When it comes to your Shopify store, your domain name – or URL – is your brand. It shows who you are, and a custom domain name proves to your customers that you’re trustworthy and your business is legitimate.
Many online businesses starting out may be tempted to stick with the default store.myshopify.com to save a few bucks. But beware: these free subdomains may hurt your credibility and shoppers are more likely to think your store is a scam.
At WebLime, we believe the best way to grow your online Shopify business is to have a beautiful, well-designed website with strong branding – and that all starts with a custom domain name.
So you’re probably wondering how to change domain name on Shopify. How do you get your own custom domain?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to change your Shopify URL to a custom domain in minutes!
What is a Custom Shopify Domain Name?
The domain name of a Shopify store refers to the web address that users type into their web browsers to find your online store. The other name for a domain is a URL – although this term also includes any page paths.
Shopify provides every store with its own free URL. But, these domains aren’t custom, as they are a subdomain of Shopify’s site – myshopify.com.
A custom domain adds far more credibility to your brand and makes it stand out from the sea of starter Shopify stores. Instead of yourbrand.myshopify.com, you can go by yourbrand.com – or use any other ‘top-level domain” (e.g. .co, .co.uk, .eu, .us, .store)
How to buy a Custom Domain through Shopify?
There are many ways you register your own custom domain name. Your options for a custom domain name are:
- Using a domain name you already own
- Buying a custom domain directly through Shopify
- Buying a domain through a Domain Name Provider like GoDaddy or Namecheap and connecting it with Shopify
The easiest way by far is to purchase it directly from Shopify. Let’s introduce you to how you can do this on the Shopify web app.
Purchasing A Web Domain from Shopify
First, we need to open Shopify and log in to your account. Make sure you’re selecting the store you want to buy the domain for.
Then, on your Shopify dashboard, go to settings in the bottom left-hand corner of the page.
Then, click Domains in the left-hand sidebar. You may need to scroll down to find it.
On the Domains page, click Buy a new domain. On the next screen that’ll pop up, you can type in the domain you want to buy. Remember, your custom domain will need to be entirely unique as two businesses can’t have the same domain. If your domain name has already been taken, try switching out the top-level domain for a different one. Instead of .com, why not try .net, or .store, or .boutique? The possibilities are endless!
Shopify lets you browse all your options easily. Once you’ve found a custom URL that’s available, go ahead and click Buy.
Make sure you’ve added a payment method to your Shopify account before proceeding. Simply follow the steps to complete your purchase and the domain is yours!
Then, once your domain has been added to your account, we’ll need to change your store’s primary domain.
Head back to the Domains page and click Change Primary Domain.
Then, select your newly purchased domain from the list.
How to connect your existing domain to your Shopify store
Want to change your Shopify URL to a custom domain you already own or have bought elsewhere? Here’s how:
Open Shopify and log in to your account. Make sure you’re selecting the store you want to use your domain with.
Then, on your Shopify dashboard, go to settings in the bottom left-hand corner of the page.
Then, click Domains in the left-hand sidebar. You may need to scroll down to find it.
On this page, we want to click “Connect existing domain”.
Enter the domain you’d like to use and Shopify will try to recognize the domain name provider you’ve used.
For our example, Shopify has recognized we bought this domain from GoDaddy – and has given us the option to connect both manually and automatically.
By clicking Connect automatically, Shopify will ask you to log in with your domain provider account and it will integrate for you. This should only take a few minutes.
Connecting automatically through integrations is by far the easiest way to connect a domain you already own to your Shopify store.
However, this doesn’t always work – and you may need to connect your domain manually through DNS settings.
Let’s see what happens if we click Connect manually.
It will give us the instructions to verify your domain ownership through DNS records.
Here’s how:
- Go to your domain provider – i.e. GoDaddy, Google Domains etc – and log in to your account.
- Find where your provider keeps its DNS Settings through its Help Center.
- When you’ve found the DNS settings, we’ll need to add a new DNS record.
- Point the A record to the Shopify IP address 23.227.38.65.
- If necessary, change the Hostname to the @ symbol.
- Delete any other A records on the domain if there are any present.
- Point the CNAME record with the name www to shops.myshopify.com.
If you have any troubles with this, get in touch with Shopify support and they’ll walk you through it.
Then, save your changes. DNS record changes can take anywhere from 1 hour to 48 hours to take effect. After some time, head back to the Shopify page and click Verify Connection.
Shopify will then look for this DNS record, and once it’s confirmed, you’ll be able to change your primary domain.
Head back to the Domains page and click Change Primary Domain.
Then, select your custom domain from the list and hit Save. That’s it!
Scale your Shopify Business with a beautiful website designed by WebLime
The secret to a successful Shopify online business is a stunning website that your shoppers love. Here at WebLime, we know exactly how to build storefronts that will help you grow your business fast.
We’ll help you build and launch a fantastic website and carefully monitor your store’s performance to understand how we can optimize your online presence. Once your website is live, it’s time to get the word out about your products. Our SEO marketing services can help you reach new customers and build your credibility. Unlock your Shopify store’s potential and get in touch with us today to see how we can transform your digital presence.
