Domains and email
Your address online, in your name.
A domain is your shop's address on the internet, like yourshop.co.uk, and it should be registered to your business, not to a developer. This guide covers buying one, getting one back from an old developer, pointing it at Shopify and keeping your email working while the site moves.
What goes wrong
Domains get lost more often than you think.
We see these three problems again and again.
Registered to the old developer
The developer has left, the domain is in their name, and getting it back takes weeks.
Renewal emails nobody reads
The domain expires, the site goes down, and someone else can buy the name.
Email breaks on moving day
The site moves, the email settings are not copied, and messages stop arriving.
The guide
Keep it yours. Keep it working.
What we do, and what to check.
01
Buy it in your name
Through Shopify or a UK registrar, with your business as the owner and your email as the contact.
02
Auto-renew on
Turn on auto-renew and keep the card up to date, so the domain never lapses.
03
Getting it back
Ask the old developer to move it to you: for a .co.uk the registrar changes a tag, and for a .com they give you a transfer code.
04
Pointing it at Shopify
A couple of settings at your registrar send visitors to your Shopify store, and we make the change and check it.
05
Business email
An address like orders@yourshop.co.uk, from Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or your registrar.
06
Email safe on moving day
We copy your email settings before anything changes, so messages keep arriving.
07
Old links redirected
Pages from your old site point to the new ones, so Google and customers do not hit dead links.
08
Logins written down
We give you a list of where your domain and email live, and who to contact.
Domains and email
The questions owners worry about.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is your address on the internet, such as yourshop.co.uk. You rent it a year at a time from a registrar and renew it.
Should my shop use .co.uk or .com?
Usually .co.uk, for a shop serving UK customers. If both are free, many businesses buy both and point one at the other.
Who should own my domain?
Your business. The owner and contact email should be yours, not a developer's or ours.
My old developer has my domain. What do I do?
Ask them in writing to transfer it to you. For a .co.uk they ask their registrar to change the tag to your new registrar, and for a .com they remove the transfer lock and give you a transfer code; we can help you word the message.
What if my old developer will not reply?
Do not let the domain expire. We can help you contact the registrar, which usually asks for proof that the business is yours, and it can take time, so start early.
Will moving my domain take the website offline?
No, not if it is done carefully. We usually move the website first and the domain registration later, at a quiet time, so there is little or no downtime.
How do I connect my domain to Shopify?
With a couple of DNS records at your registrar that point the address at Shopify. Shopify then checks it and adds a free secure padlock certificate.
How long does a domain take to start working?
Often within an hour, and sometimes up to a day or two while the change spreads across the internet.
Can I keep my domain where it is?
Yes. You do not have to move the registration to Shopify; we only change the settings that point to the website.
Does Shopify give me a business email address?
No, Shopify does not host mailboxes. Domains bought through Shopify can forward email to an inbox you already have, and for proper business email you use Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or your registrar's email.
Will my email stop working when the website moves?
No, if the email settings are copied first. We record your current settings before we touch anything, and send a test email afterwards.
Can order emails go to my business address?
Yes. Order emails, contact forms and customer replies can all go to your business address, or to two people if you like.
Still stuck? Message Adam. We are at Listerhills Science Park, Bradford BD7 1HR.
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