Adding a Custom Domain

Your CartOS store starts with a free subdomain like yourstore.cartos-stores.com. Adding a custom domain like yourstore.com makes your store look more professional, builds brand recognition, and helps with marketing. This guide walks you through connecting your own domain.

Before you start

Get a domain

If you don't already own a domain, you'll need to register one. You can:

Register through CartOS Domains – Buy and manage domains directly in your CartOS admin. Simplest option with automatic configuration.
Use an external registrar – Buy from Namecheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, Cloudflare, or any other registrar. You'll configure DNS manually.

Domain prices vary by extension (.com, .co, .shop, etc.) and registrar. Expect $10-50/year for common extensions.

Choose your domain structure

Decide how you want your domain to work:

Root domain – yourstore.com
www subdomain – www.yourstore.com
Both – Either works, one redirects to the other (recommended)
Subdomain only – shop.yourbrand.com (if your main site is elsewhere)

Most stores use the root domain as primary with www redirecting to it, or vice versa. Either is fine—just be consistent.

Option 1: CartOS Domains

The easiest way to add a domain is through CartOS Domains. We handle registration, DNS, and SSL automatically.

Registering a new domain

Go to Settings › Domains
Click Buy New Domain
Search for your desired domain
Select from available options
Complete the purchase
The domain connects automatically—no DNS configuration needed

Transferring an existing domain

If you own a domain elsewhere and want to move it to CartOS Domains:

Unlock the domain at your current registrar
Get the transfer authorization code (EPP code)
In CartOS, go to Settings › Domains › Transfer Domain
Enter the domain and authorization code
Complete the transfer (may take up to 7 days)
Once transferred, DNS is configured automatically

CartOS Domains pricing

Domain registration and renewal fees vary by extension. Pricing is shown when you search for a domain. There's no markup for the convenience—prices are competitive with major registrars.

Option 2: External registrar

If you prefer to keep your domain at another registrar, you can connect it by updating DNS settings.

Adding your domain to CartOS

Go to Settings › Domains
Click Connect Existing Domain
Enter your domain name
CartOS shows the DNS records you need to add

Configuring DNS

Log in to your domain registrar and find DNS settings (sometimes called "DNS Management," "Name Servers," or "DNS Records"). Add the records CartOS provides:

For root domain (yourstore.com)

Add an A record:

Type: A
Name/Host: @ (or leave blank, depending on registrar)
Value/Points to: The IP address shown in CartOS
TTL: 3600 (or "1 hour")

For www subdomain

Add a CNAME record:

Type: CNAME
Name/Host: www
Value/Points to: The hostname shown in CartOS (usually shops.cart-os.com)
TTL: 3600

For subdomain only (shop.yourbrand.com)

Add a CNAME record:

Type: CNAME
Name/Host: shop (or your chosen subdomain)
Value/Points to: The hostname shown in CartOS
TTL: 3600

DNS propagation

After adding DNS records, changes take time to propagate across the internet. This typically takes 15 minutes to a few hours, but can take up to 48 hours in rare cases.

During propagation, your domain may work intermittently or not at all. This is normal—wait it out.

Verifying connection

Back in CartOS, click Verify Connection to check if DNS is configured correctly. If verification fails, double-check your DNS records and wait longer for propagation.

SSL certificate

SSL encrypts traffic between your store and customers—essential for security and required for accepting payments. CartOS provides free SSL certificates automatically.

Automatic SSL

Once your domain is connected and DNS is verified, CartOS automatically provisions an SSL certificate. This usually happens within minutes. Your store will be accessible via HTTPS.

SSL status

Check SSL status in Settings › Domains. You'll see:

Active – SSL is working, your site is secure
Pending – Certificate is being provisioned, wait a few minutes
Failed – There's an issue (usually DNS misconfiguration)

Troubleshooting SSL

If SSL fails to provision:

Verify DNS records are correct
Make sure no conflicting DNS records exist (like old A records)
Check that your registrar isn't blocking certificate verification
Wait for full DNS propagation
Try clicking "Retry SSL" in domain settings

If problems persist, contact support.

