Custom Domain Troubleshooting & FAQ
If you're looking for an answer related to custom domain set-up or any domain related troubleshooting, you'll likely find it in the FAQ article below! 👇
Full contents of this article:
Most Common Issues & Solutions
Why do I need to set up a custom domain?
Because of recent changes with iOS 14, the only way an advertiser can run conversion campaigns is if they have a custom domain verified with Facebook. If you don't do this, then your campaign will default to a link click campaign and optimize for clicks. If you want to use your pixel to optimize your campaign for conversion events such as View Content, Lead (for pre-saves), or Purchase (e-commerce) to reach more engaging audiences!
If you want to read a more detailed explanation on the iOS 14 changes and why we recommend setting up a custom domain, please click here!
pageA Guide To Setting Up Your Own Domain For Custom ConversionsWhy isn't my domain configuring?
In your advertising settings, if you're seeing the following error message, that means there's still something missing in your domain's DNS settings. But don't worry, you're only a couple short steps away from successfully configuring your domain!
Here's a detailed guide on how to set up your DNS settings to configure your domain with ToneDen.
pageA Guide To Setting Up Your Own Domain For Custom ConversionsTo summarize, you'll want to make sure that you create a CNAME record and input a subdomain name in the Host section (if you don't want to have a subdomain, your provider may allow you to just put '@' but this has caused some issues for folks, so we recommend that you add a subdomain). Then you'll put "fanlink.to" in the Value section and you should be good to go! It should look something like this:
In your advertising settings, make sure you input the entire URL (ex. music.myband.com) and not just the subdomain or the domain.
Why am I still seeing an error from Facebook after adding my domain?
If you're seeing the following error message:
It means you still have one final step left for getting your custom domain setup for conversion ads! Last thing you'll need to do is to make sure you specify what Facebook Pixel events you'd like Facebook to prioritize tracking!
You can access this section by going here!
If you need more context on how to navigate through this section, we've got a guide here that goes more in-depth!
pageA Guide To Setting Up Your Own Domain For Custom ConversionsWhat Facebook pixel should I use?
It doesn't matter which pixel you use as long as you keep it consistent! In your advertising settings you can select a default pixel that will automatically be selected for all tracking. You'll want to make sure that it's the same pixel added to your domain in your Facebook Events Manager.
What events should I add to my pixel and what do those events mean?
In your Facebook Events Manager, you'll want to add the following events to your pixel for the following purposes:
Growth Playbooks - View Content
Pre-saves - Lead
Merch or Ticket sales - Purchase
What should my DNS records look like?
All hosting providers are a little different, so we recommend using NameCheap to set up your domain for ease of use. We have a step-by-step guide on how to set this up here:
pageA Guide To Setting Up Your Own Domain For Custom ConversionsBut across all hosting providers, you should make sure that you follow these steps:
1. Go to your Domain List and click Manage next to the domain. 2. Select Advanced DNS 3. Find the Host Records section and click on the Add New Record button: 4. Select CNAME. 5. For the Host field, put your subdomain (IE if your subdomain is ‘music.yourdomain.com’, you’d simply put ‘music’ here.) For the Value field, enter ‘fanlink.to’.
It should look something like this:
How do I use my custom domain for a Growth Playbook?
Our system will automatically use whichever domain you've configured in your advertising settings for your growth playbook (Spotify, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok). This means that as long as you've properly configured the domain in ToneDen, verified it within FB business manager, and added the pixel/event pairs in FB Events Manager – ie complete all the steps in our custom domain guide – we will start running your playbooks as conversion campaigns that utilize your custom domain by default.
Long story short, there's nothing extra you need to do to "use" the domain for a growth playbook outside of making sure you've completed all the steps in our guide:
pageA Guide To Setting Up Your Own Domain For Custom ConversionsHow do I use my custom domain for a pre-save/Smart Link?
In the "Modify Link URL" step while building out a Smart Link, you should be able to select you custom domain from the drop-down "Domain" menu, so long as you've successfully configured the domain in your ToneDen profile Advertising Settings.
You can also read more about setting up various types of Smart Links here:
pageSmart LinksAs well as a rundown on Custom domains for Smart Links here:
pageCustom Domains For Smart LinksWhat is a "Domain" vs. "Subdomain"?
A domain is what you purchase from a website such as Namecheap, Squarespace, or Godaddy. It would look something like bandname.com or companyname.com.
A subdomain is everything that precedes the domain name, such as music.bandname.com or stream.companyname.com. When syncing a domain on ToneDen, you will be asked to configure the “Host” on your service provider’s website, which is another word for subdomain.
How do I manage multiple domains + Facebook pixels?
In short, the “best practice” is to configure 1 pixel per domain. Each, unique domain you want to sync up in ToneDen would require creating a new profile within your ToneDen account, then configuring the domain(s) in the respective profile’s advertising settings (https://www.toneden.io/settings/advertising).
What happens if I am running campaigns for multiple artists / brands?
There can only be one custom domain routed per ToneDen profile, and you ideally only have 1 pixel tied to a custom domain. Therefore, if you are working with multiple artists and/or brands that each own their own custom domain & FB pixel that they prefer to use, you will want to:
Create a new profile in your ToneDen account for each artist/brand that wishes to use their own custom domain/pixel
Follow the steps outlined in this article for setting up each custom domain, per profile (verify their domain in FB business manager, sync the domain within ToneDen, configure events on the domain in FB Events Manager).
This process will allow you to utilize separate domains + pixels that are specific to each, individual artist/brand.
To save time, can I use a single domain (such as a company domain) on behalf of all the artists / brands that I run ads for?
You can connect a single, company domain that can be utilized on behalf of all the artists / brands you run ads for. This would mean you have 1 domain and 1 pixel being used across all profiles (with the ability to personalize subdomains, more on this later).
Bear in mind the limitation of only 8 pixel/event pairs configured on any single domain. If you are okay with utilizing 1 pixel (and 8 events) for all your ads, across various artists / brands, then this would be a fine solution. If you want to use a different pixel for each artist / brand, you may need to set up multiple domains.
Can I use a single “master” domain, but create multiple subdomains that are specific to the artists/brands I work with (such as artist1.companyname.com, artist2.companyname.com, etc)?
Yes, you can make a subdomain for each artist/brand you work with, and sync all those subdomains on ToneDen. We recommend configuring these subdomains in separate profiles for organizational purposes, broken down by the artist/brand they are referring to.
However, creating subdomains for each artist does not change the 8 pixel/event pair limitation. Simply put, companyname.com gets 8 pixel/event pairs in total, which will be shared amongst all subdomains. In this scenario, creating the subdomains would be strictly for vanity purposes, to use for features such as Smart Links.
What does 8 pixel/event pairs mean?
Within Facebook Events Manager, and as part of the final step in configuring your custom domains for conversion tracking, you will need to attach both a Pixel and an Event to your domain. This allows you to run conversion-based campaigns that report back on any “Events” you configure to the domain itself.
Facebook allows you to attach up to 8 pixel/event pairs. If you are utilizing 1 pixel on your Domain, you can configure up to 8, unique events (such as View Content, Lead, Purchase, etc). If you are using 2 pixels, you can configure any pixel/event combos that you’d like, so as long as you do not exceed 8 (Pixel #1 & View Content Event, Pixel #2 & View Content Event, Pixel #1 & Lead Event, Pixel #2 & Lead Event, etc).
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