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Setting vanity URLs for your event

  • Updated

Contents

Overview

Typically, Goldcast event magic links follow the format:

  • https://events.goldcast.io/auth/link/<email>/<key>?eventID=<event_id>

Your actual event landing page link would be something similar to this: 

  • https://events.goldcast.io/splash/8f08398b-eeda-4cf1-acbc-1c0a00d3c35a  

However, instead of using a long, generic URL (with a string of random characters and numbers), you can opt for a vanity URL customized to match your event’s theme and branding. 

What is a vanity URL?

A vanity link is a shortened URL customized for brands or organizations. It allows you to have a short and memorable link that matches your website, which can improve brand awareness and credibility.

Currently, Goldcast offers vanity URLs for

Examples of vanity URLs

Registration page eventnameregistration.company.com
Event page eventname.company.com/eventID
Event hub eventhub.company.com
 

Things to know

  • The domain names for your event and registration pages MUST differ. You cannot use the same domain name for both. 
  • Vanity URLs for registration pages and event hubs do NOT have the event ID. However, the vanity URL for event pages includes the event ID. 

Prerequisites for vanity URL requests

  • A purchased domain and sub-domain for your company
  • This feature included in your contract

Note: Vanity URLs are a paid feature in Goldcast. If you’re interested in getting one for your event, you can contact your CSM to discuss your options. 

Guidelines for vanity URL requests

  • You can apply for a vanity URL by submitting the subdomains you want to be associated with your event to support@goldcast.io. 
  • You can request a vanity URL only for a sub-domain (*.example.com) and NOT for your root domain (example.com). 
  • The Goldcast team requires 72 business hours to set up vanity URLs for your event. 

Setting up a DNS record 

Once our team has received your request for a vanity URL, we’ll respond with a record name and value, which you need to add to your domain’s DNS records. 

It would look like this:  

Record Name _9fc7c3baf9f21329e45bab6f98c081bd.yourdomain.com.
Record Value _fde6219f84f21e2828f0ac6235240ebd.xtsdcrbgyf.acm-validations.aws.

Once you receive these values from us, you must edit your DNS records to modify the Record Name and Value.

This process varies depending on your DNS provider. The following links provide further instructions for adding DNS records to specific platforms:

If you have any issues editing your DNS records, contact your IT support team for technical assistance.  

Once you have edited the record name and value in your DNS records, it takes up to 48 business hours to complete the process from our end. 

Sending SSL certificates 

We use AWS (Amazon Web Services) to generate SSL certificates for your vanity URLs. To activate the SSL certificate, you need to allow the following authorities from your end:

For more information about Certification Authority Authorization (CAA), see AWS Certificate Manager troubleshooting user guide. 

If you don’t want AWS to generate the certificates for your domain and prefer alternatives, you can send the certificates along with the corresponding domains to support@goldcast.io. 

What’s next? 

Once we have set up the vanity URL for your event, attendee magic links retrieved from the Studio app or sent via registration emails reflect the vanity URL. Attendees can see the vanity URL on their browser’s address bar when clicking their magic links. 

You can use it on your social media pages and other promotional materials to increase brand awareness and credibility. 

FAQs

  1. Can I have multiple registration pages on the same domain? 

We map specific events to each registration domain. So, you cannot connect multiple registration pages to a single domain. 

However, we support slugs for each registration page. For example, if you have a domain registration.example.com, you can use it for different events by appending slugs to the domain. 

Here’s how you can do it: 

  • registration.example.com/event1 
  • registration.example.com/event2 

Now, you can use the first link to handle registrations for Event 1 and the next one for Event 2. There’s no limit on the number of slugs you can have for a specific domain. 

Note this works for event hubs as well. You can register a single domain for different event hubs by appending slugs to the URL. Here’s an example of how you can do it: 

  • eventhub.example.com/2022events 
  • eventhub.example.com/2023events 
  • eventhub.example.com/2024events 
  1. Can I have multiple events on the same domain? 

You can host multiple events via the same domain using an org-level or an event-level vanity link. 

At Goldcast, we offer two types of vanity URLs for event pages. 

  • Org-level vanity link: This is a top-level URL that you can use for multiple events you host. Example: events.company.com/eventID 
  • Event-level vanity link: As the term implies, this URL is specific for each event. Example: annualsummit.company.com/eventID 

Org-level vanity URLs apply to all your upcoming events, while event-specific vanity URLs are mapped to a specific event. However, you can request us to reuse the event-level domain for every new event. 

If you previously set up an org-level vanity domain but would like to use an event-level domain for a specific event, let us know, and we can set it up for you. In this case, event-level domains take precedence over org-level ones. 

  1. When should I request a vanity URL? 

We highly recommend requesting a vanity URL while you’re in the initial stages of planning an upcoming event. Preferably before you send out magic links to attendees so your attendees can enjoy a consistent experience right from the moment they register for the event. 

  1. Can I reuse a previously used vanity URL for another event? 

Yes, it’s possible. However, as we map a registration or event page to a specific event, you’ll lose event mapping for the previous event. 

For example, if an attendee visits the event page after the event to access on-demand content, they might not be directed to the correct event. So, if you’re reusing existing vanity URLs for other events, ensure your attendees no longer need them. 

  1. Can I modify a vanity URL after I have requested it? 

Yes. You can request a modification by sending us an email to support@goldcast.io. We’ll provide you with the new records if it’s a domain change. If you’re only changing the slug, we can do it from our end without you needing to edit your DNS records. 

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