A BlueConic hostname is a hostname within your channel's internet domain that will be used for all communication between BlueConic and your customer's web browser.
Note: You need to add your channels to BlueConic before configuring hostnames.
Hostname options
In BlueConic, you can choose to use a standard (*blueconic.net) hostname or a custom hostname generated by the First-Party Hostname Console. BlueConic recommends using the first-party hostname.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two options:
Using a *blueconic.net hostname | Using a BlueConic generated first-party hostname |
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Tips for using a *blueconic.net hostname
If you decided to go for a *.blueconic.net hostname, you still need to decide the name before the domain. Here are some tips for deciding:
Think of hostname that covers all your brands that will be in BlueConic (for example, use a holding name) or think up one yourself.
Try to make the hostname short, because it will be in millions of browsers, mobile devices, email clients, and social media channels, every byte counts.
To learn more about ITP and browser tracking prevention, see our FAQ on BlueConic, cookies, and ITP.
Benefits to using a first-party hostname
Because cookies set by your domain are first-party cookies, they are not affected by the Apple Safari Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature, which deletes third-party cookies after 7 days.
BlueConic is not shown on the ITP privacy report.
Most ad-blocking technologies will not block scripts that use first-party hostnames.
You can continue to unify your first-party data in customer profiles and use that data to personalize and optimize customer interactions.
The first-party BlueConic hostname feature provides you with a centralized location to manage your first-party data collection across sites without putting the onus on marketers or IT to coordinate multiple domains, manage various databases for each domain, or maintain certificates.
To learn more about how BlueConic works with cookies and browser technologies see our FAQ: BlueConic, cookies, and ITP.
Before you create a hostname
Prior to creating your BlueConic hostname, make sure you:
Contact your IT team and let them know you'll need support setting up DNS records and registering them with your provider (for example, Route 53 for AWS-hosted domains) within 14 days. The general process is similar across DNS providers.
Determine a strategy for creating hostnames if you have more than one channel in BlueConic.
Make sure all your channels are added to BlueConic.
Best practices for organizing hostnames in BlueConic
In BlueConic, domains serve as an organizational tool rather than strictly adhering to internet domain naming conventions. Think of domains as folders or tags that group related hostnames. A domain does not need a .com or similar TLD; it can simply be a meaningful name representing an organization or group. The domain is really a tagging or folder system.
Below are some best practices for organizing hostnames, domains, and channels:
Main Domain and Top-Level Domain Grouping:
Hostnames that share the same main domain or top-level domain (TLD) should be part of the same domain in BlueConic.
For example: www.example.com and blog.example.com should both fall under the “example.com” domain
Subdomains as Channels:
If the organization uses subdomains, these can be designated as separate channels but should remain under the same main domain.
For example: shop.example.com and news.example.com could be distinct channels within the “example.com” domain.
Host Aliases:
Subdomains can also be set up as host aliases if they share functionality or content structure with the main domain.
Whether to use subdomains as channels or aliases depends on the customer’s setup and needs. Generally, if you want to track all your traffic for segmentation in one channel then use host aliases. If you want to segment your subdomains based on channel then split out by channel
Special Considerations for Publishers
Multiple Hostnames for Publications:
For publishers with multiple publications, where each has a distinct hostname, each publication should have its own channel as a bare minimum.
For example: news1.com, news2.com, and news3.com would each have separate channels
Subdomains of Publications:
If a publication uses subdomains, such as sports.news1.com or tech.news1.com, these subdomains should sit under the same domain as the main publication.
In some cases, subdomains may serve as host aliases if they share content or structure with the main hostname.
Next steps
Learn how to create and configure the BlueConic Hostname console.
Read more about BlueConic Objectives to ensure the data your collecting complies with consent and privacy regulations.
FAQ
Can I change my hostname later?
Changing the hostname later on can be complex and we don't recommend it. A few key issues are:
Cookies are set against that hostname, so when changing the hostname, profiles will not be found anymore because cookies are set against the old hostname.
The BlueConic JavaScript tag needs to be changed on all channels, because the hostname is inside the JavaScript tag.
All mobile apps need to be updated because they point to the old hostname.
Can customers see my hostname?
The hostname in your BlueConic script is sometimes visible to customers, for example in the webpages, in tweets, Facebook posts, and in links in emails sent by BlueConic.
What does my IT team have to do?
Your IT team configures your DNS provider for your new BlueConic hostname(s). You can elect to email the instructions from BlueConic to register your new first-party hostname(s) with your DNS provider. BlueConic will also send email status updates to these addresses. You or your IT team needs to place these DNS records with your DNS provider within 72 hours after creating the BlueConic hostname. See the instructions for IT teams to register DNS records here.
How do first-party BlueConic hostnames affect apps?
Android apps
If your Android app uses a native part and a WebView part, we advise setting the cookie on the same hostname so the cookie can be shared between these parts. So if a BlueConic hostname is used on the website, configure its URL in the app.
iOS and iPadOS apps
If your iOS or iPadOS app shows web content, it is required to use WKWebView which has ITP turned on by default. So if you don’t use a BlueConic hostname, the cookie will be capped at 7 days.
Ad blockers
Most ad blockers are a browser plugin or a separate browser. However, there are apps that monitor and control all traffic on a device, such as AdGuard. These are not available in the App Store and require root access. For these ad blockers, it is useful to route all traffic to the BlueConic hostname.