Web Content CNAMEs are used to brand links to web content records (Forms, Surveys, Landing Pages, and Subscription Management Pages). Form, Survey, and Subscription Page submissions will be properly recorded in Dynamics even if there is not a web content CNAME set up, but without the Web Content CNAME, the page views for these records may not correctly associate with the lead or contact visiting your site since the domain of the web content URL is a different domain than the one used in the ClickDimensions tracking script on your website.
NOTE: When using Web Content CNAMEs, the Web Content URL will be HTTP rather than HTTPS. If you want your Web Content URL to be HTTPS, you will need to either setup an SSL certificate for your CNAME or use the default link format rather than a CNAME.
To use the default link, you can either associate a Domain record that does not include a Web Content CNAME value with the Web Content record, or you can manually modify the link. For example, the link below would be changed from this http://web.mycompany.com/exampleformlink to this https://analytics.clickdimensions.com/exampleformlink
WARNING: Proxied CNAME's are not supported by Click. If you would like to use HTTPS with your CNAME, then please check out our SSL Certificates for Web Content article.
Goals
- Determine what your Web Content CNAME should point to
- Set up your Web Content CNAME in your DNS Host
- Add your Web Content CNAME to Dynamics
What should your Web Content CNAME point to?
In order for your links to work properly once a CNAME has been applied to them, the CNAME you set up in your DNS host will need to be configured to point to a specific value. This can vary depending on where your account is deployed (which data center was chosen during deploying the Click solution) and whether you are using SSL Certificates, so you'll need to check to see what the default value is for your region with or without SSL Certificates, as appropriate to your scenario:
When NOT using SSL Certificates:
| US Data Center | analytics.clickdimensions.com |
| EU Data Center | analytics-eu.clickdimensions.com |
| AU Data Center | analytics-au.clickdimensions.com |
| CAN Data Center | analytics-ca.clickdimensions.com |
With using SSL Certificates:
| US Data Center | cd-analytics-us.azurefd.net |
| EU Data Center | cd-analytics-eu-2.azurefd.net |
| AU Data Center | cd-analytics-au.azurefd.net |
| CAN Data Center | cd-analytics-ca.azurefd.net |
Create your Web Content CNAME
- Dynamics 365
- Legacy View
Go to your hosting service's DNS manager and create a new CNAME entry to redirect the Web Content CNAME value you would like in your embedded content links (e.g. web.mycompany.com) to the appropriate value for your data center as listed in the previous table.
Here's an example of adding the CNAMEs for a domain whose DNS is hosted by GoDaddy:
Create your Domain Record
Unlike the Email CNAME, which is added to Dynamics under DNS Settings within ClickDimensions Settings, Web Content CNAMEs are added to the Domain record that you created for web tracking.
Wait 60 minutes after adding the appropriate entry to your DNS and then go to the ClickDimensions Settings under the Settings & Support in the left sidebar.
Go Settings & Support > Domains
Then insert the new CNAME into the Web Content CNAME field of the corresponding Domain Record.
NOTE: The Domain field should contain an actual domain name value, and should not have http:// or 'www' in it. It should just be a domain, like mycompany.com.
To be sure your Web Content CNAME is working, you can click the Test Alias button on the ribbon.
The 'Test Alias' button specifically checks to see if the Web Content CNAME points to the proper ClickDimensions endpoint referenced above. Due to this, you will receive an 'Invalid CNAME' error when testing CNAMEs that point to the cd-analytics.azurefd.net URL if you haven't uploaded an SSL certificate for the Web Content CNAME prior to updating the Domain record, but your Domain and CNAME should still work.
If everything looks good, you'll receive this message in return:
If you get an error Unable to connect, make sure the value you entered in the Web Content CNAME field actually resolves to analytics.clickdimensions.com (no SSL) or cd-analytics-us.azurefd.net (with SSL) (or the appropriate URL for EU, AU, or CA region). Click here to see how to use your computer's command prompt to check this.
Go to your hosting service's DNS manager and create a new CNAME entry to redirect the Web Content CNAME value you would like in your embedded content links (e.g. web.mycompany.com) to the appropriate value for your data center as listed in the previous table.
Here's an example of adding the CNAMEs for a domain whose DNS is hosted by GoDaddy:
Create your Domain Record (Dynamics 2011/2013/2015)
Unlike the Email CNAME, which is added to Dynamics under DNS Settings within ClickDimensions Settings, Web Content CNAMEs are added to the Domain record that you created for web tracking.
Wait 60 minutes and then go to the ClickDimensions settings in your Microsoft Dynamics settings area and insert the new CNAME into the Web Content CNAME field of the corresponding Domain Record.
NOTE: The Domain field should contain an actual domain name value, and should not have http:// or 'www' in it. It should just be a domain, like mycompany.com.
To be sure your Web Content CNAME is working, you can click the Test Alias button on the ribbon.
The 'Test Alias' button specifically checks to see if the Web Content CNAME points to one of the region-specific versions of the analytics.clickdimensions.com URL. Due to this, you will receive an 'Invalid CNAME' error when testing CNAMEs that point to the cd-analytics.azurefd.net URL but your Domain and CNAME should still work.
If everything looks good, you'll receive this message in return:
If you get an error Unable to connect, make sure the value you entered in the Web Content CNAME field actually resolves to analytics.clickdimensions.com (no SSL) or cd-analytics-us.azurefd.net (with SSL) (or the appropriate URL for EU, AU, or CA region). Click here to see how to use your computer's command prompt to check this.
NOTE: If you have an internal DNS server on your network, your network administrator will need to also create CNAME entries for your internal network if you want these links to work for your users. (The branded links are intended for recipients, but if you plan on testing links in emails and forms, you will need to be able to reach these addresses inside your network too.)
| Feature Added: Original |
| Feature Updated: 8.14 |
| Click Version Needed: 8.14.0 |