Buy a short domain for QR codes or use a subdomain: what to look out for

If you want to run QR codes on your own address, you face a simple question: buy a new, short domain or use a subdomain of the domain you already have? Both work. What matters is that in the end a subdomain gets connected, such as go.shortname.com or qr.yourcompany.com.

Option 1: a subdomain of your existing domain

• Costs nothing extra, because you already own the domain.
• Your company name is part of the address, which builds trust when people scan.
• You create the record with the provider that already holds your website domain.
• The downside is a slightly longer address, which makes the pattern of a very small code denser.

Option 2: a short second domain

• The address is short, so the code is a bit airier and easier to scan.
• You can manage the domain separately from the company website, for a brand or a venue, for example.
• There are running costs you need to keep an eye on every year. The amount depends on the ending and the provider.
• A short, nice name is often taken already. Plan some alternatives.

What to check when buying

• Length: the shorter the better, but avoid hyphens and number tricks that are hard to explain over the phone.
• Ending: one that fits your country or business feels familiar. Unusual endings can look less trustworthy to sceptical people.
• Owner: register yourself or your company as the owner, not the agency or the friend who is “quickly setting it up”. Only then can you change DNS records later or take the domain with you.
• Renewal: switch on automatic renewal and give an email address you actually read. If the domain expires, every printed code stops working.
• Access: keep the login details with the provider somewhere a colleague can reach in an emergency.

Why only subdomains are connected

Same-QR connects subdomains only, never the main domain. That protects you: your website and your email under the main domain stay untouched, because only the subdomain’s record points to the service. If you buy a short second domain, you still create a subdomain on it, for example go.shortname.com.

How to proceed

• Decide between a subdomain of your company domain and a second domain.
• For a second domain: buy it, register yourself as the owner, switch on automatic renewal.
• Open the “Own domain” window in the dashboard and enter the subdomain.
• At your DNS provider, set the TXT record shown (proof of ownership) and the CNAME to kunden.sameqr.com.
• Wait until the status says “Active”, then scan a test code with your phone.

If you already have short links on your domain

If a previous provider gave you short links on your own domain, such as go.company.com/abc, you can import those codes with the migration assistant (dashboard, “QR Codes” tab, “Move from another provider” tile). Then you connect the domain and switch the CNAME. The printed codes keep redirecting without reprinting. Short links on the old provider’s own domain, such as qrco.de, cannot be taken over. There you can only change the destination at the old provider or print again.

The domain always stays yours

Because the domain belongs to you, you are not locked in. If you change provider later, you switch the CNAME. The printed codes keep working if the new provider can serve the same paths on your domain. That is the biggest advantage over short links on someone else’s address.

Frequently asked questions