When the checkout domain becomes a question
If you use Shopify's standard checkout and have a custom domain connected, the checkout already runs on your domain. Nothing to do there.
It becomes a question once you move to an external checkout: a page outside Shopify where buyers pay through your own payment provider. With some tools, buyers land on the tool's own address unless you set up a domain of your own. That's the moment a buyer is about to type in card details, and the moment an unfamiliar address does the most damage.
Why your own checkout domain matters
- Trust. Buyers check the address bar more on the payment page than anywhere else. Your own name there removes one reason to hesitate.
- One brand from ad to receipt. The ad, the store, the checkout and the confirmation all carry the same name.
- Fewer questions afterwards. A buyer who paid on your domain recognises the purchase later. Also set your payment provider's statement descriptor to your store name, because that, not the domain, is what shows on the bank statement.
- You stay portable. The address is yours. If you ever change tools, the checkout address can move with you.
Subdomain, not your main domain
The checkout runs on a subdomain, such as checkout.yourstore.com or pay.yourstore.com. Your main domain, yourstore.com, stays pointed at Shopify exactly as it is now, so your store, SEO and email are untouched.
Pick a short, plain word. “checkout” and “pay” are what buyers expect. Avoid anything that looks generated, like a string of letters or numbers.
How the Shopify checkout own domain setup works in Settl
You add one CNAME record at the place where your domain's DNS is managed. That's often Shopify itself if you bought the domain there, or a provider like Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Hostinger, Namecheap, TransIP or one.com.
The Settl dashboard detects where your domain lives and shows the exact menus to click for that provider. You type the subdomain you want, it gives you the record value, and it checks the record for you. Once it's found, SSL is switched on automatically and the checkout goes live on your address.
DNS changes usually show up within minutes, but some providers take longer. The dashboard keeps checking, so you don't have to guess.
Mistakes that stop the domain from working
- Choosing type A or TXT instead of CNAME. It has to be a CNAME record.
- An old record on the same name. A name can hold an A record or a CNAME, not both. Delete the old one first.
- Cloudflare's orange cloud. Set the record to DNS only (grey cloud), or SSL can't be switched on.
- Typing the full domain in the name field when your provider adds it for you, which ends up as checkout.yourstore.com.yourstore.com.
- Pointing your main domain instead of a subdomain, which takes your store offline.
Check these after going live
Once your Shopify checkout runs on your own domain, take five minutes to go through it as a buyer would:
- Open your store on a phone, add a product and click checkout. The address bar should show your checkout subdomain with a padlock.
- Try the cart drawer and the cart page. Both should lead to the same checkout.
- Place a small real order and check it lands in Shopify with the right items, shipping and discount.
- Look at the confirmation email and your provider's statement descriptor. Both should carry your store name.
What comes with the domain
The domain is one part of a Settl checkout. It also carries your logo, colours and language, takes payment through your own providers (Stripe, Mollie, PayPal, Whop, Revolut, Airwallex and more) and sends every paid order back into Shopify. Starter costs €29,99 a month, first month €4,99, with the domain and SSL included and 0% per order.