CNAMEcatcher
Catch mistyped subdomains.
Save traffic you would otherwise lose. One free wildcard DNS record sends visitors to your homepage when they type an extra w or follow a bookmark to a retired subdomain.
Just open peek-a-boo.cnamecatcher.com and you will be redirected back to our main site with UTM parameters.
It worked! You opened peek-a-boo.cnamecatcher.com and landed back on our main site with UTM parameters.
wwww.your-domain.comyour-domain.comView redirected URL
https://your-domain.com/?utm_source=cnamecatcher.com&utm_medium=redirect&utm_campaign=wwww.your-domain.comAdd a wildcard CNAME record.
In your domain’s DNS settings, create a record with these three values.
- Record type
CNAME- Name / Host
*- Target / Value
use.cnamecatcher.com
Check your redirect
After saving the record, visit wwww.your-domain.com using your own domain. If wwww is unused, your homepage should open with utm_campaign in the URL.
Or try our live demo: just open peek-a-boo.cnamecatcher.com and you will be redirected back to our main site with UTM parameters.
Frequently asked questions
Need help? Contact us.
Redirect coverage
What kinds of visits can I recover?
A visitor might type wwww.your-domain.com with an extra w, or follow a bookmark to a subdomain you have retired. If that hostname matches your wildcard record, CNAMEcatcher sends the visitor to your main site.
What if someone misspells my domain name?
Your DNS record applies to names under your own domain. It can catch wwww.your-domain.com, but a visit to your-domian.com goes to whoever controls that domain. A broken page such as your-domain.com/old-post also needs a redirect on your own website.
How much traffic will this bring back?
It depends on how often people visit unused hostnames on your domain. The service is free. After setup, your own analytics can show how many tagged visits arrive and which hostnames people used.
DNS configuration
Will www, mail, and my other subdomains still work?
An existing DNS name takes precedence over the wildcard. If your store already has its own DNS record, visitors still reach the store. Leave those records in place when adding the wildcard.
What if I already use a wildcard?
Find out what your current wildcard serves before editing it. Some sites use one to route customer subdomains or preview environments. Replacing it changes the destination of those visits. Save its current value if you decide to switch.
How can I tell whether setup worked?
Visit wwww.your-domain.com using your own domain. If wwww is unused, you should reach your main site and see utm_source=cnamecatcher.com in the address bar. If it fails, confirm that the record name is * and the target is use.cnamecatcher.com. Cached DNS answers may take time to expire.
How do I turn it off?
Remove the wildcard CNAME pointing to use.cnamecatcher.com. If you replaced a previous wildcard, restore its saved value. Allow time for cached DNS answers to expire before testing again.
Traffic and analytics
Where do recovered visits appear?
In your analytics acquisition report, filter by source cnamecatcher.com and medium redirect. Group the results by campaign to see the hostname visitors requested, such as wwww.your-domain.com.
Do I need analytics for the redirect to work?
No. Visitors can reach your main site without an analytics tool. The redirect adds UTM parameters to the destination URL so an analytics tool on your site can identify those visits if you use one.