Changing Domains

All BigCommerce stores are initially created with a .mybigcommerce.com domain or website address. You are free to use this domain for as long as you need, but most stores use a custom domain (like mystore.com).

If you've obtained a domain through a third-party like GoDaddy, you'll need to point it to BigCommerce to start using it with your store. If you've purchased the domain through BigCommerce, no changes are needed and your domain is ready to use with BigCommerce.

Additionally, we'll automatically install our free SSL certificate, so your new domain will be immediately secure.

• Only the store owner user can change a storefront’s domain as this requires access to the Account Dashboard.
• To point a domain to BigCommerce, you will need access to the registrar where your domain is registered, or the DNS host where your domain’s DNS is managed.

Before making changes to your domain, be sure to consider the following:

Existing DNS Records

The instructions in this article assume that you don't have existing DNS records pointing the domain elsewhere. If you've previously set up any DNS records, please note that they might interfere with the steps below and cause your website not to resolve properly.

If you do experience issues getting your domain pointed to BigCommerce, contact your domain registrar to help review your existing DNS records.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

It's important to know that in almost every case, changing domains will impact your SEO. Some of the steps and tools listed below can help you minimize this impact; however, be sure to check the additional resources for additional non-BigCommerce specific information.

Domain Forwarding

If you are changing your store to a different domain name, it will no longer be accessible on the old domain. When visitors attempt to access the old domain, they will receive 404 errors. To minimize any negative impact this may have, consider setting up a domain forward to redirect visitors from the old domain to the new one.

You will want to reset the old domain's DNS back to the registrar's default settings, then forward the old domain to your new one through the old domain's registrar. Contact your old domain’s registrar if you need assistance with setting up the forward.

Email

Updating the DNS for your old domain to the registrar's defaults will cause all email traffic for that domain to point to the registrar. Although not required, consider asking your registrar to set up email forwarders for any of your old domain's email accounts to their counterparts on the new domain.

Advanced Domain Features

If you would like to add additional DDoS protection, traffic acceleration, or DNS reliability, we recommend using a third-party reverse proxy like Cloudflare.

Any domains that you have purchased through BigCommerce but are not currently assigned to a store can be assigned to any of your stores. Start by going to Settings › Domain name, and clicking Manage to the right of the domain you’d like to apply.

Select the store you’d like to apply the domain to from the drop-down menu, then click Apply Domain. The domain will immediately be applied to your store.

After you've applied the domain to your store, a confirmation page with instructions on pointing your domain will display. Note that you may need to access your store using the permanent address (store-######.mybigcommerce.com) if you have changed your domain name without updating your DNS records.

Possible Error Messages

The domain change process can take a few minutes. If you receive an error, the domain has either already been applied to your store or is in use by another BigCommerce store.

To check whether the domain has already been applied to your store, return to the control panel and refresh the page. Click View Store or View Storefronts and check the domain listed in the address bar on your storefront.

Domains are managed by “pointing” them from the registrar or DNS host to BigCommerce. There are three possible methods:

• Changing Your Nameservers
• Creating a CNAME Record
• Creating an A Record

Which Method Should I Use?

• Nameservers — Your nameservers will never change, so future updates are automatic. If you are using this domain for email, you should create those mail records within your BigCommerce DNS settings before changing your nameservers.
• CNAME — Use this method if you don't want to update your existing mail configuration, or to point your BigCommerce store to a subdomain (like shop.mydomain.com). This is useful if you have an existing website at the root domain you want to keep.
• A Record — Use this method if your domain setup requires pointing to an IP address. This method won't affect your domain's existing email configuration.

To point your nameservers, you will need to sign in to your domain registrar and locate the area to change them. If you have trouble, the registrar’s knowledge base or support team should be able to provide you with specific information.

Add the following nameservers:

• ns1.bigcommerce.com
• ns2.bigcommerce.com
• ns3.bigcommerce.com

A CNAME (canonical name) record is a type of DNS record that lets you use a subdomain for your store’s address, such as shop.mydomain.com. One benefit of using a CNAME is that you would not need to update any preconfigured domain email settings. Your existing host would still manage them.

CNAME records are created and managed at your registrar or DNS host. Create a CNAME record in your registrar or host's DNS settings that points to your BigCommerce storefront's Permanent Address.

Use the following settings:

• Type — CNAME
• Label/Host — the domain or subdomain you want your store to be on (like shop or store)
• Destination/Target — your BigCommerce storefront’s Permanent Address (like store-xyz123.mybigcommerce.com)
• TTL — how long the server should cache the information, measured in seconds (like 3600)

If you need help, your registrar or DNS host's knowledge base or support team should be able to provide you with specific information.

This method involves creating an A record in your domain's DNS settings that points to your BigCommerce storefront's IP address.

