How do I connect my own domain to ArabyBot Store, or buy one from the panel?
The short answer
In "Settings" → "Domain" you have two ways: buy a .com named after your store and pay from your wallet or by card, and it is connected and secured for you; or enter a domain you own from any provider and add the CNAME record the panel shows (www is recommended). Either way the SSL certificate is issued free and automatically, and the free address redirects to your domain.
The steps in the store panel
- Open the Domain page
In the sidebar open "Settings", then the "Domain" card under "Your shop".
- To buy a new domain
Type the name in the search box and press "Search". If it is free, fill in the owner details (the domain is registered in your name), then pay with "Pay from your wallet" or the pay-by-card button. The connection and certificate are ready within minutes.
- To connect a domain you own
Press "Have a domain? Connect it", type the domain (www.your-domain.com is recommended) and press "Connect". The panel shows the records to add: a CNAME record and, sometimes, a TXT record to prove ownership.
- Add the records at your provider
Copy each record into the DNS panel of your domain provider (such as Namecheap or GoDaddy), then redirect the root domain to www from the provider's panel.
- Check activation
Press "Check now". Activation usually completes within minutes to an hour and the certificate is issued automatically; the free address and the platform address then redirect to your domain.
What you should know
- Buying in the panel covers .com only; for any other extension, buy the domain from another provider and connect it, paying that provider's fees.
- After buying, the registrar e-mails you to confirm your details; open it and click the link within 15 days or the domain stops, a worldwide rule for every new domain.
- A bought domain renews automatically from your wallet, and you can switch auto-renewal off so it simply expires on its date.
- If the records are not added within 14 days of the request, the request is dropped and the name is freed.
- Once connected, your domain becomes the address Google sees for the store, old links redirect to it automatically, and it gets its own Search Console property.
Related questions
Can I connect the root domain without www?
www is recommended because it is easiest with every provider, then redirect the root to www at your provider. The root can be connected directly if your provider supports a CNAME or ALIAS record on the root; the panel shows the records needed for whatever name you enter.
In more depth
Your store and the bot that sells from it — in one account
One account for the store and the bot, with a trial before you pay.