand. This familiarity reduces friction in the buying process and increases conversion rates. Studies show that branded URLs can improve click-through rates by up to 39% compared to generic links.

Improve Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Custom domains allow search engines to associate your marketplace content directly with your primary domain authority. This means:

• Your data product listings can rank in Google searches
• Backlinks to your marketplace strengthen your overall domain authority
• You maintain complete control over your URL structure and metadata
• Your marketplace benefits from any existing SEO work on your main domain

Maintain Brand Consistency Across Touchpoints

Your data marketplace becomes a seamless extension of your existing web presence. Customers navigating from your main website to your data store experience a cohesive journey without jarring URL changes that might raise security concerns.

Enable Advanced Analytics and Tracking

With a custom subdomain, you can:

• Integrate your marketplace into existing Google Analytics properties
• Track user journeys across your main site and data store
• Implement first-party cookies without cross-domain limitations
• Set up unified conversion tracking for your marketing campaigns
• Monitor email engagement through custom tracking subdomains

Future-Proof Your Business

Owning your customer-facing URL means you're never locked into a single platform. If you ever need to migrate to a different solution, your customers' bookmarks, backlinks, and search rankings remain intact.

Before You Begin: Prerequisites and Requirements

Before starting the domain connection process, make sure you have the following in place:

What You'll Need

• An active Avocadata account on a plan that supports custom domains (Professional or Enterprise)
• A registered domain name that you own and control
• Access to your DNS management panel (where your nameservers point)
• 5-20 minutes of uninterrupted time

How to Find Your Current Nameservers

If you're unsure where your DNS is managed, you can check your nameservers using these methods:

Method 1: Use a WHOIS Lookup

Visit a WHOIS lookup service and enter your domain. Look for the "Name Servers" section in the results.

Method 2: Use Command Line (macOS/Linux)

dig NS yourdomain.com +short

Method 3: Use Command Line (Windows)

nslookup -type=ns yourdomain.com

The nameserver results tell you where to manage DNS:

Understanding DNS Records: A Quick Primer

Before diving into the configuration steps, it helps to understand what we're actually setting up. Don't worry—you don't need to become a DNS expert, but knowing the basics will help you troubleshoot issues and make informed decisions.

What is a CNAME Record?

A CNAME (Canonical Name) record is a type of DNS record that creates an alias from one domain name to another. When someone visits your custom subdomain, the CNAME record tells their browser: "Don't look here—go to this other address instead."

Think of it like mail forwarding: when you move to a new house, you set up forwarding so mail sent to your old address arrives at your new one. A CNAME record works similarly for web traffic.

DNS records include essential information about your domain or host. To set up a custom subdomain (whether for your marketplace or for tracking), you need to select the record type: Canonical Name (CNAME). A CNAME record maps an alias name to a canonical domain name.

CNAME vs. A Record: What's the Difference?

Avocadata uses CNAME records because they're more flexible. If we ever need to change our server infrastructure, your domain will automatically follow—no action required on your end.

What is TTL (Time to Live)?

TTL determines how long DNS resolvers cache your record before checking for updates. It refers to how often your subdomain information will be rechecked by relevant servers. It's measured in seconds:

• 300 seconds (5 minutes) — Fast propagation, useful during initial setup
• 3600 seconds (1 hour) — Standard default for most providers
• 86400 seconds (24 hours) — Reduces DNS lookups but slow to update

You can typically leave this field as whatever value your domain provider uses by default.

What is DNS Propagation?

DNS propagation is the time it takes for DNS changes to spread across the internet's global network of servers. When you add a CNAME record, it doesn't instantly appear everywhere—DNS servers around the world need to learn about the change.

Propagation times vary:

• Cloudflare: Often instant to 5 minutes (they have their own global network)
• GoDaddy, Namecheap: Typically 15-60 minutes
• Some enterprise DNS: Up to 24-48 hours (rare)

Once you create and save your CNAME record in your domain provider, it can take between 2-24 hours to fully propagate across all global DNS servers.