While rare, your storefront's IP address is subject to change, and failing to update your domain’s A record accordingly would result in your storefront becoming inaccessible. BigCommerce will notify you in advance should your storefront's IP address change. For this reason, it is important to make sure the contact information on your BigCommerce account is kept accurate and up to date.

Use the following settings:

• Type — A
• Name/Host/Alias — your root domain (may be Blank or @, depending on your provider)
• Value/Answer/Destination — your BigCommerce storefront’s IP address (like 216.239.32.21)
• TTL — how long the server should cache the information, measured in seconds (like 3600)

Check your DNS host's knowledge base or contact their support team if you need assistance.

If your store is currently using a .mybigcommerce subdomain, you can use the following instructions to update to a new custom domain (mystore.com) or a subdomain of a custom domain (store.mystore.com).

Go to Settings › Domain name to be redirected to your Account Dashboard then click the Add an existing panel.

Enter the first part of your domain name in the field labeled https://. This field accepts both top-level domains, such as "mystore", and subdomains like "shop.mystore". Enter your extension (such as .com, .net, or .co.uk) in the field labeled Domain Extension, then click Next. A confirmation page with additional steps for completing your domain update will display.

To move from one domain to another, go to Settings › Domain name, and click Manage next to the store you’d like to update.

Click Replace Domain, then click Buy a new one to register a new domain or Add an existing to assign a domain you already own to your store.

Enter the first part of your domain name in the field labeled https://. This field accepts both top-level domains, such as "mystore", and subdomains like "shop.mystore". Enter your extension (such as .com, .net, or .co.uk) in the field labeled Domain Extension, then click Next. A confirmation page with additional steps for completing your domain update will display.

To change from one BigCommerce subdomain to a different BigCommerce subdomain, go to Account Settings › Account Overview and click on the name of your store.

Then, scroll down to Details and click Change mybigcommerce.com Domain Name.

Type your new .mybigcommerce subdomain. After the system confirms the name is available, click Next. You'll be returned to your store's account plan summary page with a message that your store's subdomain was successfully updated.

Can I register a domain name with BigCommerce?

Yes. If you do not already have a domain name, one can be purchased from your control panel. Domains purchased from BigCommerce will automatically apply to your store. Domains purchased from BigCommerce can be transferred between any of your stores in the account dashboard. Domains purchased from BigCommerce come with basic DNS capabilities only. If you require advanced DNS features, such as domain forwarding, you can transfer your domain from BigCommerce to a third-party registrar.

How long will my domain or DNS changes take?

When making DNS changes, it can take up to 72 hours for the changes to be reflected globally. This is due to a process called propagation. The length of time it takes for this process to finish is known as propagation delay. See the section on propagation in our Domain and DNS guide to learn more.

How do I view my store while waiting for propagation to complete?

If you have changed your store's domain but are still waiting for propagation to complete, use your store's permanent address until your DNS changes have completed.

Your permanent address is sent to you in an email when your store was first created. It uses the following format: https://store-xyz123.mybigcommerce.com due to sitewide HTTPS being enabled on all stores.

You can use this URL to preview your store until your DNS changes have fully propagated. To preview pages other than your homepage, add the end of the page URL to your permanent URL. For example, if your contact page's URL is domain.com/contact-us, use https://store-xyz123.mybigcommerce.com/contact-us to preview the page.

Can I use multiple domains with a single storefront?

This can be done on BigCommerce by setting a primary domain name, then using domain forwarding at your registrar for any other domains you want to lead to your storefront. For a customer, typing in any of the domains will bring them to the storefront, but they will see the domain change to the primary domain in their browser address bar.

What’s the difference between pointing a domain and forwarding a domain?

Pointing a domain is a general term for updating the DNS records for a domain to bring the user to a third-party host. Forwarding a domain is a specific process that brings the user from one domain to another, regardless of the web host.

How do I forward secondary domains?

These instructions assume you have purchased all your domains from the same registrar (the company where you registered your domain). Before starting, determine which of your root domains or subdomains will be the primary domain. This will be the domain that the others will redirect to.

Apply the primary domain to your store. Then, go to your registrar's or DNS provider's control panel and point your primary domain to BigCommerce. The method you use to point your domain will depend on whether your domain is a root domain (domain.com), or a subdomain (shop.domain.com).

Next, forward your other domains to the primary domain. We recommend calling your registrar or provider and asking them to assist you since they will have their own specific set of instructions.

To break it down into steps:

• Select domain1.com to be your store's primary domain.
• Apply domain1.com to your store, then point its DNS to BigCommerce.
• Have your registrar forward shop.domain1.com and domain2.com to domain1.com.

When a customer types domain2.com or shop.domain1.com into the address bar, they are now forwarded to your store. The URL redirects to domain1.com.