Custom Domains

Custom Domains allows you to use a customized domain (or URL) for your customer’s stores instead of the default “itemorder.com.” You can easily connect and disconnect domains to individual stores, as well as view the status of each domain from one central location. Custom Domains are easy to set up and require no technical experience.

Use this advanced branding tool to provide customers a fully branded online store experience with a URL that’s easy to remember, use, and share. 

Activate Advanced Branding

Before using Custom Domains you must first enable the Advanced Branding premium feature package. Activate this package under Dealer Settings > Premium Features. This will give you access to Custom Domains as well as the other features in the Advanced Branding package.

 

Note: Premium feature subscriptions apply account-wide. Only Owner and Accountant roles can access the Premium Features page. If you are the Owner or Accountant of your business and cannot access the Premium Features page, email support@ordermygear.com. 

 

 

Connect Your Domains to OMG Stores

Next, go to Manage > Manage Custom Domains in the top navigation. This is where the domain or subdomain must be entered and saved. Please see the section below called ”Domains and Subdomains” for more information about what these are and which to enter here.

 

 

Type in your domain. Do not use any capital letters - capital letters in your custom domain will cause your domain to get stuck in the "pending" state indefinitely. Such a domain will need to be removed and re-added without capital letters in order for it to be set up and work properly. Click Continue to Next Step.

 

Note: OMG does not provide custom domains. Domains must be purchased and registered with a domain registrar by you or your customers before you can set them up in OMG.

 

 

Domains and Subdomains

A domain is the main part of a website’s URL. Domain names are unique for each website and must be purchased from a domain registrar like GoDaddy.com.

Examples of a domain: domain.com or ordermygear.com.

 

A subdomain is an additional piece of information added to the beginning of a website’s domain name. Once you own a domain name, you can create multiple subdomains under that domain for free. For example, if you own domain.com, you can create different subdomains for each of your stores such as shop.domain.com, apparel.domain.com, promo.domain.com, and so on. Examples of a subdomain: subdomain.domain.com or blog.ordermygear.com.

 

 

You can use domains and subdomains on your OMG stores. Each store must have its own domain or subdomain - you cannot use the same domain or subdomain for multiple stores.

Note: If you already own a domain and are using it on a live website such as your company website, you should not use that domain on an OMG store. Connecting a domain already in use by another website to an OMG store will direct all website traffic to the OMG store instead of the original website. Instead, you can create a subdomain to use for an online store.

 

Configure Your Domain Settings

Once the domain has been saved to your OMG account, you will need to log into your domain registrar account (GoDaddy, etc.) and “point” the domain toward OMG by updating your DNS settings. If your customer owns the domain they want to use on a store, they’ll need to update the DNS settings for their domain registrar. 

Note: This can take up to 24-72 hours to take effect.

Below are general instructions to help you update the DNS settings so you can use a custom domain on your online store. The steps and verbiage may differ across domain providers. Please reference your domain provider’s help center for additional information or contact your IT team. OMG will not be able to provide troubleshooting or support for DNS settings.

 

Prerequisites to update DNS settings

• You must have already purchased a domain from a domain registrar such as GoDaddy or Domains.com.
• You must have administrator access to your DNS settings from your domain provider.

Steps

1. Sign in to your domain registrar account, such as GoDaddy or Domains.com.

2. Locate the DNS Settings for the domain you added to OMG.

3A. If using a subdomain (e.g., subdomain.domain.com): 

• Create a CNAME record called whatever the desired subdomain is. For example, in subdomain.domain.com, the name would be “subdomain”. Insert “itemorder.com” as the value requested.
• If you have multiple subdomains under the same domain, repeat this step as many times as needed. Remember, you can have multiple subdomains under the same domain and each OMG store must have its own subdomain.

3B. If using a top-level domain (e.g., domain.com):

• If using a domain not hosted by Wix, create/edit an A Record named “@”. Insert “35.238.174.205” to indicate OMG as the server that hosts the stores.
• If using a domain hosted by Wix, follow the same process but leave the record name blank instead of adding "@". 

4. Wait for your connection to validate. It can take 24 to 72 hours for the connection to start working properly. 

5. For additional information or support, reach out to your domain registrar or your IT team.

 

Manage Custom Domains

You can manage all of your domains by going to Manage > Manage Custom Domains in the top navigation. This high-level view allows you to see the status of a domain, the date it was added to OMG, the store the domain is connected to, and the status of that store. You can search for a domain by name or use filters. 

 

 

Domain Name

These are all the custom domains that have been already added to your OMG account.

 

Date Added

This shows the date the custom domain was added to your OMG account.

