How To Transfer a Domain to Shopify Seamlessly [2024]

Just migrated to the Shopify platform? Here’s the complete guide to transferring your existing domain to Shopify.

Shopify migration is not easy. 😷

You need to put a lot of effort into setting up the store from scratch and configuring it for the best. Lastly, you may need to transfer a domain to Shopify not to lose your hard-earned SEO wins & branding. Thankfully, Shopify allows users to buy new domains or connect/transfer the existing ones. And by transferring to Shopify domain you will build an impactful presence online.

In this article, find the steps to transfer a domain to Shopify and connect an existing third-party domain to your store.

Table of Contents

• Why Transfer a Domain to Shopify?
• Know These Things Before Transferring Your Domain to Shopify
• Easy Steps to Transfer a Domain to Shopify
• Other Helpful Resources

Why Transfer a Domain to Shopify?

Merchants can buy & manage domain names from the Shopify admin. You can also transfer any third-party domain to Shopify and connect it with your store. Here are some reasons to transfer a domain to Shopify:

• Seamless Integration: The domain automatically points to your hosted Shopify store without additional manual settings.
• Easy Management: You can configure the domain settings, renew it, and perform other tasks from the admin panel.
• Built-in SSL: Shopify offers in-built SSL certificates with its domain. Therefore, you’ll no longer need to pay additional charges for the extra layer of security.

Furthermore, Shopify is a reliable platform and offers better customer support. That sums up plausible reasons to transfer a domain to Shopify platform.

Know These Things Before Transferring Your Domain to Shopify

Before you decide to transfer a third-party domain to Shopify, consider the following things:

• Domain registration must be at least 60 days old with the current registrar.
• Shopify charges $14 per year for hosting the domain.
• You must pay the registration fees to renew the domain registration for 12 months.
• You need to have access to the email used for domain registration.
• Shopify does not offer email hosting services; you must use a third-party email hosting service.

Ensuring your domain is eligible for transfer from your current registrar is also essential.

For that, you can check your domain service provider’s transfer policy. Links to some popular service providers’ domain transfer policies are provided below.

• Bluehost
• Godaddy
• Google Domains
• Namecheap

If you are unsure about the transfer policy of your registrar, you can contact the support team and learn the same.

Easy Steps to Transfer a Domain to Shopify

Simply complete these three easy steps to transfer a third-party domain to Shopify.

Step 1: Link Third-Party Domain to Shopify

It is recommended to connect a domain to Shopify before transferring it. This is to avoid inconveniences to customers visiting your website during the transfer process.

Based on your domain service provider, there are two ways to connect a third-party domain to Shopify:

• Connect Automatically: Domains from Google Domains, GoDaddy, or 1&1 IONOS.
• Connect Manually: Domains from other registrars.

Connect Automatically

If you have purchased the domain from Google Domains, GoDaddy, or 1&1 IONOS, you can automatically connect it to Shopify by following these steps:

• In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains.
• Click on Connect existing domain.
• Enter your domain and click Next.
• Click Connect automatically.

The domain will get automatically connected to Shopify.

Connect Manually

You can connect third-party domains manually to Shopify if you use domain services other than those mentioned above. Simply follow these steps to connect a third-party domain to Shopify manually.

• Log into your domain provider’s account.
• Configure the following DNS settings:
  • Point A record to Shopify’s IP: 23.227.38.65
  • Change Host name to @
  • Delete any other A records
  •  Point CNAME to with www name to shops.myshopify.com
• Save the configuration.
• Log into Shopify admin, and go to Settings > Domains.
• Click on Connect existing domain and enter the domain.
• Next, click on Verify connection to confirm the domain connection.

It may take around 48 hours to get your domain verified. After successful verification, you will find it in the THIRD-PARTY DOMAINS section of Shopify.

Step 2: Prepare the Domain for Transfer

In order to transfer a third-party domain to Shopify, you need to unlock the domain and get the authorization code. Here are the quick steps to prepare the domain for the transfer:

• Log into the domain account and take a backup of the domain records.
• Click Unlock next to the domain name, and complete the verification via email.
• Once your domain is unlocked, get the transfer authorization code by clicking on Auth Code, Transfer this domain, or similar options.

You’ll receive the authorization code on your registered email, which is required to transfer a domain to Shopify.

Step 3: Transfer the Domain to Shopify & Authorize it

Once your domain is unlocked, you are ready to transfer it to Shopify. Follow these steps to migrate the domain to Shopify:

• In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains, and click on Connect existing domain.
  
• Assuming you’ve already connected the domain to Shopify in Step 1, click on transfer it to Shopify.
  
• In the next screen, enter the domain name in the Domain field and click the Next button.
  
• On the next screen, you’ll receive general instructions that we already followed in Step 1 & Step 2. You can ignore them. Click on Verify domain to proceed with the final step.
  
• Finally, enter the authorization code generated in the previous step and complete the domain transfer to Shopify.

Voila! You’ve successfully completed the domain transfer process.

It will take around 20 days to transfer a domain to Shopify. You’ll soon receive the good news in your email. Contact Shopify support if you face any issues during the transfer process.

Other Helpful Resources

There is still much work to do after you transfer a domain to Shopify. It’s time to get real customers into your online store and buy products. One of the best ways to do that is to leverage search engine optimization for organic traffic. Here are some useful resources to read for you:

• 5 Common Shopify SEO Issues and How to Fix Them
• How to Grow Your Shopify Store
• How to Drive Traffic to Your Shopify Store

Hope you’ll find these resources helpful. 🙂 Thanks for being with me till the end. Happy Selling..! 🍀