How can I switch domain name after the migration?

Cart2Cart doesn’t provide the service of domain switching. The detailed guide below will provide you with the most common scenarios on how to get the job done.

To start with, let us clarify two basic terms:

  • DNS (Domain Name System) - A global web system that accumulates different information, typically IP numbers, with domain names. Thus, when you enter a website address into a browser, your computer knocks to DNS, gives it the letters you’ve typed and receives an IP address instead. Then, it connects you to the requested Internet page.
  • NS (Name Server) - A server that handles queries from your computer, about the location of domain name’s various services. In most cases, websites have two name servers to which they’re pointed to.

Here are the three most prevailing situations you might find yourself in after the automated migration:

  1. You have both stores hosted by the same provider, under the same domain. Yet, your target store is in the subdirectory.
  2. Both of your stores are hosted by the same provider, yet each of them has different domain name.
  3. You have source and target stores hosted by different providers, under different domain names.

Case 1. The same provider - the same domain

This is one of the easiest ones. Both of your stores are hosted by the same provider, under the same domain, but your target store is in the subdirectory.

Let’s assume the source store is source.com and target - source.com/target-store

  1. Log in to your FTP
  2. Give your source store any other name (source.com -> abcd.com)
  3. Create a new folder and give it the same name your source store folder had.
  4. Move all data from target-store folder (abcd.com/target-store) to the folder, you’ve just created and renamed - (source.com)

Case 2. The same provider - different domains

  1. Log in to your FTP.
  2. Give your source store directory any other name.
  3. Once your source store name becomes available, rename your target store folder and give it the title of your source store directory.

The switch is over, your target store has received a name of your source store.

Case 3. Different providers - different domains

Please note that in this case after you perform the procedure of domain name switch your target store will be unavailable for the period 24-72 hours.

To switch the domain in the situation when you have different providers and different domains follow the instruction below:

  1. Log in to your hosting provider admin account (or wherever your domain is registered)
  2. Move to Domains menu. (This menu name might be different within different hosting companies)
  3. Select the necessary domain.
  4. In the domain management menu - select Manage DS Records, below the Name Servers title
  5. Fill in the new name servers into the appropriate fields.
  6. Click to save the changes.

Here are the three most frequently occurred reasons why your domain name leads to the old online store:

  1. The info on old DNS hasn’t been deleted from your domain details. To solve this - change your domain details so that they would point to the DNS of your new hosting provider;
  2. Your source store hosting provider still keeps your domain details in its DNS. To solve this - reach out to your hosting provider support and ask them to remove the data;
  3. Domain changes have not been spread among the DNS yet. To solve this: remain patient, domain switch is not a single-click procedure and requires time for the changes to be processed. Once after 72 hours period there is no positive result - contact your hosting providers to report the problem.

Posted in: General Questions

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