Custom Short Domains: DNS, HTTPS and Root Redirects

A branded link is ready to share when its hostname can receive traffic securely, not simply when you have proved that you own it. This distinction matters if your DNS dashboard shows a verification record but opening a short link still produces a browser error.

Here is a practical setup workflow for a new Lumeraya Links subdomain. We will use go.yourbrand.example as an illustrative hostname. Replace it with a subdomain you own; the example is not a working address.

Choose a custom short domain before creating links

A dedicated subdomain gives your short links a recognizable address while your main website keeps its existing role. Add the chosen hostname on the custom domain page in your account. Custom domains are available on Pro, Growth and Business; check the Lumeraya Links plans for current allowances.

Before adding it, check who can edit the DNS zone and who will maintain the Lumeraya account. If those are different people, share the exact hostname and both required records with the person handling DNS. A screenshot of an ownership success message is not a complete handover. The useful handover is a hostname that has passed all checks and a clear record of where its links will be used.

You can prepare links before setup finishes, but a prepared URL is not yet a publicly working link. Wait for the domain to become Ready before adding it to a video description, mailing or printed QR code.

Create two records with different jobs

Copy the verification value from your account. For our example, the DNS records are:

• TXT: full name _lumeraya.go.yourbrand.example, with the exact lumeraya-verification=... value shown by Lumeraya.
• CNAME: full name go.yourbrand.example, pointing to lumr.to, the current Lumeraya routing target.

The TXT record proves ownership. The CNAME sends traffic for the hostname toward Lumeraya. Adding one does not create the other.

If your DNS editor is already scoped to yourbrand.example, it may expect _lumeraya.go and go in its Name fields. Other editors accept full names. Check the resulting record names so your provider does not accidentally append the zone twice. Use the exact routing instructions shown in your account when configuring a real domain.

Check the saved values after leaving the DNS form. The verification token belongs in the TXT value, while the routing hostname belongs in the CNAME target. Neither field needs the path of an individual short link. A URL ending in /launch is a link address, not the routing target for the hostname. Keep aliases in Lumeraya; the DNS records connect the entire subdomain.

Use DNS only in Cloudflare

If Cloudflare hosts your DNS zone, set the CNAME to DNS only, shown as the grey cloud. Lumeraya's current custom domain setup uses direct routing to its origin; the orange-cloud Proxied mode is not supported for this connection.

If a teammate later reviews the zone, make this requirement visible in your setup notes. Changing the record to Proxied is a configuration change, even if the hostname and target text stay the same. Test the connection again after changes instead of assuming that an earlier Ready result still describes it.

You do not need to give Lumeraya your Cloudflare login or DNS API token. You create the records in your own zone, and Lumeraya checks the public configuration.

Read each check before sharing the link

Use Test configuration on the domain page. Ownership, routing and HTTPS are separate checks, so read the individual results rather than stopping at an ownership success message.

• Ownership verified, routing missing: check that the CNAME exists on the hostname itself.
• Wrong routing target: compare its value with the account instructions and check Cloudflare's proxy setting.
• DNS propagation pending: confirm the records are correct, allow DNS updates to become visible, then test again.
• HTTPS provisioning: the DNS checks passed and certificate work is underway; wait for the final readiness result.

After ownership and routing pass, Lumeraya automatically provisions a Let's Encrypt certificate and checks the actual HTTPS connection and redirect service. Certificate issuance alone does not complete onboarding. You can leave the page while background work continues, and Lumeraya also handles certificate renewal.

If provisioning fails, use the specific diagnostic and retry information on the page. Replacing an already correct TXT token will not repair a routing problem. Likewise, creating more short links cannot make an unreachable hostname resolve. Work through the failed check first, then repeat the configuration test.

Give the bare domain a useful destination

Someone may open go.yourbrand.example without an alias. Set the optional root destination to your main website or another suitable HTTP or HTTPS page. Once the domain is Ready, the root address sends visitors there using a temporary redirect.

Choose a destination on a different hostname, such as your main website, and use its complete URL. The form rejects a destination that points back to the same short-domain hostname, to avoid redirect loops. For a launch, a stable product overview may be useful here; a time-limited offer can remain the destination of its own alias.

This setting does not replace the destinations of individual short links. You can edit or clear it later. Without a root destination, the root shows a neutral not-found response; a domain that is not Ready does not use the root redirect either.

Keep a small launch and maintenance checklist

Test one intended alias and the bare domain separately. Confirm the first reaches its own destination and the second follows your root setting. If you are testing a password-protected, expiring or one-use link, account for those restrictions: a real visit can consume the access you intended for someone else.

The configuration test checks infrastructure without creating a normal click. Opening an ordinary public alias is a real visit and can appear in analytics. Keep those preparation visits outside the date range you use to evaluate a launch.

Retain both DNS records after onboarding. Periodic checks verify that ownership and routing still work, and certificate renewal depends on a working configuration. An external DNS change is detected by a later scheduled or explicit check; it does not instantly update the saved status.

Once the technical setup is complete, explore practical branded link workflows to plan how the address will appear in your next promotion. For configuration problems, return to the Lumeraya Links Help Center and the individual checks on your domain page. Share the address when both its infrastructure and its intended destinations are ready.