> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.moregoodreviews.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.moregoodreviews.com/agencies/domain-setup.md).

# Domain Setup

## What it does

Domain setup is what turns your agency account into a true white label experience. You connect **your** web addresses for outbound email, the **client portal** where customers sign in, and optional addresses for **widget** embeds, **image** hosting, and the **API**. When these are in place, **review requests**, **feedback** links, and **reputation** touchpoints reflect your brand instead of the default platform host.

***

## How to use it

1. Open **Agency** in the console header, then click **Domain**.
2. Work through the page from top to bottom. Start with **White Label Sending Domain**, then each **White Label** section for the portal, widget, images, and API.
3. For every block, copy the DNS values shown into your domain host, save there, then return and click **Verify** when the screen offers it. Status moves from pending to active when propagation and checks finish.
4. Use **Download records** at the bottom if you want a single file that lists everything you still need at your DNS provider.

### Sending domain (**White Label Sending Domain**)

This is the address used to send platform email to your team and clients (notifications, invites, reports) and to send **review request** and customer-facing mail on behalf of client projects that do not have their own sending domain yet.

1. Enter the domain fragment the form asks for. The product builds a full sending hostname using an **`agency.`** prefix on your domain (you will see the exact value on screen after you save).
2. Add the **TXT** and **MX** records listed for that domain. They authorize Mailgun, the service that delivers mail for this product, to send as you. **MX** rows are optional but help **inbox** placement; skipping them can hurt deliverability on some providers. Because the records use a dedicated subdomain, they do not replace normal mail for your main website address.
3. Add **DMARC** using the **TXT** row shown in the **DMARC** section, then click **Verify** there once your DNS has the value.
4. This hostname is for **sending mail only**. Typing it in a browser will not show a website. That is expected.

{% hint style="info" %}
When each client project has its own **sending domain** under **Settings** in that project, **review** and customer email for that business can come from **their** domain instead of your agency sending domain.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="danger" %}
If you skip a custom sending domain, mail to your clients still goes out from **<notifications@moregoodreviews.com>** instead of your brand.
{% endhint %}

### **Switch to SMTP Setup** (optional)

At the top of **Domain** you can switch from the standard email setup to **SMTP Setup** if your organization routes mail through its own mail server. That path replaces the DNS-based sending domain block with fields for host, port, username, and password shown on the same page. Most agencies stay on the standard setup unless IT has already chosen SMTP.

### CNAME-style domains (portal, widget, images, API)

Everything below the sending domain on **Domain** uses the same pattern. Each is a **subdomain you choose** (for example `customers.myagency.com`) that points at our platform. For each one you add:

1. Type the full hostname the section asks for and click **Add**.
2. Create the **CNAME** at your DNS host so it points to the **hosting** target shown in the instructions on screen.
3. Wait for the **TXT** record used for secure **HTTPS** to appear in the console (it can take a few minutes). Add that **TXT** row too.
4. Click **Verify** until the section shows **active**.

The four sections are:

* **White Label Client Portal.** Where your **clients** sign in. This host is also used as a fallback for **review** pages and **showcase** experiences when a client has not set their own customer-facing domain on a project. When this hostname is active, client projects can also use it for a **Custom URL** button link in **Settings > Email > Review Link**.
* **White Label Widget Tag.** Appears inside the **embed code** for widgets, so pick something you are comfortable **clients** seeing in snippets.
* **White Label Image URLs.** Serves uploaded **images**. People rarely notice it unless they inspect how a page loads.
* **White Label API.** Optional separate host if you expose integrations under your brand.

After **White Label Client Portal** is active, use **Cookie Consent Banner** to choose who sees the consent prompt on that hostname:

* **Show to everyone** displays the banner to all portal visitors.
* **Show to EEA & UK visitors only** limits the banner to visitors in the European Economic Area and United Kingdom.
* **Do not show** turns the banner off. Choose this if you handle consent through **JavaScript** in **Code Editor** instead.

Click **Verify** to save your choice along with any DNS updates.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you use **Cloudflare**, turn **off** proxying (the orange cloud) on the **CNAME** you create for these hostnames so validation and certificates can complete.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="danger" %}
Without a **White Label Client Portal** hostname, the product is not fully white labeled. **Clients** are sent through the default **moregoodreviews.com** address to create accounts and sign in.
{% endhint %}

***

## What to expect

* DNS can take minutes or, in rare cases, up to a day to propagate. Pending states are normal right after you save changes at your DNS host.
* Until **HTTPS** verification finishes, a new hostname can look broken in the browser even when the **CNAME** is correct. Finish the **TXT** step and use **Verify** again after a short wait.
* If you add a **CNAME-style** hostname (portal, widget, images, or API) but never finish DNS and SSL setup, customer-facing links keep using the default platform address. After an extended period with incomplete setup, you have **7 days** to complete the **CNAME** and **TXT** records and click **Verify**. If setup is still incomplete after that time, the hostname is removed automatically. You can add it again from **Agency** > **Domain** at any time.
* After the sending domain and **DMARC** verify, new mail can begin using your domain for **from** addresses; exact **from** names and reply behavior are adjusted in **Email** settings elsewhere in the console.
* A green or success state on each block means that hostname is live for its purpose (portal login, widgets, images, or API, depending on the section).

***

## Tips and common issues

{% hint style="info" %}
If a **TXT** row for **HTTPS** never appears or disappears before you copy it, remove the hostname in our console and add it again to generate a fresh value.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
If a **CNAME** stays stuck in pending after you are sure both the **CNAME** and **TXT** are correct, your DNS provider may be blocking automatic certificates. Some providers need extra **CAA** permission for Google trust services before validation succeeds. Your DNS or IT team can confirm whether **CAA** rules are in the way.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
Finish DNS setup soon after adding each white label hostname. Incomplete setups may be removed automatically after you receive a setup warning.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="success" %}
Finishing **White Label Client Portal** and **White Label Sending Domain** first removes the most visible "default platform" touches from invitations, sign-in, and **reputation** outreach.
{% endhint %}