Set yourself apart from the competition and give your business a professional edge
by purchasing a custom domain from Shopify.
When customers visit your online store, they see the store domain in the browser address
bar. Keep watching to learn what a domain is and how to purchase one for your online store.
Every Shopify store comes with a free default domain. This domain
is your store name dot myshopify dot com. For example, our store’s default domain is
march road dot my shopify dot com. But, I want to start building brand
identity for my store, so I’m going to buy the custom domain march road dot com. That way,
customers see my domain name every time they shop. And, they are more likely to remember my brand.
It’s easy to buy a custom domain since you can do it right from your Shopify admin.
Your domain is automatically set up for you, and you own it even if you decide to leave Shopify.
Domains purchased through Shopify are registered for one year,
and can be renewed until you cancel your domain or your Shopify store.
If you already have a custom domain from a third-party, then you can connect it
to your Shopify store. Check out the help article linked below for more instructions.
Start from your Shopify admin and click “Online Store”. Then click “Domains”. Next,
click “Buy new domain”. In the text field, enter the
domain name that you want to buy. I want to use the name of my business, which is “March Road”.
Here you’ll see a list of available domain extensions and their prices.
Extensions are the bit of text at the end of the web address. The most common
extensions are dot com, dot net or dot shop. You can even buy premium extensions for special
events or flash sales like dot sales. You can also buy country extensions
like dot ca, dot au, or dot uk. Some domain extensions, like country extensions,
have residency or business requirements. Other extensions, like dot com, don’t.
Research the requirements for the domain extension that you want to use before you buy the domain.
If you can't meet the requirements, then your domain might be suspended.
The price of your domain depends on the type of extension you buy.
To view even more extension options, click “Show next 10” at the bottom of the list.
When you’re ready, click “Buy” next to the domain that you want to purchase.
If you haven’t entered your credit card details,
then click “Add payment method” and follow the prompts to enter them.
Now you’re on the “Summary page”. The Shopify account owner’s email and information are used
to purchase and renew domains. Review your “personal information” for errors.
Emails about the maintenance and ownership of the domain are sent to this email,
so make sure it’s correct. If you want your domain to be automatically
renewed in a year, then keep the box “Auto-renew this domain every year” checked. Otherwise,
uncheck the box. You’ll be sent a reminder email when your domain is about to expire.
Next, check whether your domain offers “WHOIS Privacy”.
WHOIS is a service that you can use to look up information about the owner of a domain name.
If you don’t want your ownership information to be available through a WHOIS lookup,
then you need a domain that includes WHOIS Privacy. WHOIS Privacy keeps your personal
contact information hidden from the public. If the domain name that you selected offers
WHOIS privacy, then you see a notice telling you that the domain you chose includes WHOIS privacy.
If you don’t see this notice and you want WHOIS privacy on your domain, then click “Cancel” and
select a different domain extension. See the link in the description for
a full list of domain extensions that don’t include WHOIS privacy.
Now, go ahead and read through the “ICANN policy” and the “Domain Registration Agreement”. Keep in
mind, domain purchases are non-refundable. When you’re ready, click “Buy domain”.
On the newly loaded page, you see details and settings for your new domain.
Note that your newly purchased domain has been set as your primary domain.
This means it’s the domain that customers see in the address bar when they visit your online store.
Your .myshopify.com domain will now automatically redirect to your custom domain.
You’ll also get several emails confirming your purchase, and asking you to verify
your information. Follow the steps in the emails to finish registering your domain.
It can take up to 48 hours for your new domain to start working.
When your domain is ready to use, the SSL pending tag will disappear from the domain’s status.
Congratulations! This is a great step toward building your brand identity.
If you still have questions, comment below or visit help.shopify.com.