Step 1: Get Your Avocadata Target Value

Before configuring your DNS provider, you need to retrieve the unique "Target" address from your Avocadata dashboard. This is the destination that your CNAME record will point to.

1. Log in to your Avocadata account and navigate to the main dashboard.
2. Go to Settings → Marketplace → Custom Domains using the left sidebar navigation.
3. Click "Add Subdomain" (or "+ New Subdomain") and enter your desired prefix. This is the part that comes before your domain name:
   • Enter data to create data.yourdomain.com
   • Enter marketplace to create marketplace.yourdomain.com
   • Enter shop to create shop.yourdomain.com
4. Copy the Target Value displayed on screen. It will look something like:

   ingress.avocadata.com

   Manually copy this value—you'll paste it into your DNS provider in the next step.

Choosing the Right Subdomain Name

Your subdomain choice affects both user experience and brand perception. The name you choose will become the subdomain in the URL that you create: subdomain.yourdomain.com.

Step 2: Configure Your DNS Provider

Select the guide below that matches your DNS provider. Each domain provider has different domain management settings. If you need help creating a CNAME record for a provider not listed here, visit the knowledge base for your domain provider and search for "create CNAME."

You will need to manually copy each DNS record to your domain provider, then return to Avocadata to complete the setup.

Step 3: Verify Your Connection and Assign Domain

After adding the CNAME record at your DNS provider, return to Avocadata to verify the connection and complete setup.

1. Go back to Avocadata → Settings → Marketplace → Custom Domains.
2. Find your pending domain in the list and click "Verify Connection" (or click "Continue" if prompted).
3. Wait for verification:
   • Cloudflare users: Usually instant to 5 minutes
   • GoDaddy/Namecheap users: Typically 15-60 minutes
   • Other providers: Can take between 2-24 hours to fully propagate
4. Check the status indicator:
   • 🟢 Healthy: DNS verified, SSL certificate issued — connection successful
   • 🟡 Pending: DNS verified, SSL certificate being issued
   • 🔴 Error: DNS not resolving (see troubleshooting)
5. Choose how to apply the domain:
   • Set as default for all mailboxes: Make this subdomain the default for all mailboxes on Avocadata.
   • Apply to all mailboxes on this sending domain: Set this subdomain for all mailboxes on the sending domain.
   • Assign to specific mailboxes: Choose one or more mailboxes from the dropdown.
6. Click "Save" to complete the setup.

You have now connected a custom subdomain.

How to Verify DNS Propagation Manually

If verification is taking longer than expected, you can manually check whether your DNS record has propagated:

Using Online Tools

Visit DNS checker websites like dnschecker.org or whatsmydns.net. Enter your full subdomain (e.g., data.yourdomain.com) and select "CNAME" record type. You should see your Avocadata target value appearing across global DNS servers.

Using Command Line

# macOS/Linux
dig CNAME data.yourdomain.com +short

# Windows
nslookup -type=cname data.yourdomain.com

If the command returns your Avocadata target value (e.g., ingress.avocadata.com), DNS has propagated successfully.

Setting Up Tracking Subdomains for Email Engagement

In addition to your marketplace domain, you can also set up tracking subdomains to monitor email engagement through your own branded domain. This allows you to track opens, clicks, and other metrics while maintaining brand consistency.

With manual addition, you need to manually create a tracking subdomain in your domain provider, then add the DNS records from your Avocadata settings.

Setting Up a Tracking Subdomain

1. Navigate to tracking subdomain settings: Click Settings → Sales Engagement → Tracking Subdomains → + New Subdomain.
2. Copy the DNS records provided. You'll need to manually copy each DNS record to your domain provider.
3. Access your domain management account to create the tracking subdomain (following the same process as above for your DNS provider).
4. Create a CNAME record using the values provided:

   Field	Definition	Notes
   Type	Select CNAME (Canonical Name)	A CNAME record maps an alias name to a canonical domain name.
   Host / Name	Enter your chosen subdomain (e.g., go or info)	Avoid words like "tracking" or "click" that spam filters identify. Text only, no spaces or periods.
   Value / Points To	Copy the custom value from Avocadata tracking subdomain settings	This establishes the connection between your subdomain and tracking servers.
   TTL	Leave as default	Use whatever value your domain provider sets by default.

