How to test if your tracking domain is working?

You've set up your tracking domain, configured the CNAME in your DNS, and pointed it at your ESP. But before you send a real campaign, it's worth spending two minutes confirming everything actually works. A broken tracking domain means your click data is unreliable, and that's the kind of problem you want to catch now, not after 50,000 emails go out.

Here's how to check it, step by step.

Step 1: Confirm the DNS record resolves

Open your terminal and run this command (replacing the domain with yours):

dig CNAME click.yourdomain.com

You should see it pointing to your ESP's tracking target, something like clicks.yourESP.com. If you get nothing back, or the record points somewhere unexpected, the CNAME hasn't propagated yet (or was entered incorrectly). DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate, though most resolve within a few hours.

Now if you're not comfortable in the terminal, tools like MXToolbox let you do the same lookup from a browser.

Step 2: Check for SSL errors

Visit https://click.yourdomain.com directly in your browser. You're not looking for a webpage (there usually isn't one). You're looking for what the browser does. If it shows a certificate warning or a security error, your SSL certificate isn't issued correctly for that subdomain. Many ESPs handle SSL automatically once the CNAME is in place, but some require you to trigger it manually from the dashboard.

Step 3: Send a test email to yourself

Still most ESPs have a built-in test send option. Use it. Send to an address you control and actually click a tracked link inside the email. Watch the URL in your browser's address bar as you click. You should briefly see your tracking domain (click.yourdomain.com) before being redirected to the destination URL. If the redirect breaks or you land on an error page, something is misconfigured.

Step 4: Confirm the click registered in your ESP dashboard

Head back to your ESP's analytics for that test send. Within a minute or two, that click should show up. If the redirect worked but nothing appears in the dashboard, your ESP may not have linked the click to your tracking domain correctly. Double-check the tracking domain settings inside your ESP account and make sure it matches the CNAME you set up exactly (including the subdomain prefix).

Step 5: Verify open tracking while you're at it

While the test email is open, check whether an open event registered too. Open tracking usually uses a hidden tracking pixel served from your tracking domain, so if the CNAME is broken, opens may not register either. Two birds, one test send.

One last thing: if you ever make DNS changes (changing ESPs, updating records, moving domains), run through this checklist again before your next campaign. Broken CNAMEs don't just break tracking, they can affect your sending reputation too.

Not sure where to find your tracking domain settings? The SOS hotline is free and we're happy to walk through it with you.