Your Store's Address on the Internet: A Guide to Domains
What is a Domain Name? Think of your website as a new house. A domain is its simple, memorable street address. Instead of a complex IP address (like 23.227.38.65), you get a friendly address like yourcoolstore.com. Let's explore how to get one for your store.
How Do You Get Your Address?
🛍️ The Easy Path
Buy Directly from Shopify
- Shopify finds an available name and sets it up for you automatically.
- Your store's address just works, right out of the box.
- Includes a free, auto-renewing security certificate.
- Your new domain will be linked to the store where you purchased it (unless you transfer it to another store or another provider)
🛠️ The DIY Path
Connect a Domain You Already Own
- Perfect if you bought a name from GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.
- Requires manually pointing your address to Shopify's servers.
- You have more control, but it involves a few technical steps.
- You want your A record to point to the Shopify IPv4 address 23.227.38.65.
- You want your CNAME record to point to shops.myshopify.com.
⏳ The Waiting Game: Why a 48-Hour Delay?
After setting up your domain, it can take up to 48 hours to work everywhere. This is called "propagation."
Analogy: Think of it like sending "We've Moved!" postcards across the globe. It takes time for the new address to reach every post office. The internet works the same way—the new address needs to be updated on servers worldwide.
🔒 Security Seals: The Padlock Icon
That little padlock in the browser bar is an SSL/TLS certificate. It's a digital security seal that protects your customers' information.
Why it's essential: It encrypts sensitive data like credit cards, building trust and keeping customers safe. Shopify provides this for free for all stores on its platform.
A Quick Glossary for the Curious
A Record
The main address. It points your domain (e.g., yourstore.com) to a specific server IP address.To connect your domain to Shopify, make sure to assign the value 23.227.38.65 to your A record.
CNAME Record
An alias. It points a subdomain (like www.yourstore.com) to another domain. It's like a sign on your lawn redirecting visitors. If you want to create a subdomain, make sure to assign shops.myshopify.com to your CNAME record.
MX Record
Directs your emails. It tells the internet where to send messages for info@yourstore.com so they land in your inbox. The specific configuration depends on your email hosting.
TXT Record
Holds plain text notes. Often used by services like Google or Facebook to ask for a "code word" to prove you own the domain.
TLD
The suffix at the end of your domain name, like .com, .org, or .store.
Which Domain Suffix Is Best?
.com is the gold standard—most recognized and trusted worldwide.
.store or .shop are great, modern alternatives for e-commerce.
.ca or .uk are perfect if you primarily sell to a specific country.
