How to connect a custom domain

Why connecting a custom domain is important

Dynamic QR codes work by creating redirect links then encoding them to the QR code you create. For example, if you create a dynamic QR code with the link https://google.com, the QR code generator automatically creates a unique redirect link like https://scango.to/12345678 then encodes that into the QR code. When people scan the code, they are taken to https://scango.to/12345678 which automatically redirects to https://google.com.

This redirect link is what powers the editing and scan tracking feature on dynamic QR codes.

People trust your links more if they see your branding

The issue is that when people scan your code, they see the redirect link (e.g. scango.to). This is fine in most cases, but if you want your brand to be front and center, you can connect a custom domain to Hovercode so instead of scango.to or one of our other default redirect link domains, your custom domain is used instead. (e.g. qr.site.com)

Default domains sometimes get blocked

People sometimes sign up and use the default shared domains to create shady QR codes and links which lead the all QR codes and links using those domains being blocked on certain networks and certain anti virus softwares.

We have a lot of automatic and manual measures in place to block and remove suspicious links, but sometimes they briefly slip through which is enough to get the domains flagged on some anti viruses. This causes legit dynamic codes and short links to also get flagged and it can take a while for us to get our default domains removed from block lists.

The best way to avoid this is to connect a custom domain and use that for your dynamic codes and short links. Only you can use your custom domain, so no one can use them to create suspicious QR codes and links, so they won't get blocked.

It's easier to migrate to another platform

As you have full control over your domain name, if you connect a custom domain and create a bunch of dynamic QR codes and short links, it would be possible to migrate them to another platform or your own custom solution. If you use one of our default domains, it's not possible.

What domain should I use?

If your website is "yoursite.com", you might be tempted to directly connect "yoursite.com" or "www.yourwebsite.com" to Hovercode for your custom domain.

That is not a good option as those domains are likely already being used for your website. The domain you connect to Hovercode has to use a subdomain that is not being used for anything else. People usually go with "qr.yoursite.com" or "go.yoursite.com"

Other than that main requirement, you can use whatever subdomain you want (e.g. fish.yoursite.com).

It's generally a better idea to use a short subdomain as if your domain is longer, the dynamic QR codes you generate will be more dense/complex as they need to encode a longer domain. Unless you have good reason "go.yoursite.com" or "qr.yoursite.com" are your best options.

How do I connect the domain?

Connecting the domain involved a few steps. To do this, you need to have access to wherever your domain is hosted (e.g. GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare etc).

• In Hovercode, go to settings -> Custom domains and add your custom domain "e.g. go.yoursite.com"
• Follow the instructions on the next page which instruct you to go to your domain host and add a DNS entry
• Once you have added the DNS entry, go back to Hovercode and click "verify" on your newly added domains.

For go.yoursite.com, the DNS setting you add to your domain registrar should have the following details:

• Type: CNAME
• Host: go
• Value: custom_domain.hovercode.com

If you used a different subdomain, use that as the "Host" instead of "go". Host and Value can be called other things depending on the provider you use, but the DNS entry usually looks something like this:

How long does it take to verify the connection?

Once you have added the CNAME to your DNS entries, verifying the connection usually works a few minutes later. Sometimes it can take a while longer, but if the settings still won't verify successfully after an hour or so, chances are something isn't right. Please get in touch if you're struggling.

What happens if I end my subscription?

If you connect a custom domain then your subscription runs out in the future, your custom domain will soon stop working, which in turn means your QR codes will stop working unless you set up the redirects elsewhere.

The good news is that because you control your domain (e.g. go.yoursite.com) you can either create a custom server to reenable the QR codes or migrate to another service. This isn't simple and likely would require some development resources, but it's helpful to use custom domains if you expect to outgrow what we can offer at Hovercode at some point in the future or want to migrate to a custom solution.