What is a domain?

A domain name (also known as your store URL or link) is a unique address of your online store on the web. Your visitors and customers will use this domain to locate and visit your store from anywhere in the world. A domain is also part of your brand identity and can affect your search engine position and placement.

A domain usually contains:

The root domain — a word or words related to what your website represents. In the above example “TinyDancingHorse.com" is the root domain.
A subdomain — an optional addition to the main domain. Subdomains are created to organize and navigate to different sections of your website. In our example, “WWW” is the subdomain. Usually, folks will use "shop" or "store" as their subdomain.
A top-level domain — the last label in your domain name, in the above example it is .com.

Does my Launch Cart come with a free domain?

Yes it does. Every new Launch Cart store comes with a free domain and an included SSL certificate at no extra cost.




By default, every new store will get a free subdomain that looks something like https://MyOnlineStore.launchcart.store, where MyOnlineStore is the custom part of the domain URL that you set when you created your new store (your domain word(s) may vary). The launchcart.store is a Launch Cart domain that we manage on your behalf.

You can customize or change the subdomain (the MyOnlineStore part) at anytime to reflect your online business. We recommend changing this early before you start telling folks about your online store because you don't want people going to an old URL that doesn't exist, because you changed it later. It's better to get this change done right away before your start driving traffic to it.

HTTPS secure connection comes included

All domains (free or custom) come with an included SSL certificate provided by Launch Cart's technology. This means your Launch Cart store is always running via a secure HTTPS connection to help increase your store's credibility and security. This means that if you've created a Launch Cart store, you do not need to take any extra actions to make your site and store run through a secure HTTPS connection.

What is SSL?

SSL allows sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and login credentials to be transmitted securely. Normally, data sent between browsers and web servers is sent in plain text—leaving you vulnerable to eavesdropping. If an attacker is able to intercept all data being sent between a browser and a web server, they can see and use that information.

Are custom domains allowed?

Yes of course! If you're subscribed to one of our premium plans, you can add a custom domain to your Launch Cart store. This will allow you to change your primary domain from the included subdomain (Example: https://MyOnlineStore.launchcart.store) to any custom domain you own.

You can add a custom domain to your store by going to > Settings > Custom Domain and following the instructions.

Should you use a custom root domain, or a subdomain?

Domain type	Explanation
Root Domain	Root domains are what you purchase when buying a domain. An example of a root domain is LaunchCart.com. Most people point their root domain to their online store.
Subdomain	Subdomains are additions to the root domain. You should pick this option if you already have an existing website using your root domain and you don’t want to replace it with your Launch Cart store.

What if I already have a website, can I still use the same custom domain?

Let's say you own the website KidsHealth.com where you operate an online blog. You wouldn't want to use this root domain for your Launch Cart store because this would take your Kids Health blog offline and replace it with your new store. So here's what you do...

Here's what we recommend.

Login to your Launch Cart store, and go to > Settings > Custom Domain and add a "subdomain". We recommend using "store" or "shop" as your subdomain. Follow the instructions to customize your store's domain and then set this subdomain as your new primary domain.
Then... edit your blog's navigation and include a link to your new Launch Cart store at "https://store.KidsHealth.com" and you're done!
This will allow you to keep your blog up and running and allow you to operate your Launch Cart store with the same branding and similar domain name.

Best practices on choosing the right domain name

We recommend purchasing your domain from NameCheap.com as they give you free domain privacy included.
Keep it short and sweet. Nobody wants to have to type in an extra long domain into their browser.
Try to use "easy to spell" words. Complicated words in domain names can cause your visitors to mistype them and in doing so, wont reach your website.
Avoid hyphens. Hyphens make a domain even longer, and 99% of folks won't know that your domain requires them and will mistype your domain.
Use words and phrases that describe your business or products you sell. A great domain is short and to the point!
Use a familiar extension such as .com, .org, .net. Using a quirky domain exstension is one more a visitor might forget to type and cause them to visit the wrong URL or worse, your competitors website.
Need ideas? If you can't think of the perfect domain, consider using a free service that will help your find and lookup the perfect domain for your store. We recommend https://instantdomainsearch.com/domain/generator

Updated on: 24/08/2022