If you’re running an online store with BigCommerce, you’ll want to make it easy for customers to find you. One way to do that is by connecting your custom domain to your store. If you’ve registered your domain with GoDaddy, you’ll need to update the DNS settings to connect your domain to your BigCommerce store.
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a hierarchical, decentralized system that is used to translate domain names, such as google.com or facebook.com, into IP addresses, which are the unique numerical addresses that computers use to identify each other on the internet.
When you type a domain name into a web browser, your computer needs to find the IP address associated with that domain name in order to establish a connection with the server that hosts the website. The DNS system acts as a phone book or directory for the internet, allowing your computer to look up the IP address associated with a domain name and connect to the appropriate server.
DNS servers are typically maintained by internet service providers (ISPs) or domain registrars like GoDaddy, and they are responsible for resolving domain names into IP addresses. DNS is a fundamental component of the internet and plays a critical role in making it accessible and easy to use.
In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the steps to connect your GoDaddy domain to your BigCommerce store by changing DNS records. By the end of this post, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to update the DNS settings for your domain, and your BigCommerce store will be accessible via your custom domain name.
Steps to Point Your GoDaddy Domain to Your BigCommerce Store
1. Log in to your GoDaddy account and go to the “My Products” section.
2. Find the domain you want to connect to your BigCommerce store and click on the “DNS” button.
3. Scroll down to the “Nameservers” section and click on the “Edit Nameservers” button.
4. Choose the option to enter custom nameservers
and enter the following BigCommerce nameservers:
ns1.bigcommerce.com
ns2.bigcommerce.com
ns3.bigcommerce.com
5. Save the changes to your nameservers.
Steps to Set Up Your GoDaddy Domain In Your BigCommerce Store
Log in to your BigCommerce account and go to the “Settings” section.
Click on “Domain Name” and then click “Add New” under “Add an existing.”
Enter your domain name in the field and click “Next.”
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
After completing these steps, your GoDaddy domain should be linked to your BigCommerce store. It may take some time for the changes to propagate throughout the internet, so don’t be alarmed if your domain does not immediately start directing to your BigCommerce store.
Typically, DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few hours to 48 hours to fully propagate across the internet. However, in some cases, it can take longer for DNS changes to take effect. However, your domain should resolve to your BigCommerce Store within 24-48 hours.
Scott Sanfilippo began his eCommerce journey in 1994 by co-founding one of the Internet’s first online retailers, TheFerretStore.com, which was acquired by PetCo in 2006. In 2001, he co-founded the eCommerce design and marketing firm Solid Cactus, which was acquired by web.com in 2009. Today, Scott is the General Manager of Your Store Wizards and lives in Delray Beach, FL. Scott can be contacted at scott@yourstorewizards.com.