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How to Connect Your Custom Domain in BuildMyStore ?

Connecting your custom domain (such as store.mybrand.com or www.mybrand.com) provides a professional, fully branded shopping experience for your buyers and strengthens your brand identity.

Prerequisites​

Before connecting your domain, ensure you have:

  • An active BuildMyStore seller account.
  • A registered custom domain owned through a domain registrar (such as GoDaddy, Hostinger, Namecheap, Google Domains, or Cloudflare).
  • Access to your domain registrar's DNS management console.

Step-by-Step Guide: Connect Domain in BuildMyStore​

  1. Log in to your BuildMyStore Web App.
  2. In the left navigation menu, go to Store Settings → General Settings.
  3. Click on the Connect Domain tab or button.
  4. Enter your custom domain name (e.g., store.mybrand.com or www.mybrand.com).
  5. Click Connect Domain.

Required DNS Record Details​

After initiating the domain connection, BuildMyStore generates the exact DNS mapping details required by your domain registrar:

FieldValueDescription
Record TypeCNAMECanonical Name record used to point your subdomain
Host / NamestoreSubdomain prefix (e.g., store or www)
Target / Valuecustomers.mykart.ioBuildMyStore secure routing server
TTLDefault / 3600Time To Live (automatic or standard)

Target Server Destination:

customers.mykart.io
Subdomain Recommendation

Using a subdomain like store.yourbrand.com or shop.yourbrand.com allows you to host your main corporate website on yourbrand.com while routing your ecommerce storefront directly through BuildMyStore.

Configure DNS Records in Your Domain Provider​

Add the generated CNAME record inside your domain provider's DNS settings. Below are step-by-step instructions for popular domain providers:

Option A: GoDaddy DNS Setup​

  1. Log in to your GoDaddy account.
  2. Under My Products, locate your domain and click DNS (or Manage DNS).
  3. In the DNS Records section, click Add Record.
  4. Configure the record fields:
    • Type: Select CNAME.
    • Name: Enter your subdomain prefix (e.g., store).
    • Value: Enter customers.mykart.io.
    • TTL: Select Default (1 Hour).
  5. Click Save to apply the record.

Option B: Hostinger DNS Setup​

  1. Log in to your Hostinger control panel (hPanel).
  2. Navigate to Domains and select your domain name.
  3. In the left sidebar, click DNS / Nameservers (or DNS Zone Editor).
  4. Under Manage DNS records, fill in the following:
    • Type: Select CNAME.
    • Name: Enter your subdomain prefix (e.g., store).
    • Target: Enter customers.mykart.io.
    • TTL: Leave as default.
  5. Click Add Record.

Optional: Domain Redirection Settings​

If you want visitors typing your root domain (e.g., mybrand.com) to automatically redirect to your storefront (e.g., www.mybrand.com or store.mybrand.com):

  1. In GoDaddy DNS management, scroll down to the Forwarding section.
  2. Under Domain, click Add Forwarding.
  3. In Forward To, select https:// and enter your storefront address (e.g., www.mybrand.com).
  4. Set Forward Type to Permanent (301).
  5. Click Save.

To redirect your apex domain to your custom store subdomain in Hostinger:

  1. In Hostinger hPanel, go to Domains → Redirects.
  2. Under Create a Redirect, set the redirect from your root domain to your full store URL.
  3. Choose Redirect Type: Permanent (301).
  4. Click Create.

Troubleshooting & Verification​

Cause
SSL certificates are provisioned automatically by BuildMyStore after the DNS record propagates globally, which can take anywhere from 1 to 24 hours.
Solution
Confirm your CNAME record is pointing to customers.mykart.io using a public DNS lookup tool (such as whatsmydns.net). Once verified, the SSL certificate will activate automatically without manual intervention.
Cause
The CNAME record might have a typo in the Host field (e.g., entering store.mybrand.com instead of just 'store'), or local DNS cache has not refreshed.
Solution
In your domain provider DNS settings, ensure the Host field contains only the subdomain prefix ('store' or 'www'). Then clear your browser cache or test in an incognito window.
Cause
Some domain registrars do not permit both an A record and a CNAME record with the identical host name.
Solution
Remove any conflicting A record on that specific subdomain before saving your CNAME record.