Daniel Ferreira
Developer Advocate
A complete walkthrough of adding your own domain (e.g. go.yourbrand.com) to ShortLink — including DNS setup, verification, troubleshooting, and going live.
A branded custom domain transforms your short links from "sl.ink/abc123" into "go.yourbrand.com/summer-sale". It takes under 10 minutes to set up. Here's the complete guide.
Prerequisites
- A Pro or Business ShortLink plan
- Access to your domain registrar's DNS settings (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.)
- A subdomain you want to use (we recommend go.yourbrand.com or links.yourbrand.com)
Step 1: Add the Domain in ShortLink
Go to Workspace Settings → Custom Domains → Add Domain. Enter your subdomain (e.g. go.yourbrand.com) and click Add. ShortLink will show you a CNAME record to add to your DNS.
Step 2: Add the CNAME Record
In your DNS provider, create a new CNAME record: Host = go (or whatever subdomain you chose), Value = cname.shortlink.app. TTL = 3600 (1 hour) is fine.
If you're using Cloudflare, make sure the proxy status (orange cloud) is set to DNS only (grey cloud) for the CNAME record. Proxying can interfere with SSL certificate provisioning.
Step 3: Verify and Activate
Back in ShortLink, click Verify. DNS propagation can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 48 hours, though it's usually under 30 minutes. Once verified, ShortLink automatically provisions a free SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt.
Troubleshooting
- Verification timeout: DNS hasn't propagated yet. Wait 30 minutes and retry.
- SSL not provisioning: Check that Cloudflare proxy is disabled for this record.
- Links returning 404: Make sure the domain in ShortLink exactly matches what you added to DNS (including or excluding "www").
About the author
Daniel Ferreira
Developer Advocate at ShortLink
Writing about growth, product, and the future of link intelligence at ShortLink.