Custom domains and branded links FAQ

Custom domains and branded links each play a key role in personalizing your beehiiv publication and improving email deliverability. This FAQ gathers the most common questions about both, from connecting your first domain and verifying DNS records to setting up branded links and resolving tracking issues, all to help you keep your publication running smoothly and professionally.

Can I remove or delete a custom domain?
Yes, please refer to this article for instructions on how to remove a custom domain from your beehiiv account.
Why am I seeing an overwrite error message during my setup?

Error Example: Connecting this domain will overwrite your existing website on another provider.

The domain you entered has existing website hosting records, such as a CNAME or A record. By connecting this domain you will overwrite the existing website and disable it. This error can appear when certain DNS providers place temporary parking records on the domain, a measure that they take when a domain isn’t actively hosting a website.

If you run into an overwrite error, you’ll want to ensure the custom domain you're adding is available for use with your beehiiv site. If it's currently used for another website, it's best to set up a subdomain (like, news or blog). For example, using ‘blog’ would create a URL like blog.yourwebsite.com. This way, your beehiiv site will be hosted on the subdomain without affecting your existing website.

Additionally, if you're repurposing an old website for beehiiv, clicking Finish Setup will overwrite your records if you used the Entri Setup to configure your domain. When using the Manual Setup, make sure to remove any old website DNS records before adding the new ones.

Why won’t it accept the URL I entered for my domain?
If a domain URL field shows red and asks you to ‘Please enter a valid URL’ you’ll want to ensure there are no extra characters or spaces before or after the domain URL you entered. This can cause the system to not recognize the URL as valid. Double-check the URL to confirm it is correct and properly formatted.
Why am I suddenly on Entri verification when I selected Manual?
If you're encountering this issue, it’s best to remove your domain and start the process again. Please refer to this article for instructions on how to remove a custom domain from your beehiiv account.
Can I change the email username or beehiiv subdomain for my website?
Yes, you can update your email username or web URL at any time, whether you’re using a custom domain or a beehiiv subdomain.
• If you’re using a beehiiv subdomain (e.g., yourpublication.beehiiv.com): Follow the steps in our guide on changing your publication name, email username, or web URL.
• If you’re using a custom domain (e.g., yourpublication.com): See our guide on updating your email username for a custom domain.
Tech Note: Updating your email username or web URL automatically updates the other, since these fields are linked. This change will also update your publication’s URL and may affect any existing links or backlinks.
Why am I seeing an error that says my email DNS records aren’t present or haven’t fully propagated?
This usually means your custom domain DNS records haven’t finished verifying yet. 
Here’s what to check:
• Confirm your DNS setup: Make sure all DNS records shown in beehiiv are correctly added in your domain provider’s DNS settings.
• Allow time for propagation: DNS updates can take time to go live. Depending on your provider, it may take up to 72 hours for all records to fully propagate. You can try refreshing your browser in both beehiiv and your DNS provider to see updated results.
• If you’re using Cloudflare: Check your Proxy Status for each record. If it’s set to Proxied, beehiiv won’t be able to detect the records because proxying hides their values. In this scenario, it’s best to edit the records in Cloudflare to disable proxying, or change the Proxy Status to DNS Only to complete verification.
Tech Note: Proxying is not recommended for beehiiv domains, as it can interfere with authentication and verification. However, if you must keep proxying enabled for other reasons (such as custom redirect rules or Cloudflare Workers), please go to the Help page in your account and submit a support ticket for assistance.
Why does it say I have ‘Successfully set up 4 domains!’?

You’ll see this message at the top of your screen once all 4 domain types have been successfully configured during your custom domain setup:

• Web domain
• Redirect domain
• Email domain
• Branded link domain

Your web domain and redirect domain are used to host your publication, while your email and branded link domains share the same subdomain. The branded link domain, however, requires one additional CNAME record to complete setup.





Why is my custom domain website page going to a 404?

A 404 error means the page isn’t currently live. To make a page visible on your site, be sure it’s enabled before publishing.

Additionally, you can set up a 404 redirect to guide visitors to a helpful destination, like your homepage or another active page instead of seeing a 404 error.

Why do I see this message: ‘Your branded links verification is in progress’?

This message means your branded links setup isn’t fully verified yet. Until verification is complete, links in your outgoing emails may not work as expected.

To finish setup, click Branded Links Configuration in the banner. This will take you to the Domains page in your account, where you can complete the remaining steps.

What does ‘Disable click tracking for this post’ mean?

You’ll see this option when your branded links configuration is incomplete. Disabling click tracking ensures your links still work, but it also means you won’t see any click data in the Performance tab or Post Analytics report.

If you send an email with click tracking disabled, you’ll see this message afterward: ‘Click tracking disabled for this post. Click tracking was disabled for this post, so analytics data for this post may be incomplete.’

To ensure you can properly track email click tracking for your future posts, we recommend completing the branded links configuration.

If I finish setting up branded links after disabling click tracking, will past email analytics update
No, click activity can’t be tracked retroactively. Once your branded links setup is complete, all future posts will include click tracking automatically.