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How to use custom domain for your referral links

Match referral URLs to your brand with a custom subdomain.

Simon Akhrameev avatar
Written by Simon Akhrameev
Updated over a week ago

🚀 Feature availability

The custom domain for referral links is available starting from the Growth plan.

Overview

By default, Growave uses a generic domain for referral links, such as:

https://refrr.app/pUzphmlxrM/62389

You can customize this by using your own domain (e.g., ref.yourshop.com) to create cleaner, branded referral links like:

https://ref.yourshop.com/pUzphmlxrM/62389

To do this, you'll need to set up a CNAME record and connect your domain in Growave.


Step 1 – Choose a custom subdomain

You cannot use your main domain (e.g., yourshop.com) because it’s already connected to Shopify. Instead, choose a subdomain such as:

  • ref.yourshop.com

  • referral.yourshop.com

Make sure the subdomain is not already in use for other services (email, landing pages, etc.).


Step 2 – Create a CNAME record

In your domain registrar or DNS provider account, follow these steps:

  1. Go to your DNS/Nameservers management section.

  2. Add a new record or edit an existing CNAME record.

Use the following settings:

Field

Value

Type

CNAME

Host / Name

ref (or whatever subdomain you’ve chosen)

Points to / Target

ref.refrr.app (this is the canonical name for the alias, used for single-level redirection)

TTL

Default or any value (e.g., 3600)

If you are using another custom domain (e.g., yourstore.com), leave the Host (or Name) field empty. If the editor does not allow you to leave the field empty, enter "@".


How to test your CNAME

Visit your new subdomain (e.g., https://ref.yourshop.com) in a browser. If you see the “Referral link expired” message, it means the CNAME is set up correctly. This message appears because the domain alone doesn’t have a specific referral link to show.


Step 3 – Add the custom domain to your Growave Referral program

  1. Go to Growave admin → Rewards → Settings → General.

  2. Paste your custom subdomain (e.g., ref.yourshop.com) in the Custom domain field.

  3. Click Save.

Once connected, all new referral links will use your custom domain.

Growave Referral program - Referral settings - custom domain

📘 Note

After saving the custom referral domain settings, existing links may take time to reflect the change since this requires a background update on our side.


If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact us at [email protected] or use the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of your admin panel. We’re here to help! 🤗

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