 

Domain Status 

There are three statuses each domain can have.

• Verified - The domain has been configured with your domain registrar and is now correctly pointing to OMG. Domains should be in this state before adding them to a store.
• Pending - The domain has been added to OMG but the connection is not established between OMG and the domain provider. Once the domain has been configured with your domain provider to point to OMG, it can take up to 24 - 72 hours for the domain to move to the ‘Verified’ state. If the domain is added to OMG and is not configured with the domain provider, that custom domain will remain in the pending status for 1 week, then move to the ‘Failed’ state. 
• Failed - The domain is not connected to OMG. This can happen when the domain settings were not correctly pointed to OMG or the domain registration expired in the domain name provider. This domain will need to be deleted and the set up process restarted.

Connected Store

This shows what store, if any, the custom domain is connected to. 

 

Store Status

If there is a connected store, the status of that store will be displayed here. Stores can have a status of Open, Closed, or Scheduled. 

 

Domain Settings

Clicking the three dots in the Domain Settings column allows you to remove the domain from a store or remove the domain entirely from your OMG account. 

 

 

Filters

Filters allow you to filter by domain status, store connection (connected or not connected to a store), store status, and date range of when domains were added.

 

Email Notifications

You can enable email notifications to alert you anytime a custom domain has failed to connect to a store. Navigate to Dealer Settings in the top right corner and select Dealer Settings in the left-side navigation. We recommend setting up instant notifications so that you can address any failed domains immediately.

 

The final step will be to go into the store you want to apply the custom domain to. Under the General Tab, you will see a drop down of all the configured custom domains. Select your desired domain and you’re all set!

 

 

Domain Registrar Guides

Here are step-by-step guides from popular domain providers to help you or your customers point your domains to OMG. 

• GoDaddy
• WordPress
• Domains.com
• Google Domains

If you don’t see your domain provider on the list, you can share this guide with customers to help them update their DNS settings. This provides general instructions, so the steps may vary from provider to provider.

 

How to Update Your DNS Settings.pdf 

 

FAQ

How can I buy a custom domain?

• Domains can be purchased from third-party domain registrars like GoDaddy, Bluehost, Google Domains, etc. You can search for available domains, purchase and register domains directly from the registrar’s website. Keep in mind the domain will have to be available (i.e. not registered by another person or organization) in order to purchase it and it on an OMG store. 

Can I use the same domain on multiple OMG stores?

• No. Domains can only be used on one store at a time. Each store must have a unique domain. 

Can I transfer the domain from one store to another?

• Yes. The domain must  be disconnected (removed) from the old store before it can be  applied to the desired store. This is done on the General tab when editing a store. 

What happens if I copy a store with a custom domain? 

• When a store is copied that has a custom domain, the custom domain will not copy to the new store. Custom domains can only be applied to one store at a time. To use the domain on the copied store, disconnect or remove the domain from the original store. Once disconnected, the domain can be applied to the new store under the General tab.

Can I use a subdomain?

• Yes, subdomains can be used on OMG stores. Subdirectories or paths cannot be used in stores. Example of a subdirectory: ordermygear.com/shopping.

What happens if my custom domain expires while a store is open?

• Stores cannot be connected to expired domains. If a domain expires while a store is open, consumers will not be able to access the store using the expired domain and will see “page not found.”  The “.itemorder.com” URL will be reachable and end-users should be directed there instead until the custom domain is deleted and reconnected to the store. You will receive an email notification when a custom domain has failed if you have signed up for those emails in Dealer Settings. 

What about the SSL certificate? Why do I need one?

• OMG automatically applies an SSL certificate to your stores to keep them secure for no additional charge. Websites need an SSL certificate to keep consumer data secure, verify ownership of the website, prevent attackers from creating a fake version of the site, and gain consumer trust.

Is there a limit to the number of domains I can have?

• No, there is no limit to the number of domains you can have connected to your OMG account or stores. 

How will I know if my domain has been validated? 

• You’ll know your domain status has been validated when the Domain Status changes from Pending to Verified on the Manage Custom Domains page. OMG will check that the domain has been successfully pointed to OMG in their domain registrar for 7 days. If the domain is not pointed to OMG within seven days, the status of the domain will appear as “failed” in the custom domain manager. Once it has failed, the domain will need to be deleted and re-added in OMG.

I connected my domain to an OMG store and it isn’t working.

• Domain providers have a waiting period for the connection to go into effect. It can take up to 24-72 hours for a domain to connect to a store. Be sure to connect domains to stores several days in advance of the store opening to avoid issues.