You can now link your own website domain to SmartBiz. To do this, you will need to purchase a custom domain from a third-party registrar such as GoDaddy, Hostinger, BigRock, or any other trusted provider.
Once your custom domain is successfully linked, you can share the new website domain with your customers. When they click on this link, they will be redirected to your SmartBiz website.
⚠️ Important: Domains purchased on Dukaan or Dotpe/Digital Showroom are not supported for repointing.
Please note:
- You must have a domain purchased from a third-party registrar along with the login credentials for your domain provider account.
- Complete all domain linking steps within 72 hours of starting the process to ensure a smooth experience.
In this article, you’ll learn how to:
- Link your domain to SmartBiz website via Mobile
- Link your domain to SmartBiz website via Desktop
- Enable discovery of your domain without www
Additional Resources
1. Link your domain to SmartBiz website via Mobile
1. Login to the SmartBiz app and go to 'Profile'. Click on 'Store Configuration'.
2. Then click on 'Custom Domain'.
3. Enter your complete website URL that you want to link to the SmartBiz website (ex – www.funwithpun.in) and click 'Submit'. Note: You can link a custom domain only once. Ensure that there are no typos or spelling errors.
4. Verify your domain name is correct and then proceed by clicking 'Yes, Update Domain Name'.
Note: Your domain name cannot contain any special characters other than dot (.), hyphen (-) and underscore (_).
5. Login to the domain registrar from where you've purchased your domain and edit/add DNS records in the domain registrar as mentioned in the app. Depending on the your domain registrar, the steps could vary slightly.
Now, you will have to add/update the 3 records.
Tip – You can use the copy button to share this info with yourself over WhatsApp or email and then copy paste the selected values.
- Before adding the first record shown on the screen, check if there is an existing CNAME Record with Name - www. If yes, then you only need to update the data or content field with the CVALUE shown in CNAME Record 1 in your seller app.
- If no such record exists, then please add the CNAME Record 1. Note – You don’t need to change the TTL number in your DNS settings. Use the default value.
- Add the remaining CNAME Record 2 and CAA Record 3 as shown in the seller app.
- Click on verify below to complete the linking.
6. It can take up to 15 minutes to process your request. You can check the status of your request after 15 minutes.
7. You will receive a success image once your custom domain has been linked successfully.
8. You should now be able to type the custom domain (www.yoursite.com) to navigate to your SmartBiz website in any browser. You can now share your custom domain with customers. If you want customers to be able to access your website without www (yoursite.com), please follow steps to enable discovery of website without www
9. Type your custom domain in any browser. It should open your SmartBiz website. You can now share your custom domain with customers.
2. Link your domain to SmartBiz website via Desktop
1. Login to the SmartBiz desktop seller app and go to 'Profile'. Select Custom Domain from Settings UI and click on 'Link Custom Domain'.
2. Enter your complete website URL that you want to link to the SmartBiz website (ex – www.blueribbonind.art) and click on 'Save'.
Note: You can link a custom domain only once. Ensure that there are no spelling errors.
Note: Your domain name cannot contain any special characters other than dot (.), hyphen (-) and underscore (_).
3. Login to the domain registrar from where you've purchased your domain and "Add DNS records" in the domain registrar as mentioned in the app. Depending on the your domain registrar, the steps could vary slightly.
Now, you will have to add/update the 3 records.
Tip – You can use the copy button to share this info with yourself over WhatsApp or email and then copy paste the selected values.
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Before adding the first record shown on the screen, check if there is an existing CNAME Record with Name - www. If yes, then you only need to update the data or content field with the VALUE shown in CNAME Record 1 in your seller app.
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If no such record exists, then please add the CNAME Record 1. Note – You don’t need to change the TTL number in your DNS settings. Use the default value.
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Add the remaining CNAME Record 2.
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Now CAA Record 3 as shown in the seller app.
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Once this is done, click on 'Save' and you will receive a success image once your custom domain has been linked successfully
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Now go back to the SmartBiz desktop app and click on "Verify & Activate Domain" to complete the process of domain linking.
4. You should now be able to type the custom domain (www.yoursite.com) to navigate to your SmartBiz website in any browser. You can now share your custom domain with customers.
3. Enabling discovery of your domain without www
By default, your site is always discoverable with “www” your site name; However, if customers try to find your website by just entering yoursite.com without the “www”, they face errors.
We are here to help you fix this!
