Yes, you can connect your domains to Domain parking with CNAME records instead of replacing nameservers. Your domains stay with your current DNS provider: you add two records there and can keep specific subdomains for yourself, such as mail.yourdomain.com
Visitors who land on your parked domains are redirected to an advertiser's offer: [📘What are Direct Click ads?]
NS or CNAME: which one should I choose?
NS (Name Server) — you replace your domain's nameservers with ours, and the entire domain is monetized. Best for domains you don't use for anything else, including large portfolios: registrars often let you change nameservers for many domains at once.
CNAME (Alias) — your nameservers stay the same: you add two records in each domain's DNS settings at your current DNS provider (often your registrar). The root domain and all subdomains are monetized, except the ones you keep for yourself. Best for domains with email, subdomains, or other DNS records you want to keep.
💡 Already parking domains with NS? Contact your manager (or support, if no manager is assigned) before switching them to CNAME.
Before you start
Apply for Domain Parking. Complete the one-time KYC request: [📘What is Domain Parking KYC? (Moderation request form)]
Enable CNAME for your account. Let your manager know you want to park domains with CNAME. If no manager is assigned, contact support via in-platform chat. Once enabled, you'll see the 'CNAME (Alias)' option in the Parking type block when you add domains.
Get a DNS provider that supports a record for the root domain (@). Most providers don't allow a CNAME record for @ and offer an ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME flattening record instead — see "Which record should I use for @?" below. If yours doesn't offer any of these, choose NS parking instead: [📘Can I monetize a domain if it has no content?]
Grant access to your domains' DNS settings. Records only work at the service your domains' nameservers point to — you can check the nameservers at your registrar. If your domains use another parking service's nameservers, first switch them to your registrar's default nameservers or to your DNS provider, or choose NS parking instead. If DNSSEC is turned on for these domains at your registrar, turn it off and wait 48 hours before you switch nameservers, or the domains may stop opening.
How to set up CNAME parking
Step 1: In the Sites section, go to the Domain parking tab and click 'Create domains' (or go to Sites → Add new site, selecting Domain parking as your Product type).
Step 2: Add your root domains. Select 'Enter manually' to type or paste up to 200 domains from a spreadsheet — we'll handle cleanup of line breaks, tabs, extra spaces, and duplicates. If you have more than 200 domains, select 'Upload file' and upload a .txt file with up to 50,000 domains. Tick the box to confirm your domains meet our Quality guidelines. With CNAME, you don't change your nameservers, even though this page says they will be assigned.
Step 3: In the Parking type block, select 'CNAME (Alias)'. You'll see the two records you need to add. Both point to your target host: the value after CNAME that starts with cname-.
💡 Your target host is unique to your account. Copy it exactly as shown in the Parking type block before you click 'Create domains' — the value in the screenshot is just an example. If you've already left the page, open the form again (Step 1) and select 'CNAME (Alias)' to see it. You don't need to submit the form again.
Step 4: If needed, add a tag to organize your domains, then click 'Create domains'.
Step 5: Log in to the service your domain's nameservers point to (usually your registrar, or a DNS provider like Cloudflare) and open the DNS settings of each domain.
First, delete existing A, AAAA, CNAME, ALIAS, and ANAME records for @, www, and *, and turn off your registrar's parking page, URL redirect, or domain forwarding — otherwise they will block or override the new records. Don't delete MX or TXT records: your email and domain verifications depend on them.
Then add two records. The record type for @ depends on your DNS provider and isn't always a CNAME, so find your provider in "Which record should I use for @?" below before you add it:
Type | Host / Name | Value / Target |
CNAME, ALIAS, or ANAME (depends on your provider) |
| Your target host from Step 3 |
CNAME |
| Your target host from Step 3 |
A regular CNAME record for @ works only at providers that flatten or convert it automatically, such as Cloudflare and Hostinger. At other providers, use an ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME flattening record for @ with the same target host, even if the provider also lets you save a regular CNAME for @: a regular CNAME for @ can block your MX and TXT records and stop your email. You don't need a separate record for www: once its old record is deleted, the * record covers it.
💡 Using Cloudflare? Set the Proxy status of both records to 'DNS only' (gray cloud) before saving.
💡 A regular CNAME record, like the one for *, doesn't require turning off DNSSEC. The record for @ is usually an ALIAS, ANAME, or flattened CNAME, so check your provider's help center first: some providers, such as Squarespace and Gandi, require DNSSEC to be off to use ALIAS.