5. Save the record in your domain provider. It can take between 2-24 hours to fully propagate.
6. Return to Avocadata and select Manual addition, then click Continue. Avocadata will check the records for validity.
7. Choose how to apply the tracking domain:
   • Set as default for all mailboxes: Make this tracking subdomain the default for all mailboxes.
   • Apply to all mailboxes on this sending domain: Set this tracking subdomain for all mailboxes on the sending domain.
   • Assign to specific mailboxes: Choose one or more mailboxes from the dropdown.
8. Click Save. You have now connected a custom tracking subdomain.

View Tracking Statistics

You can access tracking statistics to monitor your emails' performance through open, click, and unsubscribe rates.

To View Email Tracking Statistics:

1. Navigate to your subdomain list in Settings → Tracking Subdomains.
2. Click the "..." menu beside the tracking subdomain you want to analyze.
3. Click "Check Stats" to view performance data.

Stats include key statistics related to the performance of the emails sent with the default tracking subdomain, including:

• Open rate: Percentage of recipients who opened your emails
• Click rate: Percentage of recipients who clicked links in your emails
• Unsubscribe rate: Percentage of recipients who unsubscribed
• Spamblock rate: Percentage of emails flagged as spam

SSL Certificates and HTTPS

All Avocadata custom domains include free SSL certificates, automatically provisioned and renewed via Let's Encrypt. This section explains how SSL works with your custom domain and what to expect.

Automatic SSL Provisioning

Once your DNS record is verified, Avocadata automatically:

1. Requests an SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt
2. Completes domain validation (this is why DNS must resolve first)
3. Installs the certificate on our servers
4. Enables HTTPS for your subdomain
5. Sets up automatic certificate renewal (every 60-90 days)

This process typically completes within 5-15 minutes after DNS verification. You don't need to do anything—it's fully automated.

HTTPS Redirect Behavior

Once SSL is active, Avocadata automatically redirects all HTTP traffic to HTTPS:

• http://data.yourdomain.com → https://data.yourdomain.com

This ensures all data transmitted between your customers and your marketplace is encrypted.

Certificate Details

Avocadata uses industry-standard TLS certificates with the following specifications:

• Certificate Authority: Let's Encrypt
• Encryption: TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3
• Key Type: RSA 2048-bit or ECDSA P-256
• Validity: 90 days (auto-renewed)
• Browser Compatibility: All modern browsers

Advanced Configuration Options

This section covers additional configuration options for users with specific requirements.

Using Multiple Custom Domains

Avocadata supports connecting multiple subdomains to a single marketplace. This is useful for:

• Regional storefronts (e.g., data-us.company.com, data-eu.company.com)
• Brand variations (e.g., data.brand1.com, data.brand2.com)
• Testing environments (e.g., staging-data.company.com)
• Separate tracking domains for different teams or mailboxes

To add additional domains, repeat the setup process for each subdomain. You can designate one as the "Primary" URL while others serve as secondary options or fallbacks.

Matching Subdomains to Mailboxes

When using multiple tracking subdomains, we recommend that the subdomain match the domain of your linked mailbox. For example:

• Mailbox: sales@company.com → Tracking subdomain: go.company.com
• Mailbox: team@brand2.com → Tracking subdomain: go.brand2.com

This improves deliverability and maintains brand consistency in your email communications.

Subdomain vs. Subdirectory: Why We Require Subdomains

You might wonder why Avocadata uses subdomains (e.g., data.company.com) instead of subdirectories (e.g., company.com/data). Here's why:

• Technical isolation: Subdomains can point to different servers without complex reverse proxy setups
• SSL simplicity: Each subdomain gets its own SSL certificate, avoiding SNI conflicts
• Cookie separation: Subdomains provide natural isolation for session management
• Scalability: Traffic can be load-balanced independently

Root Domain (Apex) Limitations

Due to DNS specifications, CNAME records cannot be set on root/apex domains (e.g., company.com without a subdomain). This is a fundamental limitation of DNS, not an Avocadata restriction.

