How to Connect a Custom Domain to Your Shopify Website

The first step to creating a professional, high-performing Shopify site is to set your primary domain to a custom, branded domain. If your site currently has “myshopify.com" somewhere in it, this tutorial is for you. For example, my custom domain is www.shecommerceacademy.com. It's branded, it's easy to find and remember, and to a customer, it shows I care enough about my brand and my site to purchase and maintain that custom domain.

Since many drop shippers these days own dozens of e-commerce websites (many without custom domains), a lack of custom domain can make customers worry that they are not ordering from a legitimate enough site or fearful that they may not receive the best customer service. This can lead to customers bailing out before they buy - something we, of course, want to avoid at all costs.

Not connecting a custom domain to your Shopify site is a common mistake to make, especially when first launching a store, but creating a custom domain and integrating it is a necessary step to creating a professional and secure looking brand. 

So, without further ado… Let’s get down to the tech side of things and connect your domain to your Shopify site!

This tutorial is specific to those who use Shopify and are looking to connect a custom domain to their Shopify website.

With all SheCom Tutorials, we like to provide you with what you should expect so you can help budget your time and money in the best way possible. You should expect to spend the following resources completing this tutorial:

TIME:
Less than 20 minutes if the domain is purchased through Shopify or GoDaddy
If your domain is purchased elsewhere, this could take 1-2 hours with the help of tech support (explained below).

MONEY:
Cost of domain: (~$12/year)

If you are purchasing your domain for the first time, be sure to look for discount codes for where you plan to purchase it from. For example, if you're buying from GoDaddy, do a Google search for "GoDaddy Domain Promo Code" - you could walk away spending $1 for the first year of your domain.

Step 1:

Login to your Shopify site

Step 2:

Go to your left sidebar under “Sales Channels” and click Online Store. Next, click “Domains”

If you have purchased a domain already, skip to Step 3.

If you haven't purchased a domain yet... There are many places to purchase a domain — GoDaddy, BlueHost, Shopify the list goes on. You can purchase your domain on GoDaddy, Bluehost, or other services, but you’ll have to then connect the domain once you’ve purchased it. If you aren’t very familiar with technology, or just want to avoid the hassle, purchasing your domain through Shopify takes just a few clicks. To do so, go ahead and click on “Purchase New Domain” button in the top right corner. 

It will take you to a screen where you can search for your domain name. If you haven’t figured out exactly what you want to name your store, or if the domain is unavailable (ugh!), be sure to follow our 4 tips for choosing the perfect domain. Once you’re ready, click “Buy.” Continue to step 6 to make sure your domain is connected properly.

Step 3:

If you already have a domain you want to use, you’ll click on “Connect Existing Domain.”

Step 4:

Type in your existing domain name. If the domain is hosted with GoDaddy or other popular hosting sites, Shopify will allow you to automatically connect it. If you have this option, go ahead and do it and move on to the next step.

If you don't get the option to connect automatically, you will likely need to login to the website where your domain is registered (i.e. GoDaddy or BlueHost) and access your DNS records to point your domain to your Shopify site using the following method.

• Log in to the account you have with your domain provider.
• Find your DNS settings. Look for your domain management area, DNS configuration, or similar.
• Edit your A record to point to Shopify's IP address 23.227.38.32
  The domain settings panel might feature drop-downs or editable fields, or you might have to check boxes or edit a table. You need to:
• Enter or choose the @ symbol, or A record
• Enter Shopify's IP address 23.227.38.32 as the destination for the A record.
• Save the A Record (click Save, Save Zone File, Add Record, or similar).
• Find the CNAME record in your DNS settings.
• Change your www CNAME record to point to shops.myshopify.com Often, you need to provide just the prefix without the dot, but for some domain providers you need the whole subdomain. CNAME records must always point to a domain name, never to an IP address.
• Save the CNAME Record (usually by clicking Save or Add record or similar).

If you are having trouble with this step, nearly every site where you can register a domain will have a call center or even an online chat to help you with this step - many times, they can even add these records for you.

Step 5:

You’ll likely see a pending verification message before your site is fully connected. This is normal and should resolve within 15 minutes to an hour. Check back around an hour later and if you still aren’t fully verified, contact Shopify support or the support team where your domain is registered.

Step 6:

Enjoy your new custom domain! Be sure to change any links that you had previously across social channels, blog posts, and more to your new custom domain!

This tutorial is from our SheCom Guide to Shopify Success: 5 Mistakes You May Be Making on Your Shopify Site.

Want to step up your website even further? Grab our Expert Guide and polish your online store to perfection: