Use Your Own Domain

The Pixel Logic URL (Quick Start) works great, but running on your own domain makes the whole setup fully first-party: requests and cookies live on your brand (e.g. metrics.yourdomain.com), which is the strongest, most durable form of server-side tracking.

This is a non-disruptive upgrade. Your existing Pixel Logic URL keeps working the whole time DNS propagates — nothing breaks, and you can switch back at any point.

Step 1 — Start the switch

1. Open your container page in the dashboard.
2. In the Configure GTM section, find Switch to my own domain.
3. Enter:
   • Your domain (e.g. yourdomain.com)
   • Your tracking subdomain — the label that goes in front of your domain (e.g. metrics → metrics.yourdomain.com). Type your own, or click Generate for a random one. Tip: avoid obvious words like analytics, track, gtm, or pixel — a neutral or random subdomain is less likely to be flagged by ad blockers.
   • Your Web GTM Container ID (e.g. GTM-XXXXXXX)
4. Submit. The dashboard now shows you the exact two DNS records to add.

Step 2 — Add the two DNS records

Add these as CNAME records in your DNS provider. The dashboard shows the exact host and target for your account — copy each with the Copy buttons. If your chosen subdomain is metrics, they'll look like this:

Type	Host	Value	Proxy
CNAME	metrics.yourdomain.com	(shown in your dashboard)	OFF
CNAME	load-metrics.yourdomain.com	(shown in your dashboard)	OFF

Important — proxy must be OFF. If you use Cloudflare, set both records to DNS only (grey cloud, not orange). The orange "proxied" cloud breaks a connection that Google Tag Manager's testing tools rely on.

DNS changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours to propagate.

Step 3 — Automatic verification

You don't need to click anything. Pixel Logic checks your DNS every few minutes. Once both records resolve, your container:

• Issues a secure HTTPS certificate for your subdomain automatically.
• Switches your Server URL to https://metrics.yourdomain.com (your chosen subdomain).
• Returns to Active as a first-party server.

You'll see the new URL on your container page.

Step 4 — Update your GTM to the new URL

Now point both sides at your new first-party URL (same fields as the Quick Start, new value):

1. Server container → Admin → Container Settings → Tagging Server URL → your new Server URL → Save & Publish.
2. Web side (GA4 Google tag) → server_container_url → your new Server URL → Publish.

See Connect GA4 for details.

Why first-party is better

• Longer cookie life in practice. On your own domain, server-set cookies aren't subject to the cross-site heuristics that can shorten them — so the ~400-day lifetime holds up across more browsers.
• Requests on your brand. Tracking calls go to your own subdomain, not a shared host.

Switching back

Reverting to the Pixel Logic URL is always available and never destructive — just paste the Pixel Logic URL back into your GA4 tag and server container settings. Your first-party records can stay in place; both addresses keep working.

Want even stronger ad-blocker resistance? See Enhanced Ad Blocker Protection.