Thread: Day 2: b)Setting Up the Tracker (Voluum)

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ACTION


1)Sign Up for a Voluum Account

-Click on this link for the STM-exclusive deal: https://hubs.ly/H0ht5Qy0

Scroll down to find a list of subscription plans, and sign up for the "Profit" plan. I would strongly suggest to sign up for the "Monthly" subscription for now, and only consider switching to an "Annual" subscription when you're absolutely sure.



If you ever decide to sign up for an annual subscription: If you ever wish to cancel your subscription, Voluum requires at least 60 days' notice prior to the end of the current cycle: https://Voluum.com/terms-and-conditions/



After signing up, you should receive an email with log in instructions. The log in link is here:

https://panel.voluum.com/login/#/


2)Register a Tracking Domain

Next you'll recommended to register for a custom domain to use for your tracking links. This is not a must, as Voluum will assign a "dedicated domain" for you (and only you) to use. But if that dedicated domain gets flagged by google, you'd need to request for a new one from Voluum. Whereas having your own custom domain would give you the convenience of replacing it yourself without having to wait on support.

You can register this domain with any registrar. The instructions below are for Namecheap, which is my registrar of choice.

-Register an account on Namecheap.com if you don't yet have one.

-Sign in, click on "Domains" > "Domain Name Search".

-Pick a domain name for your tracker. It's not really important what the name is really, because nobody except the traffic source reviewers and possibly the owners of the website your ads will be appearing at will see this link. I mean don't include any swear words or something that will scream "this is spam" for google, but other than that, it can be anything.

Enter your desired domain name into the search field and press ENTER to check and make sure it's not already registered. Domain names that have already been taken will say "TAKEN" and show a "make offer" icon at the end of the row. Domain names that are available will show an "add to cart" icon.





Although it doesn't have to be a .com domain, some people believe that .com domains are less likely to be flagged/banned by google. Also, word has it that .com domains are faster (https://stmforum.com/forum/showthrea...ns-For-Landers). So I'd recommend getting a .com if you're not sure.

-Once you've decided on a domain name, click on "Add to cart". Then put your cursor on the cart icon at the upper right and click on "View Cart" where you'll need to complete the purchase.



No need to buy any of their additional services:



Regarding Auto-Revew - you have two choices:

a)Toggle "AUTO-RENEW" to ON for now, then if the domain gets flagged by google, come back to turn it off.

b)Leave "AUTO-RENEW" at OFF (should be by default). Then pay for another year one year from now if the domain isn't flagged by google by then.

Either approach would be fine - it depends on your habit and preference.

Leave WhoisGuard at "ENABLE" (now "FREE FOREVER!" on Namecheap) to be safe - I don't know what you'll be running, but it would probably be safer to not have your name associated with the campaigns you run.

No need to get Premium DNS.



Click on "Confirm Order" and make your payment to complete the purchase process.


3)Add the Tracking Domain to Voluum

-Log into Voluum, click on the "Settings" icon (the one that looks like a gear) in the upper right corner > "Domains" tab at the top.



-Scroll to the "Custom Domains" section and click on "+ Add custom domain".



-You'll see the window below - click "Next".



-In the next screen, enter in the "Domain" field, your domain name preceded by the subdomain "track." So, if my domain is vortextual123.com, then I would enter "track.vortextual123.com" here. Then click "Verify and save".




4)Set Up CNAME Record on Namecheap

-While still on the "Domains" page in Voluum, go to the "Dedicated Domain" section and copy the domain name.



-Log back into Namecheap > "Domain List" in the left menu > find the new domain you registered and click on "Manage".

-On the "Domain" tab make sure "NAMESERVERS" is set to "Namecheap BasicDNS":



-Click on the "Advanced DNS" tab. In the "HOST RECORDS" section if you see any rows listed, click on the garbage can at the end of the row to delete it/them. Then click "+ ADD NEW RECORD".



-Fill out the record as in the screenshot below, except for "Value" paste YOUR dedicated domain which you've just copied from Voluum. Don't forget to click on the green checkmark to save.




5)Enable SSL and Set as Default Tracking Domain

-Back in Voluum, click on the "Verify & save" button.



-Click on "Enable SSL", select the custom domain you just added, and click "Enable SSL".



You'll see something similar to this:



Where the lock icon in the front is either red or yellow and appears unlocked, meaning SSL hasn't been assigned yet. DNS Status should show a yellow triangle with "Verify" which means it has yet to be verified. Within 24 hours or so you should see the lock icon turn to green and the DNS Status should say "verified", like this:



When you see this, it means your custom domain is ready for use, i.e. you can start setting up tracking links in Voluum!

-Lastly: Scroll back up to the "Main domains" section and select the custom domain you've just added. From now on all tracking links will be using this domain by default.




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Wasn't too painful now was it? Congratulations - your Voluum tracker is now ready for action!



Amy

You have created a CNAME record at the level of the root domain yourdomain.com and you are trying to use a subdomain in Voluum for tracking.

You must either:

1) define the CNAME at the subdomain level if you want use that subdomain:

tracking.yourdomain.com CNAME voluumdedicateddomain.com

Not
yourdomain.com CNAME voluumdedicateddomain.com

2) use the root domain in Voluum

Originally Posted by i2raelgil

Is the DNS here placed correctly? for Voluum verification?

If the .xyz domain is the one Voluum gave you, the CNAME looks correct.

I can't see the complete extension of your domain, but if it's a .com you may have a spelling mistake as this domain is not registered

Hi,

Look here
https://www.namecheap.com/support/kn...r-your-domain/

It says:
It is possible to set up a CNAME record from Namecheap's side for domains that are using our BasicDNS, PremiumDNS or FreeDNS.

If your domain is pointed to the Namecheap Web Hosting DNS, you can set the CNAME record in your cPanel with the help of this tutorial.

You forgot that step. Pointing the domain DNS to NameCheap.

Originally Posted by petzoni

Hi @vortex
Thank you very much
in your first post , I made the namecheap domain, but I hade problem with Voluum Applying Custom Domains ,the box appear to me was different from yours


What should I do?

Thanks for telling me! I've updated the lesson above with the changes - please follow them! Let me know if it works!



Amy

Originally Posted by petzoni

Hi @vortex
should i upgrade my Voluum plan to enable SSL?

I forgot that the new intro plan doesn't allow SSL. That's unfortunate, because these days having a https tracking link is almost a must. Some traffic sources don't even accept anything other than https links.

So yes, I would suggest to upgrade.


Amy


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