Transfer Domain Away From Shopify
As mentioned earlier in this article, transferring your domain is a relatively straightforward process. You need to unlock the domain from the current host and authorize the transfer to the new one. The article covers the process in greater detail for some of the most common hosting services.
However, there is an additional aspect of transferring domains most overlook. Are you going to shift your website and all associated data as well? In this case, migrating a website can lead to complications like lost data and design incompatibility. To mitigate these problems, consider hiring the services of a Shopify web development specialist like Folio3. These companies offer complete Shopify migration services, including design and after-sales support.
Keep Your Services Separate
Its never good to put all your eggs in one basket, and thats what you do if you buy a domain name from Shopify. If you lose access to your Shopify account for any reason, you lose access to both your store and domain name.
Similarly, if you decide to move away from Shopify in the future, youll have to migrate both your store and your domain name. While a domain name transfer is possible, it is a process that requires time and money.
Keeping your services separate is a best practice and gives you flexibility. For example, you can configure other services, subdomains, and DNS rules without impacting your Shopify store. If you lose access to your Shopify account or want to migrate away from Shopify, you could quickly point your domain name to a different ecommerce platform within minutes.
Add An External Domain
Buying a domain through Shopify can be convenient. However, you may want to explore other domain registrars to get the best price on a domain, for example.
If you buy a domain elsewhere, youll need to point it to Shopifys servers to connect it to your store. Consider hiring a virtual assistant to help with this process.
Whoever adds the domain will need to go to the Domains section of your admin account. Select Connect existing domain and type the domain you own.
This will add the domain to your account, but you need to go to your domain registrar and update the DNS settings. Add the IP address for Shopify and save the change.
Give the process two or three days to complete. Some registrars may be faster at updating the settings, but youll need to come back later before you can make your domain go live.
Even then, youll need to follow a few steps to set up the new domain within your account.
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What Are The Benefits Of An Ssl Certificate
SSL certificates provide security to your website and are vital to protecting your sensitive and personal information. SSL certificates keep your online interactions and transactions private through encryption and gives your customers confidence. The benefits include:
Considerations Before You Buy A Domain Through Shopify
Before you buy a domain through Shopify, review the following considerations:
- Email hosting services aren’t provided on Shopify. Instead, you can connect your Shopify-managed domain to a third-party email hosting service.
- Some domain extensions include WHOIS privacy, which is a service that keeps your personal contact information hidden from public domain registration records. If you want WHOIS privacy, then make sure that your domain extension isn’t on the WHOIS exceptions list.
- Some domain extensions have specific residency or business registration requirements. Make sure that you can meet these requirements, because you might need to verify your registration information. If you can’t meet these requirements, then your domain might be suspended.
- A new TLS certificate, also known an SSL certificate, is created automatically when you buy a domain through Shopify. You dont need to buy SSL encryption for your domain.
- You need to pay the registration fee every year to renew your domain subscription. Domain renewals are charged separately from your monthly subscription charges. The exact pricing depends on which domain extension you choose.
- Domain hosting services are only available with a paid Shopify plan. If you want to deactivate your store or your Shopify account, but you want to keep using your domain, then you need to transfer your domain before you deactivate your store. You can transfer your domain to one of the following:
- another domain provider
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What Is A Web Domain
A web domain is the common name given to your complex, numerical internet address. Every site on the internet has an IP address, which is a string of numbers that serves as the coordinates for your online destinations. A domain name is a text-based name that represents that numerical IP address.
When you type a web domain into your browser, it funnels your request through the Domain Name System server to bring you to the desired site. DNS is a complex directory that converts a text-based domain, which is decipherable by humans, into the corresponding IP address, which is decipherable by computers. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a global nonprofit organization that helps coordinate the supply of IP addresses through the DNS, along with a variety of other responsibilities such as registrar accreditations and internet policy development.
Why Change Your Shopify Domain
When you first start a Shopify store, youll get a subdomain to use. However, subdomains can look unprofessional, and you can confuse customers since they may think theyre buying something from Shopify.
Adding your own domain can clear up that confusion. It also allows you to brand yourself with your own business name to look more professional for your customers.
Changing a domain name can also come in handy if you ever decide to rebrand yourself. Maybe you already have a domain name that you use with Shopify, but it no longer accurately represents what you sell.
You can register another domain name and change your store to the new one in your settings. Then, you can update all of your branding to reflect the switch.
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Shopify Store Name Vs Shopify Domain Name
Your Shopify store name has two elements.
The first one is visible to shoppers on the front end. You must enter your store name when you set up your online shop.
Shopify doesnt require your store to be the same as your legal business name. As long as the address and other pertinent store details match official documents, you can name it anything you like.
The second is the domain name or URL, which Shopify generates as you set up your store. It ends with .com or myshopify.com unless you have a custom domain.
Your domain name or store URL is what appears on your customers browser address bar when they visit your store.
For example, if your Shopify store name is Queens Cupcakes, your domain name could be queenscupcakes.myshopify.com.
If you bought a custom domain, your primary domain name could be queenscupcakes.com.
Purchasing Through The Shopify Website
Here are the steps to buying a custom domain:
That’s all!
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Domain Name Is Hard To Sell Later
This is the only reason why I recommend to my students not to use their own name as a domain name. Although you may have simple plans for your website, many people start, but it could be the next big thing, and if you plan to sell the business you might have in a few years, it would be difficult to sell. Buyers prefer a tradeable domain name that is not associated with a name.
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Should I Buy My Domain Through Shopify
If you take our advice and decide to get your own custom domain name you have three options:
If you donât have a preference for a domain registrar itâs probably easiest to buy your domain directly from Shopify. Their pricing is competitive with other domain registrars although you might be able to save a couple of dollars by shopping around. Based upon your technical prowess youâll have to decide whether saving a couple of bucks is worth the extra time and hassle setting up your domain to point to Shopify.
