Connect Your Own Domain

Your store works from day one at its free address (yourbrand.mercayo.com). A domain of your own, like yourbrand.in, looks more trustworthy, is easier to say on Instagram and stays yours if you ever move. This guide connects it end to end. The screen itself is explained in Domains.

Before You Start

• Buy the domain at any provider (GoDaddy, Hostinger, BigRock, Cloudflare, Namecheap or another). Mercayo does not sell domains.
• Your plan must include an own domain: Starter and Growth include 1, Scale 5.
• You need to sign in to the provider's DNS settings (sometimes called DNS management or zone editor).

Step 1: Add the Domain in Mercayo

1. Open Settings › Domains.
2. Under Connect a Domain, type yourbrand.in (no https://, no page). A subdomain like shop.yourbrand.in also works.
3. Press CONNECT DOMAIN. "yourbrand.in is added. Now add its records at your domain provider." Mercayo connects both yourbrand.in and www.yourbrand.in.

Step 2: Copy the Records

The Set Up yourbrand.in card lists Records to Add, each with Type, Name and Value and copy buttons:

• One TXT record: "Shows the domain is yours."
• The records that "Send … to your store": usually a CNAME for www and A (and AAAA) records for the bare domain.

Keep this card open.

Step 3: Add Them at Your Provider

In your provider's DNS settings, add each record exactly as shown:

1. Choose the Type (TXT, CNAME, A, AAAA).
2. Paste the Name (some providers want only the part before your domain, such as www or _mercayo; others the full name, which the card also shows as "Full name: …").
3. Paste the Value.
4. Leave TTL at the default.
5. Save.

Using Cloudflare? Set these records to DNS only (grey cloud) until the domain shows Connected. Afterwards you can turn the proxy back on, with SSL set to Full (strict).

Step 4: Wait for Connected

Mercayo checks every few minutes ("Add its records at your domain provider. We check every few minutes."). Each record's status turns from Not Found Yet to Found; press CHECK NOW to check at once. Then:

1. Getting Certificate: "The records are right. Its secure certificate is on its way, usually within minutes." Mercayo gets a free HTTPS certificate and renews it.
2. Connected: "Secure and working." VISIT opens it.

DNS changes usually show within minutes and can take up to a day.

Step 5: Make It Your Primary Address

Your first own domain becomes the Primary address by itself once it is connected. The primary address is used in your store's links, emails and search results. With Send Visitors to the Primary Domain on (default), visitors who open your free address or the other form (with or without www) are sent to the primary one.

Step 6: After Connecting

• Update your Instagram, WhatsApp Business and Google Business profiles with the new address.
• On Home, the setup guide's Connect Your Own Domain step is ticked.
• The TXT record was needed once; you may delete it now.

If It Does Not Connect

Look for an old record left beside Mercayo's, a typo in a value, or Cloudflare's orange cloud during setup. See Domain Not Connecting.

Questions

Will my email on the same domain stop working?

No, as long as you leave the MX records alone and only change the records Mercayo lists.

Can I use a domain I already use for another website?

Yes, but connecting it to Mercayo moves the visitors of those names to your store. Use a subdomain (shop.yourbrand.in) to keep the old site.

Do I need to buy an SSL certificate?

No. Mercayo gets and renews it, free.