How to set up a custom quiz domain in Pollie
A customer-facing guide for connecting a branded quiz subdomain in Pollie, adding DNS records, and verifying the public URL.
A custom domain lets visitors open your published quizzes and surveys from a branded URL, such as https://quiz.example.com/q/customer-feedback, instead of a default Pollie app URL.
You do not need to change your website. In most cases, you only add a dedicated subdomain to Pollie and then copy the DNS records into the place where your domain is managed.
Best choice
Subdomain
Use quiz.example.com, forms.example.com, or survey.example.com.
Proof of ownership
TXT
A verification record proves you control the domain.
Public routing
CNAME
A routing record sends visitors from your subdomain to Pollie.
Before you start
Make sure you have:
Admin access to your Pollie workspace.
Access to your DNS provider, such as Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, or your web host.
A subdomain you want to use for quizzes, forms, or surveys.
A few minutes for setup, plus time for DNS propagation.
Use a subdomain first
Subdomains are simpler and safer than root domains. Keep example.com and www.example.com for your main website unless you intentionally want Pollie to serve them.
Step 1: Choose your quiz domain
Pick a subdomain that clearly belongs to the experience you are publishing.
Good examples:
quiz.example.comforms.example.comsurvey.example.comstart.example.com
Avoid using:
example.comif it already hosts your main sitewww.example.comif it already points to your website- A subdomain already used by another tool
Step 2: Add the domain in Pollie
Open Domains in the app sidebar.
In Custom Domains, enter your subdomain, for example quiz.example.com, then click Add domain.
Pollie will create a verification record for that domain. You will see values similar to:
What Pollie shows
Domain: quiz.example.com
TXT Host or Name: _pollie.quiz.example.com
TXT Value: pollie-domain-verification=...
Routing target: the CNAME target Pollie expects for your workspace
Use the copy buttons in Pollie so you do not accidentally miss a character.
Step 3: Add the TXT verification record
Go to your DNS provider and create a TXT record.
Use the Host/Name and Value shown in Pollie.
For quiz.example.com, many DNS providers want only the host part:
TXT record examples
Avoid
_pollie.quiz.example.com.example.com
https://_pollie.quiz.example.com
_pollie.quiz/
Only pollie-domain-verification without the token
Use instead
_pollie.quiz if your DNS provider appends example.com automatically
_pollie.quiz.example.com if your provider asks for the full name
The exact TXT value shown in Pollie
TTL set to Auto or the provider default
If you are not sure whether your DNS provider appends the root domain automatically, look at the final record preview if your provider shows one. The final DNS name should match what Pollie displays.
Step 4: Add the CNAME routing record
Next, create a CNAME record for the public subdomain.
For quiz.example.com, the record usually looks like this:
Typical CNAME record
Type: CNAME
Host or Name: quiz
Target or Value: the routing target shown in Pollie
TTL: Auto or the provider default
If you use Cloudflare, start with the record set to DNS only while verifying. You can revisit proxy settings later if your hosting setup supports it.
Step 5: Verify in Pollie
Return to Domains and click Verify.
Pollie checks:
Ownership
The TXT record must exist and contain the exact verification value Pollie generated.
Routing
The subdomain must point to the expected CNAME target.
Public URL
Once verified, your published quiz URLs can use the pattern https://your-domain/q/quiz-slug.
DNS changes are not always instant. If you added the records correctly and verification fails, wait a little and try again.
Troubleshooting
Check that the TXT Host/Name did not accidentally include your root domain twice.
Confirm the TXT Value exactly matches the value shown in Pollie.
Confirm the CNAME target exactly matches the routing target shown in Pollie.
Make sure the CNAME is on the public quiz subdomain, such as quiz.example.com.
Wait for DNS propagation and try Verify again.
If DNS checks sometimes pass and sometimes fail, wait until propagation settles.
DNS propagation can be uneven
Different DNS resolvers may see different results for a while. It is normal for a record to appear in one lookup and not another shortly after you add it.
After the domain is verified
Open any published quiz and use the custom domain URL:
https://quiz.example.com/q/your-quiz-slug
If the domain verifies but the browser cannot open the URL, check the CNAME record again and make sure your subdomain is not already being used by another website or tool.
Connect your custom quiz domain
Add the subdomain in Pollie, copy the TXT and CNAME records into your DNS provider, then verify from the Domains page.
