How to connect a custom domain to your ecommerce website
Buying the right domain, the two DNS records that do all the work, and why it is not broken just because it is not live yet.
The short version: buy the domain, add the DNS records your platform gives you at your registrar, and wait. Nothing about this is difficult, but DNS changes take time to spread, and the most common mistake is deciding it is broken after ten minutes and changing everything again.
TL;DR
- • Buy from a registrar you can log into. You need DNS access.
- • Usually two records: one for the root domain, one for `www`.
- • Propagation takes time — often minutes, sometimes hours. Do not panic-edit.
- • HTTPS should be issued automatically once DNS resolves.
- • A custom domain is a trust signal, not a vanity purchase.
Why it matters more than it looks
A custom domain is not decoration. For a shopper deciding whether to enter a card number, `yourbrand.com` and a platform subdomain read as two different levels of seriousness — and they are not wrong, because anyone can make a subdomain in thirty seconds.
It is also the only version of your address that is portable. Everything you build on a subdomain — the links, the search rankings, the customers who bookmarked it — belongs to that subdomain. Move platforms and you start again. On your own domain, you take it with you.
That second reason is the one worth acting on early, because the cost of switching rises every month you leave it.
Step 1 — Buy the domain
Any registrar is fine as long as you can log in and edit DNS. Use a `.com` if you can get one, or `.in` for an India-first brand — both read as legitimate. Be wary of unusual extensions purely because the name was available.
Watch the renewal price rather than the first-year price. A ₹99 first year that renews at ₹1,500 is a common pattern and an annoying surprise.
Step 2 — Add the DNS records
Your platform gives you the values. Typically two records:
- • An A record on the root (`@`) pointing at an IP address, or an ALIAS/ANAME record if your registrar supports one.
- • A CNAME on `www` pointing at your platform's hostname.
- • Sometimes a TXT record to prove you own the domain.
Add them exactly as given. The frequent mistakes are pasting a trailing dot where one is not wanted, putting the record on the wrong host, or leaving an old A record in place that still points somewhere else — which produces a site that works for some visitors and not others, and is genuinely maddening to debug.
Delete conflicting records. If a previous A record on `@` is still there pointing at an old host, DNS may hand out either answer. Remove the old one rather than adding alongside it.
Step 3 — Wait, properly
DNS changes propagate through caches around the internet. It is often minutes and can be hours, and there is nothing you or your platform can do to speed it up.
The failure mode here is behavioural, not technical: someone changes the records, checks after ten minutes, sees nothing, assumes they got it wrong, changes them again — and resets the clock. Then does it twice more.
Add the records once. Check with a DNS lookup tool rather than your browser, which caches aggressively. Give it a few hours before concluding anything.
Step 4 — HTTPS
Once DNS resolves, your platform should issue an SSL certificate automatically — this is standard now and you should not be paying for one separately.
Until it is issued, browsers may show a security warning, which is expected during the window and not a sign anything is wrong. If it persists for more than a few hours after DNS has resolved everywhere, that is worth raising.
One-click, where it exists
Some registrars support Domain Connect, which lets a platform write the correct records for you after you approve it — no copying values, no typos, no wrong host.
On SitesPlaced that one-click path works for most Indian registrars, with manual DNS instructions as the fallback. A custom domain is on the ₹499/month Ecommerce plan, which also removes SitesPlaced branding from your store.
If you do not have the website yet
Everything above assumes you already have a store to put your own domain on.
A SitesPlaced store is free to build and publish, with 0% commission on every sale, on every plan, and 21 integrations included rather than sold as add-ons.
You can publish free on a subdomain first and add your own domain later — the store, the products and the orders all carry over. Step-by-step: connect a domain.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a custom domain take to go live?
Often minutes, sometimes a few hours. DNS changes propagate through caches and nothing can speed that up. The common mistake is deciding it is broken after ten minutes and re-editing the records, which resets the clock.
Which DNS records do I need?
Usually an A record on the root pointing at an IP, a CNAME on www pointing at your platform's hostname, and sometimes a TXT record to verify ownership. Your platform gives you the exact values.
My site works for some people and not others. Why?
Almost always a leftover conflicting DNS record — an old A record on the root still pointing somewhere else. DNS can hand out either answer. Delete the old record rather than adding alongside it.
Do I need to buy an SSL certificate?
No. Your platform should issue one automatically once DNS resolves. A browser warning during that window is expected; one that persists for hours afterwards is worth raising.
Can I start on a free subdomain and add my domain later?
Yes, and it is a sensible order. Publish free, get your first orders, then add your own domain — the store, products and orders all carry over.
Publish free, add your domain when ready
Build the store free on a subdomain, then move to your own domain on the ₹499/month Ecommerce plan whenever you like.
