How to White Label Your Dubsado URL (Custom URL)

By Ema Katiraee, Certified Dubsado Specialist

TL;DR: Customizing your Dubsado URL takes three steps: create a CNAME record with your domain provider, add the custom URL inside Dubsado's settings, and customize the page title, description, favicon, and preview image so your links look on-brand when shared.

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A cool feature inside of Dubsado is the ability to customize elements to match your branding.

You can add your logo and brand color in the settings to customize it and make different touch points seem on brand.

One way to make your forms, contracts and any Dubsado link seem more on brand is to customize the URL. Instead of having the links read hello.dubsado.com, with a few changes in settings - you can have them show as portal.yourdomain.com.

First things first. If you don’t own a domain - you’ll need to purchase one before getting started. There are many domain providers to choose from: GoDaddy, Google domains, etc.

I personally use GoDaddy. I like how simple it is to purchase a domain and edit the DNS settings - but any domain provider will work. The steps I’m taking to edit the DNS settings may not look exactly like your domain provider, but the idea is the same.

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Part 1 - Create a CNAME record

1. Sign into your domain provider, select the domain you will be using and go into the DNS settings.

2. Add a new DNS record.

• Under type, select CNAME.

• Under name (or host or record) add the prefix you’d like to use before your domain name. If you use the subdomain ‘portal’ your Dubsado links will show as portal.yourdomain.com, but you can select any other prefix you prefer (clientportal, project, etc.)

• Under value (or data) type in ssl.dubsado.com

• Under TTL, leave the default value and simply don’t type anything in.

• Click ‘Add record’ to save the changes.

• Your CNAME record will look similar to this image (there will be many more records, I simply cropped out all the others)

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Part 2 - Add the custom URL to Dubsado

1. In Dubsado, go to your account Settings → ‘URL customization’

3. Under URL, type in your custom URL and click ‘Verify’

If everything is ok, you’ll get a verification message from Dubsado on your screen.

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Part 3 - Customize the URL metadata in Dubsado

Editing these settings will further customize how your URL shows up when it’s shared on social media and elsewhere.

In Dubsado, go to your account Settings → ‘URL customization’ and customize the settings below under URL meta details:

1. Browser tab title: this is the title that shows up in a browser (hover over any open browser tab to see) or when the link is shared on social media. Keep the page title between 30-60 characters.

2. Social media preview description: this is the preview text that will show up under the title when the link is shared on social media.

Since this can’t be customized for different links from Dubsado, keep the description about your business in general in a way that helps people who may not be your clients yet understand what you do. Keep the description between 55-200 characters.

3. Browser Tab favicon: this is the tiny logo that you see in your browser bar.

Having your logo there will help clients quickly identify which browser tab holds the link you sent. I get annoyed when a site has the generic grey globe favicon because I loose it in my dozens of browser tabs.

If you have your branding established, use your logo icon as a favicon. If you don’t have one, you can create one in Canva (40 px x 40 px is the smallest you can do in Canva).

Favicons are tiny and because the size is so small - don’t add too much detail because it won’t be visible. Look at your current browser tabs and look at the simplicity of the favicons.

Make sure your favicon has a transparent background or else there will be a white square behind it.

4. Social Media preview Image: this is the image that is displayed when you share a link on social media. The recommended image ratio for a social preview image is 1.91:1, the optimal size would be 1200 px x 630 px.

Keep the size small by using a .jpg file, you can use tinyjpg to compress any image you use.

If using a logo keep in mind that some social sites crop the preview image into a square, taking the center portion of the image.

TIP: To test your link will display on social media, you can test it using this cool tool https://socialsharepreview.com/

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FAQs

Do I need to own a domain to customize my Dubsado URL?
Yes. You'll need to purchase a domain through a provider like GoDaddy before you can set up a custom URL in Dubsado.

Does customizing my Dubsado URL cost extra?
No, this is a built-in Dubsado feature available on paid plans. You only pay for your domain through your domain provider.

What if I don't have a logo for my favicon?
You can create one in Canva. A 40px x 40px logo icon works, just keep it simple since favicons are too small to show detail.

How long does it take for the custom URL to work after I set it up?
DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24-48 hours to fully propagate, depending on your domain provider.

Can I use a custom URL for just my client portal, or does it apply everywhere?
Once verified, your custom URL applies across your forms, contracts, scheduler, and client portal links.

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Tutorial: How to customize your Dubsado URL

Here is a quick tutorial to show you how to customize your URL in Dubsado and I cover the steps shown above.

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Want This Set Up for You?

A custom URL is a nice touch, but it's a small piece of what a well-built Dubsado setup can do for you. If you're curious what that looks like for your business, book a free discovery call and let's talk about what a full setup could look like for your business.