Setting your primary domain

If you have multiple domains connected (like both yourstore.com and www.yourstore.com), set one as primary:

Go to Settings › Domains
Click Set as Primary on your preferred domain

The primary domain is used in emails, order confirmations, and canonical URLs. Other domains redirect to the primary domain automatically.

Redirects

Automatic redirects

CartOS automatically redirects:

HTTP to HTTPS (all traffic is encrypted)
Non-primary domains to primary domain
Your cartos-stores.com subdomain to your custom domain

Old domain redirects

If you're migrating from another platform and changing domains, set up redirects from your old domain to preserve SEO value and not break existing links:

Keep your old domain registered
Point the old domain's DNS to a redirect service, or
Use your old host to set up 301 redirects to your new CartOS domain

CartOS can't control redirects on domains pointed elsewhere—you'll need to configure this at the DNS or hosting level for the old domain.

Email configuration

Adding a domain to CartOS doesn't automatically set up email. If you want email at your domain (like hello@yourstore.com), you'll need separate email hosting.

Email options

Google Workspace – Professional email with Gmail interface
Microsoft 365 – Outlook-based business email
Zoho Mail – Affordable alternative
Your registrar's email – Many registrars offer email hosting
Email forwarding – Forward yourstore.com emails to your personal email (simpler but less professional)

Email DNS records

Email services require their own DNS records (MX records for receiving mail, plus SPF/DKIM/DMARC for deliverability). Adding these doesn't conflict with your CartOS records—they serve different purposes.

Follow your email provider's setup instructions for DNS configuration.

Subdomains

Using a subdomain for your store

If your main website is elsewhere, you can put your CartOS store on a subdomain like shop.yourbrand.com:

Add the subdomain in Settings › Domains
Add a CNAME record at your registrar pointing the subdomain to CartOS
Verify and enable SSL

Common subdomain patterns

shop.yourbrand.com – Most common for stores
store.yourbrand.com – Alternative
buy.yourbrand.com – Action-oriented

Multiple domains

You can connect multiple domains to one CartOS store. Use cases include:

Different domains for different markets (yourstore.com and yourstore.co.uk)
Protecting your brand by owning variations
Marketing-specific domains for campaigns

All domains point to the same store and redirect to the primary domain. If you need truly separate storefronts, you'd need separate CartOS stores.

International domains

Country-code domains

You can use country-specific domains (.co.uk, .de, .fr, etc.) with CartOS. Set them up the same way as any other domain.

Internationalized domain names (IDN)

Domains with non-ASCII characters (like bücher.de) are supported. Enter the domain in its native characters—CartOS handles the Punycode conversion.

Troubleshooting

Domain not connecting

Double-check DNS records for typos
Verify you're editing DNS at the right place (registrar vs. separate DNS host)
Wait for full propagation (up to 48 hours)
Clear your browser cache and try incognito mode
Use a DNS checker tool to verify records are live

"DNS not configured" error

This means CartOS can't find the expected DNS records. Common causes:

Records not yet propagated—wait and retry
Wrong record type (A vs. CNAME)
Wrong value in the record
Conflicting records (multiple A records, for example)

"SSL certificate failed"

DNS must be fully propagated before SSL works
Some registrars block certificate verification—check for DNSSEC or CAA issues
Wait 15 minutes and click "Retry SSL"

Site loads but shows wrong content

Your DNS might be pointing to an old host. Remove old A/CNAME records and ensure only CartOS records exist for that domain/subdomain.

Site works on www but not root (or vice versa)

You need both records configured—A record for root domain, CNAME for www. Make sure both are added.

After connecting your domain

Once your domain is live:

Update your marketing materials with the new URL
Update social media profiles and bios
Set up Google Search Console for the new domain
Update Google Analytics settings if needed
Check that emails (order confirmations, etc.) show the correct domain
Test the checkout process end-to-end