DNS recipes

Quick answer

You add one DNS record at your domain registrar. For a subdomain (like shop.mybrand.com) it's a CNAME pointing at stores.klixey.com. For an apex domain (like mybrand.com) it's an A record pointing at the IP address shown in your domain settings. Then click Verify in Klixey. Verification usually completes in a few minutes.

You need a plan that includes custom domains

Custom domains are available on Business, Pro, and Scale. See Plans at a glance to compare.

What you're setting up

Klixey hosts your storefront. Your domain registrar (where you bought your domain) decides where the browser goes when someone types your domain. DNS records connect those two — they tell the internet "this domain lives at Klixey."

You only need one record. Which one depends on whether you're using a subdomain or your apex domain.

Subdomain vs apex

Type	Looks like	Record you add
Subdomain (recommended)	shop.mybrand.com, store.mybrand.com	CNAME
Apex (root domain)	mybrand.com	A (plus a www redirect — see below)

A subdomain is easier and more reliable. If you're not sure, use a subdomain — your main website can keep living at the apex.

The values you'll need

When you open Workspace settings → Custom domain in Klixey, you'll see the exact values to copy. They look like this:

CNAME target:  stores.klixey.com
A record IP:   (shown in your domain settings)

Always copy from your custom-domain page rather than from a guide — the values shown there are the canonical truth.

Verification states

Once you've added the record and clicked Verify, Klixey runs through a few states:

State	What it means	What to do
Pending	Klixey has accepted your domain and is looking for the DNS record.	Wait — usually 1–10 minutes.
Verified	Klixey has found the record. We're issuing the SSL certificate.	Wait — usually under a minute.
Active	Your domain is live and serving your storefront.	You're done. Visit your domain.
Failed	Klixey couldn't find a valid record after several attempts.	Double-check the record, then remove and re-add the domain.

Verification can take a few minutes

DNS changes propagate at the registrar's speed, not ours. If it's been 15 minutes and you're still in Pending, your record probably isn't pointing where you think — see Troubleshooting below.

Recipes by registrar

The wording in each registrar's panel varies, but the values are always the same. Use whatever's in your Custom domain page.

Cloudflare

1. Sign in to Cloudflare and pick your domain.
2. Open the DNS tab.
3. Click Add record.
4. Choose:
   • Type: CNAME (for a subdomain) or A (for the apex)
   • Name: the subdomain (e.g. shop) or @ for the apex
   • Target / IPv4 address: the value from your Klixey settings
   • Proxy status: DNS only — turn the orange cloud OFF
5. Save. Return to Klixey and click Verify.

Keep the Cloudflare proxy OFF

Cloudflare's proxy (the orange cloud) breaks custom-domain verification. Klixey needs to see the real record. Leave the cloud grey ("DNS only") for the record you add. You can keep the proxy on for everything else.

GoDaddy

1. Sign in to GoDaddy and open My Products → Domains → DNS.
2. Click Add new record.
3. Choose:
   • Type: CNAME or A
   • Name: the subdomain (e.g. shop) or @ for the apex
   • Value / Points to: the value from your Klixey settings
   • TTL: leave at default (or 1 hour)
4. Save. Return to Klixey and click Verify.

Namecheap

1. Sign in to Namecheap → Domain List → Manage next to your domain.
2. Open the Advanced DNS tab.
3. Click Add new record.
4. Choose:
   • Type: CNAME Record or A Record
   • Host: the subdomain (e.g. shop) or @ for the apex
   • Value: the value from your Klixey settings
   • TTL: Automatic
5. Save (green check). Return to Klixey and click Verify.

Google Domains / Squarespace Domains

Google Domains has been migrating to Squarespace. The steps are nearly identical on both.

1. Sign in and pick your domain.
2. Open DNS (Squarespace) or DNS → Manage custom records (legacy Google Domains).
3. Click Add record.
4. Choose:
   • Type: CNAME or A
   • Host: the subdomain (e.g. shop) or @ for the apex
   • Data / Value: the value from your Klixey settings
   • TTL: leave at default
5. Save. Return to Klixey and click Verify.

Other registrars

The pattern is always the same. Find the DNS or Advanced DNS section of your registrar's dashboard, add a record with the type, name, and value from your Klixey settings, save, then click Verify.

Apex with www

Klixey serves one domain per store — whichever exact name you connect (for example mybrand.com or www.mybrand.com, not both at once). To make the other version reach your storefront, redirect it at your registrar. Klixey can't do that redirect for you, and pointing both names straight at Klixey won't work: the version you didn't connect has no certificate and fails to load.

The usual goal is the bare domain as your main address, with www redirecting to it:

1. Connect mybrand.com (no www) in Workspace settings → Custom domain, and add its A record:

   Type	Host	Value
   A	@	(the IP shown in your domain settings)

2. Forward www to it. In your registrar's forwarding tool, send www.mybrand.com → https://mybrand.com as a permanent (301) redirect. Most registrars (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace) have a "Forwarding" section for this. Don't add a www CNAME pointing at Klixey — the forward takes its place.

Want www as your main address instead? Do the mirror image: connect www.mybrand.com with a CNAME to stores.klixey.com, then forward the apex mybrand.com → https://www.mybrand.com at your registrar.

Cloudflare has no "forwarding" button

Use a Redirect Rule (Rules → Redirect Rules) to send the second name to your connected domain with a 301.

Troubleshooting

Still pending after 15 minutes. Check that the record value matches your domain settings exactly — no extra dots, no spaces. If you used Cloudflare, confirm the orange cloud is OFF on that record.

"DNS verification failed." Remove the domain from your Klixey settings, re-add it, and try again. The first attempt may have hit a stale cache. If it fails twice, the record almost certainly isn't pointing at Klixey.

Site loads but says "not secure." SSL is issued automatically once you're Verified. Give it a couple of minutes after reaching that state. If it's still flagged after 10 minutes, contact support@klixey.com.

"This domain is already in use." A domain can only be connected to one Klixey workspace at a time. If you previously connected it elsewhere, disconnect it from that workspace first.

Apex domains and email. Adding an A record to your apex doesn't affect your email (MX records are separate). Email keeps working.

When you change domains

If you ever swap your custom domain (or fall back to klixey.com/your-slug), your old domain stops resolving immediately. Customers who had your domain bookmarked will see a "domain not found" error in their browser. To soften the transition, you can leave a redirect at your old domain that points at the new one.

Related

• Plans at a glance — which plans include custom domains.
• Slug redirects — what happens when you change your store's URL slug.
• Glossary — CNAME target, custom domain, slug, storefront.
• Browser support — which browsers your storefront supports.