How do I set up a custom domain with NameCheap?
First of all, before you try to set up a custom domain with NameCheap, make sure that you understand the details of setting up a CNAME DNS record by reading this FAQ first:

|  | What is the recommended way to set up a custom domain?

Be sure to watch our Setup Video that shows you step-by-step how to set up your custom domain using NameCheap:

|  | How To Set Up A Custom Domain Using a CNAME DNS Record

Setting up your custom domain with NameCheap ...
Step 1: Create a CNAME record in the DNS Settings
From within NameCheap, open your domain. Make sure your NameServers setting says “NameCheap BasicDNS” as shown below.
If the nameservers do not say “NameCheap BasicDNS”, then this is NOT the setup guide you should be using—you should be using the control panel that the nameservers point to. Usually, that will be cPanel, and we have a guide for that:

|  | How do I set up a custom domain with cPanel?

If your NameServers do say “NameCheap BasicDNS”, then click on the button that says “Advanced DNS”.
The Advanced DNS editor will show you all of the existing DNS records for your domain and give you the option to add new DNS records with an “Add New Record” link that you can find at the bottom of your current settings.
For example, if you want your custom tracking domain to be www.yourdomain.com, you’d select “CNAME” from the drop-down menu on the left-hand side, enter www in the “Host” section of the DNS entry, and point it to one of ClickMagick’s domains in the “Target” field. Use www.clkmg.com for tracking links and split tests or www.clkmr.com for rotators.
Your entry should look like this:
Click the green checkmark to save your changes and you should see this CNAME entry:
WARNING: NameCheap will erroneously allow you to enter duplicate CNAME entries. If you see more than one CNAME record with the host “www”, delete any that are not pointing to the ClickMagick domain that you just entered. This is VERY important or things won’t work.
Here is an example showing two conflicting “www” CNAME entries. The first one should be deleted because it does not point to the ClickMagick domain just entered.
If you don’t want to use “www.yourdomain.com” for your tracking domain because it already points to another website that you want to keep, you’ll want to set the “Host” to something other than “www”.
The word “track” is a good choice, giving you “track.yourdomain.com” as your tracking domain:
Again, check for duplicates and delete any that aren’t pointing to the ClickMagick domain.
Step 2: Add your custom domain to ClickMagick
Once you complete Step 1 above, the only other thing you need to do is add your custom domain to your ClickMagick account using the Domain Manager.
Be sure to add your custom domain exactly as you’ve set it up in Step 1 above e.g. either `www.yourdomain.com` or `track.yourdomain.`com in the examples above.
ClickMagick’s Domain Manager will thoroughly test your domain when you try to add it. If the Domain Manager accepts the domain, then you’ve set it up correctly and it’s working perfectly! Otherwise, read and follow any error messages you get.
Step 3: Create your custom domain without “www.” (optional)
If you’re using your custom domain only for tracking purposes, you’ll probably want to also set up the non-”www.” version of your domain (i.e., “yourdomain.com”). This would typically be the case if you’ve just bought your domain specifically for tracking purposes.
For example, if you just set up a CNAME record with a hostname of “www” as in Step 1 above, your tracking links will look like this:
`http://www.yourdomain.com/linkID`
However, if you leave off the “www.” like this…
`http://yourdomain.com/linkID`
… the tracking domain will NOT work.
You have to set the non-”www.” version up as well, and because the non-”www.” domain does not have a Host Name, you cannot use a CNAME record to properly set it up. Instead, you need to use an “A” record.
Caution: you cannot make this change if you have any existing content at “yourdomain.com”. The second you add the “A” record, your domain will point to ClickMagick and not to your original website. This will break your existing website if you have one, and that includes a WordPress blog.
If you’re unsure whether you have existing content, just enter your domain without the “www.” and see what pulls up. If it’s a website you want to keep, then you can’t add the “A” record or you will lose that website…
To get started, if there’s an existing “A” record that has the “@” character for the “host”, then you’ll need to delete it by clicking on the trashcan at the right. You will almost certainly have to do this step. An existing entry will look like this, but with a different IP address:
NameCheap may also have a conflicting “URL Redirect Record”. If you see a “URL Redirect Record” with the “Host” set the “@” character, you’ll need to delete that as well. It will probably look like this, if there is one:
Next, add a new “A” record, entering “@” for the “Host” field. Set the IP address to 50.97.212.250 for tracking domains or 50.97.212.251 for rotator domains:
Click on the green checkmark to save your changes and your “A” record will be all set up! Your final complete setup—without duplicates—should look like this:
You may see other entries in your DNS records, but as long as you have only one entry for “www” and only one “A” record entry for “@”, then you’ve set it up correctly.
Step 4: Add your custom domain (without “www.”) to ClickMagick
Finally, you have to also add the non-www version of your domain to your Domain Manager
and you’ll be all set.