With a few simple steps, you can access your website without www (ex- yoursite.com) as well as your chosen sub-domain (www.yoursite.com).
To do this, you need to have a CNAME record, a forwarding rule and a 301 redirect.
Step 1: Create a CNAME record using www
You have already followed this step while linking your custom domain by adding/ updating a CNAME record with www.
Step 2: Create a forwarding or redirecting rule from your site name to “www” your site name.
You can create a 301 redirect in your domain host that points mysite.com to www.mysite.com.
This way, when a consumer just types mysite.com, they are automatically taken to www.mysite.com.
Note – All domain hosts will be slightly different in setting up a 301 redirect.
You will generally find an option “forwarding” under the DNS settings of your domain. We have listed specific steps for some domain registrars (GoDaddy), which remain common across most domain providers.
For more specific guidance, we recommend reaching out to the domain provider directly.
How to create forwarding/ 301 redirect with GoDaddy domains?
1. Login to GoDaddy dashboard
2. Go to “My product” under your profile to access your domain portfolio.
3. Click on the specific domain that you have linked to your SmartBiz website. You will be redirected to the Domain specific dashboard.
4. On the left side panel, you will see an option ‘Domain’. Click on Domain >> Manage DNS.
5. Under Manage DNS, click on the option “Forwarding”.
6. Click on the “Add Forwarding” option next to the domain. A dialogue box will open asking you to select the forwarding request and the forwarding destination for yoursite.com
7. In the first field, select https://.
8. Select the forward type as Permanent 301 and enter “www” your domain name (www.yoursite.com) as the destination URL.
9. Click on save. With this update, your customers can enter your website address without www and still discover this.
How to create forwarding/ 301 redirect with Hostinger domains?
1. Log in to your Hostinger Control Panel (hPanel). From the top navigation menu, click on the Domains tab. This will show you a list of all the domains you currently own.
2. Find the specific domain name you want to use for your store and click the Manage button next to it.
3. On the left-hand sidebar or within the domain management dashboard, look for the DNS / Nameservers section. Click on it to open your DNS management options.
4. Within the DNS / Nameservers area, you will see several tabs or sub-menus. Click on Redirects. This tool allows you to point your domain traffic to a different web address.
5. In the Redirect to field, enter your unique SmartBiz URL.
Format:
https://www.smartbiz.in/storenameImportant: Replace
storenamewith your actual store's unique handle.
4. Enhancements on Custom Domain
SmartBiz sellers may encounter difficulties when linking their custom domain to their SmartBiz website due to the following reasons:
- Entering an incorrect domain name, which requires resetting the domain linking process.
- Failing to complete the domain linking within 72 hours of submitting the domain name.
- Clicking on ‘Verify’ before entering the DNS records in the domain registrar.
We have implemented two solutions to address these common errors:
a) Fixing the 72-hour Certificate Expiry Issue: Previously, if sellers attempted to complete the domain linking process after 72 hours, their website certificate would expire. Despite entering the correct DNS records, the domain would not link due to the expired certificate. Now, if sellers return after 72 hours to complete the domain linking, our system automatically checks the certificate status and issues a new certificate as needed. This process is fully automated, so sellers do not need to take any additional action.
b) Self-Serve Troubleshooting: If sellers are unable to link their domain, they will now see an option to troubleshoot manually or contact support. Using the Troubleshoot option, sellers can debug their domain linking process in two steps:
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- Step 1 – Check Domain Name: Sellers will be asked to confirm and check their domain name. If the domain name entered is incorrect, sellers can click "No, start over." This will automatically reset the domain linking process. It will take 10 minutes to delink the existing older domain, after which sellers can restart from the beginning by entering the new or correct domain.
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Step 2 – Check DNS Values: If the domain name is correct, sellers can click "Yes" and proceed to the next step, where they will be asked to copy and paste the correct DNS values and then click on "Reverify."
c) Reset and Switch to a New Domain Anytime:
Before: Once you linked a custom domain, you couldn’t change it if you wanted to use another one. you are
Now: You can change your custom domain if it is already linked to your store by resetting it and then linking a new one. Please follow the steps below:
Open your SmartBiz Desktop App.
Navigate to ‘Settings’ → ‘Custom Domain’.
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Click on the ‘Reset Custom Domain’ option.
This will remove your currently linked custom domain.
Please wait 15–20 minutes for the system to fully deprecate the previous domain.
d) Always See Your Domain Setup Details:
Before: If the domain setup details (like records) were lost or changed by mistake, your storefront could stop working. You then had to contact support to get them back.