If you need your marketplace at a root domain, there are two options:

1. ALIAS/ANAME records: Some DNS providers (Cloudflare, DNS Made Easy, Route 53) support special record types that act like CNAMEs at the apex level. Contact support to check compatibility.
2. HTTP redirect: Set up a redirect from your root domain to your subdomain (e.g., company.com → data.company.com).

Cloudflare Proxy (Orange Cloud) Settings

If you want to enable Cloudflare's proxy features (DDoS protection, caching, analytics) after initial setup:

1. Wait until your SSL certificate is fully issued (status shows "Healthy")
2. In Cloudflare, edit your CNAME record and toggle Proxy Status to "Proxied" (orange cloud)
3. Set SSL/TLS mode to "Full" or "Full (Strict)" — never "Flexible"
4. Consider enabling "Always Use HTTPS" in Cloudflare settings

Troubleshooting Common Errors

If you encounter issues during domain setup, find your error below for specific solutions.

How to Flush Your DNS Cache

If your DNS changes aren't appearing on your device, flushing the local DNS cache can help:

macOS

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Windows 10/11

ipconfig /flushdns

Linux

sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

Chrome Browser

Navigate to chrome://net-internals/#dns and click "Clear host cache"

Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary of Terms

Not familiar with DNS terminology? Here's a quick reference guide:

A Record

A DNS record that maps a domain name directly to an IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.1).

CNAME Record (Canonical Name)

A DNS record that creates an alias from one domain name to another (e.g., data.yourdomain.com → ingress.avocadata.com). A CNAME record maps an alias name to a canonical domain name.

DNS (Domain Name System)

The internet's "phone book" that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to connect to each other. DNS records include essential information about your domain or host.

DNS Propagation

The time it takes for DNS changes to spread across the global network of DNS servers. Can range from instant to 48 hours, but typically takes 2-24 hours.

Domain Registrar

A company where you purchase and register domain names (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains).

FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name)

The complete domain name including all levels (e.g., data.yourdomain.com.). Note the trailing dot, which indicates the root of the DNS hierarchy.

Let's Encrypt

A free, automated certificate authority that provides SSL/TLS certificates used to enable HTTPS on websites.

Mailbox

An email account linked to your Avocadata account, used for sending and tracking email communications.

Nameservers

Servers that store DNS records for a domain and answer queries about those records. Your nameservers determine where you manage DNS.

Root Domain / Apex Domain

The base level of your domain without any subdomain prefix (e.g., yourdomain.com rather than www.yourdomain.com).

Sending Domain

The domain used for sending emails (e.g., company.com in sales@company.com). Tracking subdomains should ideally match your sending domain.

SSL Certificate

A digital certificate that enables HTTPS encryption between a website and its visitors, ensuring secure data transmission.

Subdomain

A prefix added to your root domain to create a separate address (e.g., "data" in data.yourdomain.com or "go" in go.yourdomain.com).

Tracking Subdomain

A subdomain specifically configured to track email engagement metrics like opens, clicks, and unsubscribes.

TLS (Transport Layer Security)

The modern encryption protocol (successor to SSL) used to secure communications over the internet. Often still referred to as SSL.

TTL (Time to Live)

The duration (in seconds) that DNS resolvers should cache a record before checking for updates. Refers to how often your subdomain information will be rechecked by relevant servers. Lower TTL = faster propagation of changes.

WHOIS

A protocol and database used to look up information about domain name ownership and registration details.

Still Need Help?

If your domain isn't verifying after 24 hours, or you're encountering an error not covered in this guide, our support team is ready to assist. When contacting support, please include:

• Your custom subdomain (e.g., data.yourdomain.com)
• Your DNS provider name
• A screenshot of your DNS record configuration
• Any error messages you're seeing
• Whether this is a marketplace domain or tracking subdomain

Contact Avocadata Support