The main advantage of buying direct from Shopify is that Shopify will automatically set up your domain for you so you donât need to get into setting up DNS records.
The main disadvantage is that Shopify does not provide email accounts as part of its domain service. However, you can use Googleâs G Suite or Zoho Mail for your email accounts and easily connect them to Shopify. If you prefer to use other email hosting providers Shopify will support them but youâll need to be willing to play around with your domainâs MX records.
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How Do I Add A Custom Domain Name To A Shopify Store
If you buy your custom domain name through Shopify, youre all set. Shopify will automatically connect your custom domain name to your store.
If you buy your custom domain name through a third-party domain provider, follow these steps to add your custom domain name to your Shopify store:
- Log in to your Shopify Admin and click Settings, then Domains
- Click the Connect existing domain button
- Enter the domain name you want to connect in the text box and click Next
- If you purchased your domain name from GoDaddy, Google Domains, or 1& 1 IONOS, click the Connect automatically button. Log in to your GoDaddy, Google Domains, or 1& 1 IONOS account. Click Connect, and then click Close.
- If you purchased your domain name from another registrar, youll have to connect your domain name manually.
- Open a new tab and log in to your domain name registrar account.
- Find the DNS settings for the domain you want to connect.
- Point the A record to Shopifys IP address: 23.227.38.65 and change the Host name to the symbol.
- Point the CNAME record with the name www to shops.myshopify.com
- Save your changes.
- Return to your Shopify Admin and click Verify connection
- Thats it! Youve successfully connected your third-party domain to your Shopify store!
What Are The Benefits Of Shared Hosting
The four main benefits from shared hosting are:
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Why Do You Need To Change Your Shopify Store Name
Savvy entrepreneurs dont change their Shopify store name on a whim. After years of building their brand, improving services, and doing marketing for brand recognition, they understand that renaming their business could undo years of hard work.
Established online merchants only change their store name for good reasons.
Here are some valid reasons to change your Shopify store.
How To Change The Shopify Store Name
Its one thing to know how to change the Shopify domain name. However, you may still want to update the name of your Shopify store, which is the display name on your website.
In your admin panel, you can go to your Settings, then click on General. Near the top, youll find the Store details section, and the first setting there is the Store name.
Update that to the new name you want to use, and click on the Save button.
You may need to change the store name when you first set up your store, depending on the default. Of course, changing the name is also helpful if you change from one domain to another so that your store is cohesive.
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How To Buy A Domain Name For Your Ecommerce Store
Buying an Ecommerce domain name for your online store is an important part of establishing the brand of your business. Your domain name should be reflective of the type of business you’re in, and it should be something memorable so that users will have no difficulty recalling it and finding your website. This article will center on how to get a custom domain name and how to purchase one for your Ecommerce store.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is basically the name of your website, and it’s how anyone using the Internet will find your site. Individual computers all have IP addresses, which is a string of numbers that no one really would be able to remember. However, this problem is solved by creating a domain name which is equivalent to that IP address and which can be used to identify any website on the Internet. All domain names are used in conjunction with domain name extensions such as .com, .net, and others. Before any custom domain name can be used, it has to be registered and it must be unique from all other domain names. It will also need content and a hosting service which can store the files associated with your website, so it can be displayed to visitors.
Is Shopify A Good Place To Buy A Domain Name
Shopify is a popular ecommerce platform that enables businesses to create their own online stores. One of the first decisions you need to make when setting up a Shopify store is choosing a domain name.
In this article, well discuss whether Shopify is a good place to buy a domain name.
There are a few things to consider when deciding whether to buy a domain name from Shopify or another provider. First, Shopify offers a free 14-day trial, which is a great way to test out the platform and see if its right for your business. If you decide to continue using Shopify after the trial, youll need to choose a paid plan, which starts at $29 per month.
This plan includes a free domain name for one year. So, if youre looking for a short-term solution, Shopify could be a good option. However, if youre looking for a long-term solution, you may want to consider another provider.
Another thing to consider is the price of domain names. Shopifys prices start at $11 per year for .com domains.
However, other providers such as GoDaddy and Namecheap often have lower prices. For example, GoDaddy currently offers .com domains for $0.99 for the first year . So, if price is your main consideration, you may want to buy your domain from another provider.
PRO TIP:
1. Shopifys domain names are not very good. They are often long, hard to remember, and not very memorable.
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Unable To Buy A New Domain
I am trying to buy but every time I try and buy a domain an error occurs “please try again. ” . That is the only message I receive after trying to buy a domain and now I am stuck, don’t know what to do. Please help.
Hey, there. My name is Ren from the Shopify support team, here to help you out. Often when this error message is seen it’s due to the system not detecting an accurate address. I recommend validating your address using Google and copy/pasting that exact address into the appropriate fields and trying again. Be sure the postal/zip code is spaced accurately too. If the problem persists, you may need to reach out to your bank or credit card company to request some assistance with the payment. I hope you find the resolution quickly! Let me know how it goes.
– Was my reply helpful? Click Like to let me know! – Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution – To learn more visit the Shopify Help Center or the Shopify Blog
Can I Change My Stores Myshopifycom Url
You are allowed to change your stores myshopify.com URL once, it is free to make this change. Your original myshopify.com name will still be visible in your Shopify admin.
To change your myshopify.com URL, log in to your Shopify Admin, click Settings, then Domains. Underneath your current myshopify.com URL, click the Change to a new myshopify.com domain link. From here, enter your new myshopify.com domain and click Add domain.
After changing the myshopify.com URL once, the only way to change your myshopify.com URL again is to create a new Shopify store.
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