How to Connect a GoDaddy Domain to Shopify: Complete DNS Setup Guide

Using a custom domain with your Shopify store makes your business look more professional and builds customer trust. Here's the complete process for connecting a GoDaddy domain to Shopify.

• Admin access to your GoDaddy account
• Admin access to your Shopify store
• 15–30 minutes for setup (plus up to 48 hours for DNS propagation)

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Domains
2. Click Connect existing domain
3. Type your GoDaddy domain name and click Next
4. Shopify will display the exact DNS records you need

You'll need to configure:

• A record: Points your root domain (@) to Shopify's IP address: 23.227.38.65
• CNAME record: Points www to shops.myshopify.com

This step is critical and often missed. If GoDaddy's domain forwarding is active, it overrides your DNS records and your domain won't connect to Shopify.

1. In GoDaddy DNS management, scroll to the Forwarding section
2. Delete any active forwarding rules for your domain
3. Save the changes

1. Log in to GoDaddy → My Products → Domains
2. Click DNS next to your domain
3. Find the A record for @ (your root domain)
4. Edit it: change the value to 23.227.38.65
5. Set TTL to 1 Hour
6. Save

1. In the same DNS management screen, find the CNAME record for www
2. Edit it: change the value to shops.myshopify.com
3. Set TTL to 1 Hour
4. Save

If there's no existing CNAME for www, add a new one.

1. Go back to Shopify → Settings → Domains
2. Click Verify connection next to your domain
3. If DNS has propagated, Shopify will confirm the connection

DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours. If verification fails, wait a few hours and try again.

Once verified, click Set as primary in Shopify to make your GoDaddy domain the main address for your store. Shopify will automatically redirect your .myshopify.com URL to your custom domain.

Shopify automatically provisions a free SSL certificate for your connected domain. This may take a few hours after DNS propagates. Once active, your store will be accessible at https://yourdomain.com.

"Domain not verified" after 48 hours: Double-check that your A record points to 23.227.38.65 and your CNAME points to shops.myshopify.com. Also confirm that GoDaddy forwarding is completely removed.

SSL not activating: Wait up to 24 hours after DNS propagation. If it still doesn't activate, contact Shopify support.

Also see our quick-start guide: How to Connect a GoDaddy Domain to Shopify. Need help with DNS configuration? Contact VSF Technology — we handle domain setup for businesses in Tampa Bay and nationwide.