Now: Your setup details are always visible after you link your domain, so you can quickly restore them yourself without raising a ticket.
e) Smarter Domain Check Before Linking:
Before: If the domain setup wasn’t correct, the verification failed, but you didn’t know why.
Now: We check your domain setup in real time and let you know right away if something is wrong, along with clear steps to fix it.
5. Verify your domain on Razorpay
In case you are linking your custom domain after completing your payment KYC, you need to notify the payment gateway provider about the changed website URL so that your payment gateway does not get deactivated.
Razorpay – If you have set up your payments with Razorpay, you will need to update your new custom domain website URL in the Razorpay Dashboard. To do this, login to your Razorpay Dashboard in your browser.
1. Access the Razorpay Dashboard at razorpay.com.
2. Select "Account & Settings" from the left navigation menu.
3. Navigate to the "Business website detail" section located under "Website and app settings".
4. Select the "Edit" option to modify the current website associated with SmartBiz.
5. Click "Proceed to update website/app".
6. A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to add a verification code as part of the two-step verification process.
7. Provide the URLs for the required policy pages in the designated fields and then select "Submit".
8. The updated website information will typically be reflected in your Razorpay dashboard within a maximum of two business days.
6. SmartBiz Domain Best Practices & FAQs
1. I’m getting an error “Resource creation failed” while linking my custom domain. What should I do?
- If your domain is purchased from Dukaan or Dotpe/Digital Showroom, please note that we currently do not support linking domains from these providers.
- To proceed, you’ll need to use a domain purchased from a third-party registrar (such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Hostinger, etc.) and have access to your registrar’s login credentials.
- Please also ensure you complete the domain linking process within 72 hours of starting it, for a smooth experience
If your domain is not from Dukaan or Dotpe/Digital Showroom:
- If you see an option to “Troubleshoot Manually”:
-If the domain name shown is correct, click Yes, continue.
-If incorrect, click No, start over to restart the linking process.
If the Troubleshoot Manually option is not visible, please share the following with our support team so we can escalate to our technical experts:
- A screenshot or screen recording of the error.
-The timestamp (date and time) of the issue.
- The name of your domain registrar.
2. When I add the CNAME record (Record-1) with ‘www’ as the CNAME, I encounter an error “Record already exists”. How should I proceed?
- If your domain is purchased from Dukaan or Dotpe/Digital Showroom, domain linking is not supported. Please use a third-party registrar (GoDaddy, Hostinger, etc.) with access to your account credentials.
- Complete all steps within 72 hours of starting the process.
If your domain is from another registrar and you see “The record conflicts with another record”:
- It means there is already an existing CNAME record with the same value. You’ll need to delete the existing record before proceeding.
- If you are unable to delete it (for example, the option is disabled), please contact your domain registrar’s support team to remove it. Once removed, you can re-add the correct CNAME record.
3. Does SmartBiz provide SSL certificates? My domain still shows ‘http’ instead of ‘https’.
SmartBiz does not provide SSL certificates for custom domains. To enable HTTPS, you will need to purchase and activate an SSL certificate directly from your domain registrar (the platform where you bought your domain).
4. Can I get the IP address of my SmartBiz website?
SmartBiz does not use fixed IP addresses. Instead, we rely on Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), which dynamically change IPs for better performance and reliability.
👉 This is why we use CNAME records for domain linking instead of IP addresses.
4. Does SmartBiz use a shared or dedicated server for custom domains?
SmartBiz uses shared servers to host custom domains. This approach ensures reliable performance, better scalability, and consistent uptime for all users.
5. Best Practices for Domain Linking:
✅ Check 1: Verify your domain name
- Log in to your third-party domain registrar and confirm that you have entered the correct domain name during the linking process.
- If the domain name is incorrect, please reach out to our support team for assistance in correcting it.
✅ Check 2: Verify DNS values
- f your domain name is correct, review the DNS values added in your registrar’s DNS settings.
- In case of mistakes, copy and paste the correct values again and click Re-verify to initiate linking.
✅ Check 3: Ensure domain detachment
- If your domain was previously linked to another website builder, please contact that provider’s support team to detach it.
- Once detached, you will be able to link it successfully with SmartBiz.
👉 If you are still unable to link your domain despite correct domain name and DNS records, please contact our support specialists by navigating to:
App > Profile > Help > Request for Callback or Chat.