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Configuring CNAME Record Settings for Landing Page URLs

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Jon Walker
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Every landing page will have pages.services contained within the URL.

You will need to add a CNAME record to your tracked site in order to remove pages.services within the URL.

This article will detail how to add and configure CNAME record settings for landing pages.


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Understanding Landing Page URLs

In a landing page, the default URL structure for landing pages contains pages.services. By default, SharpSpring always includes pages.services in its landing page editor.

Without CNAME records, this is what your URL looks like:

Link Type   URL Example

Secure
(no CNAME)

   https://pages.services/subdomain.domain.com

Not Secure
(no CNAME)

   http://subdomain.domain.com.pages.services



With CNAME records, this is what your URL looks like:

Link Type   URL Example

Secure
(with CNAME)

   https://subdomain.domain.com 

Not Secure
(with CNAME)

   http://subdomain.domain.com


Be aware that, in SharpSpring, you will always be able to see the URL that is published on pages.services. To remove the pages.services in your URL, you will need to add CNAME records to your DNS settings. Once a CNAME record is set up, you will be able to manually remove pages.services from a link when sharing it.


Adding Sites in SharpSpring

Before you can modify CNAME records, you will need to set up a site for use in SharpSpring's Landing Page Builder. To add a site and prepare for CNAME editing, do the following:

  1. Click Settings in SharpSpring's left toolbar.
  2. Click Sites, located under Tracking in the left panel.
  3. Click  1cog.png  Options > Add Site.
  4. Enter a name for the website in the Short Name Site text box.
  5. Select the desired type of site in the Site Type drop-down menu.
  6. Enter the desired URL for the site in the Domain Name/URL text box.
  7. Click the Make available in Landing Page Builder checkbox.
  8. Click Add Site.
  

Click to enlarge.
Note: The site should be a new subdomain, not a subdomain on which you plan to host your own content outside of SharpSpring.

Once created, sites with the Make Available in Landing Page Builder option enabled cannot be changed by normal means once the site has been created. To change this option, you will need to rename, deactivate, and reactivate the domain.


Adding or Editing CNAME Records

CNAME records will need to be added or edited through your domain host. 

When adding or editing CNAME records, be aware that domain settings are sometimes labeled as Manage Domains or DNS Records and may be located under more advanced settings. This varies by host and provider.

To add or edit CNAME records, do the following:

  1. Log in to your domain host. 
  2. Locate the host's domain settings, CNAME settings, or DNS management.
  3. Navigate to where you are able you to add CNAME records or aliases.
  4. Enter your subdomain as the host or alias.
  5. Enter pages.services as the value destination or points to link.

Generally, the following is the CNAME record that you should create:

  


Click to enlarge.
   
 
Important: When setting up CNAME records for your landing page, you must use a subdomain. Doing so will allow you to access it without pages.services in the URL. Main domains, such as sharpspring.com, will not work.
     
Link Type   Example

Host/Alias

   subdomain.domain.com

Value Destination/
Points To:

   pages.services

 

For GoDaddy users, the following is the CNAME record that you should create:

Link Type   Example
Host/Alias   subdomain

Value Destination/
Points To:

   pages.services


Be aware that CNAME changes can take up to 48 hours to go into effect. This depends upon your domain provider. Refer to your domain provider's help documentation for more information on how long it will take for CNAME changes to go into effect.


Regarding Secure Pages

By default, landing pages created in SharpSpring are secure. They will have the https:// URL prefix.

To access a secure version of your landing page with the https:// prefix, do the following:

  1. Click Landing Pages in SharpSpring's left toolbar.
  2. Create or edit a landing page using the site you configured.
  3. Click  file-text.png  Page Settings in the left panel.
  4. Locate the Funnel URL–Secure field.

The URL in the Funnel URL–Secure field is the URL of the secure landing page. 

If you have CNAME records set up, your URL will be 
https://slug.company.com/slug.

Without CNAME records set up, the URL will be
https://pages.services/site.company.com/slug.

In addition to secured pages, any asset provided by SharpSpring—media center links, uploaded images, and the like—are secure. This means that unsecured content is brought in from external sources. As such, you will need to change any unsecured links on your page to secured links.

For more information on how to access a page's secure URL and how to attend to unsecured content on landing pages, refer to Understanding Landing Page Security: HTTP and HTTPS.

  

Click to enlarge.
 

 
 
Important: Be aware that pages.services will be in the URL when you visit the live or secure version of the web page. When you share the URL in the Funnel URL—Secure field, you will have to manually remove pages.services from the URL.

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