Point your existing domain to EcomWeb

If your old website runs on your domain, you can point that domain to your EcomWeb store and keep your customers. The domain stays where you bought it, and you only change one DNS record so the domain opens your new store instead of your old website.

Your old website keeps running until you change that record. So get your new store ready first, then move. This article is about the order of the work. For the steps to enter the domain and add the record, see [Connect your own domain](/en/domains/connect-your-domain/).

Get the new store ready first

While your domain still points to your old website, you build your new store on EcomWeb’s free address. Customers keep buying from your old website as usual.

1. Bring your products, content pages and settings over to the new store. For the checklist, see Move from another website.
2. Open your store. See Open your store to customers.
3. Place a test order on the free address. See Place a test order.

Do the test order before you save your domain in EcomWeb. After you save, the free address sends customers to your own domain, which still opens your old website at that point.

The article Connect your own domain suggests saving the domain before you open your store. That is for a new domain. When you move from an old website, you need to open your store to place a test order, and saving the domain only sends customers from the free address to your old website, so it does not affect customers.

Create redirects for your old paths

Paths in your new store are usually different from your old website, for example a product looks like /products/white-t-shirt. Customers who open an old link from Google, Facebook or a message will get a page not found, unless you create redirects.

1. In the sidebar, go to Online Store › URL redirects.
2. Click Add redirect.
3. In the Source path box, enter the old path, starting with /, for example /product/white-t-shirt.
4. In the Destination path box, enter the new path, for example /products/white-t-shirt.
5. Click Create redirect.

On a phone, tap the menu icon in the top left corner to open the sidebar.

You can create redirects ahead of time. A redirect works as soon as your domain points to EcomWeb. Test each redirect on the free address before you save your domain. After you save, the free address goes to your old website, so you can no longer test.

A redirect only compares the path, not anything from the question mark onward. An old path like /product.php?id=12 cannot be redirected on its own, because every such path is /product.php. Do not enter the part from the question mark onward in the Source path box. Uppercase and lowercase letters count as different. To edit, delete and test redirects, see Redirect URLs.

Save your domain in EcomWeb

Saving your domain in EcomWeb does not change anything at your domain provider, so your old website keeps running. The detailed steps are in the article Connect your own domain.

1. Go to Settings › Domain.
2. Enter the domain with www, in lowercase, in the Custom Domain (optional) box.
3. Click Save.
4. If the box of recommended DNS records does not show under the domain box yet, click Refresh.
5. Write down the value in the Value/IP column. The Name/Host column is usually www.

From now on, the free address and the View store icon in the sidebar both open your own domain, which means your old website, until you change the DNS record. So do the next part right after this.

On a phone, tap the menu icon in the top left corner, select Settings, then tap the list icon next to Settings to choose Domain.

Change the www record to EcomWeb

Your domain has a record that points www to your old website, usually an A or CNAME record. You edit that record, and you do not add a second record for www. Change the record at a time when few customers are online.

1. Open the DNS management page where your domain is managed. If your old website platform holds your DNS, the record is there.
2. Find the record named www.
3. If that record is an A record, delete it.
4. If you just deleted an A record, add a new CNAME record named www. If the www record is already a CNAME, open it to edit.
5. Enter the Value/IP value you wrote down in the value box of the CNAME record.
6. Save the record.

Leave your domain’s other records alone, such as MX and TXT. For the details of editing records, see Set up DNS records at your domain provider.

Wait for your domain to switch

From the moment you change the record until the Domain page says setup is done, some customers still see your old website, and your domain may not open your new store yet.

1. Go to Settings › Domain.
2. Click Refresh.
3. Look at the label under the domain box.

When the label is Configured, your domain opens your new store over https. If you wait a long time and the label is still Not configured, see Your domain isn’t working.

Redirect your root domain

Once www points to EcomWeb, customers who type myshop.vn also need to reach your new store.

1. At your domain provider, open the domain redirect feature, which some providers call forwarding or URL forwarding.
2. Choose the root domain, for example myshop.vn.
3. Enter the destination address, for example https://www.myshop.vn.
4. If your provider has an option to keep the path, turn it on so old links like myshop.vn/… still go to the right page.
5. Save the redirect.

If your root domain has an A record that points to your old website, your provider may ask you to delete it first. If you cannot find the redirect feature, ask your provider’s support team.

Frequently asked questions