Step 6: Wait for DNS to update. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours to fully apply. Once your domains are verified and the records are live, monetization begins automatically — you don't need to do anything else. Your domains are listed in the Domain parking tab.
Which record should I use for @?
It depends on your DNS provider. For the * record, always use a regular CNAME. For @, here's what popular providers offer:
Cloudflare — CNAME record with Name
@. Cloudflare flattens it automatically. Set Proxy status to 'DNS only'.Namecheap — ALIAS record with Host
@. First, delete the default URL Redirect record for @ and the www CNAME record pointing to parkingpage.namecheap.com.Porkbun — 'ALIAS - CNAME flattening' record with the Host field left blank. First, delete the default records pointing to pixie.porkbun.com. Don't turn on Porkbun's own parking afterwards: it removes these records.
Dynadot — ANAME record in the Domain Record section. Your DNS settings must be set to 'Dynadot DNS', not 'Dynadot Parking'.
Name.com — ANAME record with the Host field left blank.
Gandi (LiveDNS) — ALIAS record with Name
@. Turn off DNSSEC first.Squarespace Domains — ALIAS record with Name
@in Custom records. Turn off DNSSEC first.Hostinger — CNAME record with Name
@: hPanel saves it as an ALIAS record automatically. If Hostinger CDN is on, turn it off completely first. Hostinger allows only one ALIAS record per domain: if one already exists, edit it instead of adding a new one.DNSimple — ALIAS record for the root domain.
GoDaddy, NameSilo, OVHcloud, Amazon Route 53 — no CNAME or ALIAS record for @ that can point to an external host. Park these domains with NS, or move your DNS hosting to a provider that supports it. If you've already added them with CNAME, contact your manager (or support, if no manager is assigned) before switching them to NS.
Providers update their interfaces from time to time. If you can't find these options, check your provider's help center.
How do I keep a subdomain for myself?
Keep that subdomain's existing record at your DNS provider, or add one if it doesn't have one. A separate record for a specific subdomain takes priority over the wildcard (*) record, so that subdomain's traffic goes to your server instead of ads. The exception is a CNAME record that points to your root domain (Value @ or yourdomain.com): once @ points to your target host, that subdomain is monetized too. Replace such a record with an A record for your server's IP address, usually the one your old @ record had. For example (use your server's IP address instead of 192.0.2.1):
mail.yourdomain.com A 192.0.2.1
The root domain, www, and all other subdomains without their own records will still be monetized. Names under a subdomain you keep, such as test.mail.yourdomain.com, aren't monetized either.
Troubleshooting
My DNS provider doesn't let me add a CNAME record for @
This is normal: most providers don't allow a CNAME record for the root domain. Use an ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME flattening record instead — see "Which record should I use for @?". If your provider doesn't offer any of them, move your DNS to a provider that does or use NS parking. If you've already added these domains with CNAME, contact your manager (or support, if no manager is assigned) before switching them to NS.
I get an error that a record with this name already exists
Delete the existing A, AAAA, CNAME, ALIAS, ANAME, or URL redirect record for that name (@, www, or *), including your registrar's default parking records. Then add the new record again.
My domain still shows the registrar's parking page or my old website
An old A, AAAA, CNAME, ALIAS, or ANAME record, or your registrar's parking or forwarding, is still active. Remove it and wait for DNS to update. Also check that you added the records at the service your domain's nameservers point to.
The root domain works, but www or another subdomain doesn't
That subdomain still has its own record, which takes priority over the wildcard (*). This applies to any record type, even TXT. Delete it if you want the subdomain to be monetized.
My email stopped working
Add back the MX records you deleted. If you don't have their values, your email provider shows them in its domain setup instructions or admin panel. If your provider doesn't let you keep MX records next to a CNAME record for @, use an ALIAS or ANAME record for @ instead.
Then check where your MX records point. If they point to your root domain, to a hostname that is a CNAME to it (for example, mail.yourdomain.com CNAME yourdomain.com), or to a hostname in your domain that has no record of its own, mail now goes to the parking host instead of your mail server. To fix this, give your mail hostname its own A record with your mail server's IP address (delete its CNAME record first, if it has one) and point your MX records to it. If your MX records point to your root domain, create a hostname for this, such as mail.yourdomain.com. Your email or hosting provider can tell you the IP address.
If your records look correct but the domain still isn't monetized after 48 hours, contact your manager or our support team via the in-platform chat or at [email protected] and share the domain name.