Buying custom domains through Ecwid

When you sign up for Ecwid, you get an online store that is located on a free default URL in the form of store123.company.site. You can change that default URL to a custom one, e.g., coffee-store.com. A unique domain helps you establish your brand and build trust in your online store. It may also improve your site ranking in search results.

The easiest way to connect a unique domain is to purchase it directly from Ecwid. That requires no manual setup, and the domain connects automatically after purchasing. You can use domains with your Instant Site only, a free Ecwid website with a built-in store.

Please note that currently it's not possible to set up a business email addresses with a domain purchased through Ecwid.

Before purchasing a domain through Ecwid

Here’s what you need to know before you proceed with purchasing a domain in Ecwid:

• Domains are registered for one year and auto-renewed annually.
• Renewals are charged separately from your online store subscription charges. Depending on your location, your renewal price might include taxes.
• Domains purchased from Ecwid have a free TLS certificate. TLS is a digital protocol that ensures the security of your site, online transactions, and your customers’ data.
• Domains purchased from Ecwid include the WHOIS privacy service that keeps your personal contact information private. WHOIS protects you from spam or stealing your domain.
• After purchasing a domain, you will still have your default Ecwid domain as your secondary domain. If for any reason your primary domain becomes disconnected from the Instant Site, your site will still be accessible through a link to your default Ecwid URL.
• Downgrading from a paid Ecwid plan will deactivate your custom domain, and it will no longer be available for your site. If you re-upgrade, you can re-connect a domain.

Buying a domain through Ecwid admin

You can purchase a domain for your Instant site directly from Ecwid. Domains bought from Ecwid are connected automatically to your site after purchase. Once a domain is connected, new links appear in customer order notifications and invoices. Domains purchased from Ecwid are stored on the Website → Domain page, where you can see the domain price and the next billing date.

To purchase a domain through your Ecwid admin:

1. From your store admin, go to Websites → Domains.
2. In the Domain name and site address, click Buy New Domain.
3. Enter a domain name and an extension (e.g., .com, .net) in the search field. For example, mydomain.com. Click Search. Alternatively, you can click Generate with AI and provide information about your business to get suggestions about your domain name.
4. Review available domains and their prices. The price may vary depending on the name length or extension. Choose a preferred domain and click Next Step.
   The domain name cannot be changed after registration, so make sure you haven’t made any mistakes in the name spelling.
5. Enter the information about the domain owner. Make sure you entered the correct email address since you will need to verify your contact information via email. Click Next Step.
6. Your credit card or PayPal account that you used to pay for your Ecwid account will be chosen as a default payment method. To change the payment method for domain purchase, click Change.
7. Click Buy Domain.
8. Verify your email address to complete your domain registration. Check the mailbox you specified during the purchase process and follow the instructions in the email. Domains with unverified emails will be suspended.

That’s it. It may take up to 48 hours to connect your domain to your Instant Site. Meanwhile, your Instant Site will still be available on your secondary domain which is your free Ecwid web address. Your free subdomain provided by Ecwid can be used as a backup option in case you disconnect the primary domain. 

Disconnecting a domain purchased through Ecwid

You can disconnect a domain from your Instant Site. After disconnecting you will still own the domain for the whole remaining time you paid for and will be able to reconnect the domain until your ownership has expired. If you don’t reconnect the domain before your ownership expires, it becomes available for registration by someone else.

Once you disconnect domain:

• Your Instant Site no longer will open via the disconnected domain.
• Instant Site will remain connected to a free Ecwid subdomain.
• In case you own another domain purchased from Ecwid, it will become your Instant Site primary domain instead of a free subdomain. When you have several active domains, the one that you bought first will become your primary domain. 
• Links in customer email notifications and invoices will be replaced with your new primary domain.

To disconnect a domain from your Instant Site:

1. From your store’s admin, go to Website → Domain.
2. In the Site address block, click Manage.
3. Under the section with the billing info for your domain, click the disconnect it from your store link.
4. Click Disconnect Domain.

That’s it! Your Instant Site is no longer open by the old link.

Reconnecting a domain purchased through Ecwid

When you disconnect a domain purchased from Ecwid, you cancel your annual subscription. Still, you own a domain for the whole year you paid for it, and you can reconnect a domain within that year.

Reconnecting a domain means that:

• You re-subscribe to yearly domain renewal.
• Your Instant Site will be available on the reconnected domain. The reconnected domain becomes primary only if at the moment of reconnect your main domain is an Ecwid built-in subdomain.

To reconnect a domain to your Instant Site:

1. From your store’s admin, go to Websites.
2. Near the disconnected domain, click Manage.
3. Click Reconnect.

Related articles

Creating a multilingual site with Ecwid Instant Site
Renewing an expired domain purchased from Ecwid