I just launched my first Shopify e-commerce store: http://www.getagripwatersports.com/. But before I could officially launch, I needed to change the DNS settings so they pointed to the Shopify sub domain.
You can read the official instructions here http://wiki.shopify.com/DNS#CNAME_Status. I found them a bit difficult to follow (I like visual aids) so I called Bluehost support and they walked me through the very easy process.
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DNS Zone Editor:
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Select a Domain
In the “Select a Domain” area, choose the domain you want to update.
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Edit Your “A” Record
Scroll down a little to the “Zone File Records” section. Under A (host), you’ll see a table with the following columns: Host Record / Points to / TTL / ACTION. In the row with the “@” sign, click the edit link. Change the ”A Record” IP address to 204.93.213.45, then click save.
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CNAME (Alias)
Scroll down a little more to the “CNAME (Alais)” section, you’ll see a table with the following columns: Host Record / Points to / TTL / ACTION. In the row with “www“, click the edit link under action. Change the CNAME record to “YourStoreName.myshopify.com” (Replace YourStoreName with the sub domain you have with your store) then click save.
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MX Records
Don’t forget to update your MX Records, otherwise your email might not work.
And that’s it, pretty simple really. I recommend both Bluehost and Shopify, they are definitely worth exploring if you are looking for a good solid host or e-commerce platform.
Thanks for your easy walk through. Are you able to elaborate on “Don’t forget to update your MX Records, otherwise your email might not work”? Will my email stop working if I follow your steps and don’t do anything to the “MX Records”? Thanks again.
Hi Adam, yes your email will stop working. The Bluehost support team helped me fix the issue once I realized I couldn’t receive email. But basically, you need to make sure your MX records are pointed to mail.your-domain-name.com.