💡👉 This task is something your IT person/ team might be able to help you with.
A bit of background: Toggle domain name
When you create your Toggle account, you'll be given an automatic domain name by default for your Toggle shop. It'll be a bit like this: yourbrandorcompanyname.mytoggle.io.
The start of the URL is the name you entered during your Toggle sign up, which will typically be your company name or brand/site name. The URL will end with 'mytoggle.io'.
If you haven't set a custom domain, you can see what your webshop domain name looks like when you sign in to your Toggle account and click on the "My shop link" on the sidebar, as well as on your webshop on the browser address bar.
You can create your custom domain at any time (but the best time to do this is before you go live with your Toggle shop!).
Once you've set up your account with gifts to sell and configured a payment gateway, you can continue to use the Toggle default domain.
However, if you'd prefer to host your Toggle webshop on your own domain and remove the Toggle branding (the 'mytoggle.io' bit) then you should set up a custom domain!
1 - Getting started
The most common way of setting up a custom domain is to use a subdomain of your main brand website e.g. shop.yourcompanyname.co.uk. However, you may prefer to use a completely dedicated domain e.g. mycompanygiftcards.co.uk. Either is fine. You'll just need to have access to the relevant domain in order to be able to configure the DNS records.
If you have a company or brand website, then you'll likely already have a domain set up and may wish to set up a sub-domain of that site.
Check that you can log in to your domain registrar / DNS provider, which is where you'll create your custom domain (if you don't know what yours is, type your web address using this tool lookup.icann.org to find out what domain host you're on).
Also, you may wish to check that there's someone else who can help you if needed e.g. an IT person on your team.
2- Decide what your custom domain name will be
The commonly used custom domain names are "gifts", "gifting", "giftcards", or "shop".
This'll mean your Toggle webshop domain name could look like this:
gifts.yourcompanyname.co.uk
gifting.yourcompanyname.co.uk
giftcards.yourcompanyname.co.uk
shop.yourcompanyname.co.uk
Remember that the name you choose might help customers find your webshop if they Google your company or brand name along with words like 'gift' or 'gifting' or 'shop' etc.
Also, you can sell retail products on your webshop, so a custom domain name of 'giftcards' might not be relevant in the future if you start selling things other than just gift cards. 'Gifts' or 'shop' might be the best options for a short and simple and relevant custom domain!
A quick practical task
We have some Togglers featured on our website here: https://www.usetoggle.com/showcase. Click on some shops and have a look at who's created a custom domain by seeing what their URL is in your browser address bar!
Now go to Google and search some of those Togglers by searching their brand name and the word 'gifts'. Can you see their webshop listed on the homepage of Google?
3 - Setting your custom domain (the "CNAME")
You'll need to create a CNAME on your domain host for your custom domain, which will point to Toggle’s server. Here are the general instructions on how to do this:
Log in to your domain host.
Go to Domain Name Settings (DNS). This might be found under something like “advanced settings” or "manage domain".
In the 'Host' field add your chosen CNAME e.g. 'gifts'
In the 'Host name' or 'Points to' field put your default Toggle domain name e.g.
yourbrandorcompanyname.mytoggle.io
In the TTL field just put the lowest time available e.g. 1 hour or 3600 seconds
Now save your changes and check it's worked by typing your custom domain into this CNAME lookup: https://mxtoolbox.com/CNAMELookup.aspx (e.g. shop.joinerskitchen.co.uk).
If it says "DNS not found" and you see a red X then it hasn't worked and you'll need to check the details in your Host and/or Host name fields are correct.
If it says "DNS Record found" and you see a green tick, it's worked!
It might be worth you Googling how to set up a custom domain for your specific domain host in case there's extra steps needed or different terminology being used e.g. "How to create a custom domain for Go Daddy".
4 - Configure the SSL
All Toggle webshops run over https connections for security. Once you set your custom domain name, the SSL will need to be set up so that it all works.
Contact the Toggle support (success@usetoggle.com) team or your Customer Success Manager with the custom domain name you've created, and we’ll set this up for you. (We'll let you know when this is done!)
5 - Add your custom domain name into your Toggle dashboard
On your Toggle dashboard:
Click on Customise
Then click on Domain
Now click the blue edit icon, paste your custom domain in, then press the green save button.
Please note it may take a few minutes for your new custom domain to propagate - this means when you try to visit your Toggle webshop the page won't load up.
6 - Enjoy your new custom domain!
Once it's all done you can see your custom domain looking all pretty. 😊
Final thoughts...
🤔What's the benefits of creating a custom domain?
Here's three reasons:
- It's easier to remember. If your customers ever need to manually type in your webshop URL into the search bar, there's probably less chance for spelling errors.
- It looks more trustworthy. Your customers won't know what Toggle is, so removing our name from the URL and having your own branding within the URL will avoid customers questioning the validity of your shop.
- It's easier to find. If your customers are searching for gifts to buy, they're likely to Google it. If they search your company/brand name + "gifts" or "shop" they should find your Toggle webhop on the front page.
🤔Can I change my custom domain later on?
Yes - if for whatever reason you want to change your custom domain to something different you'll need to re-do the above steps. Let us know the new custom domain so we can set the SSL.
🤔Can I reset my custom domain to the default Toggle domain?
Yes - go to Toggle dashboard and click Customise > Domain and then click on the red 'Reset domain to default' button (when you click this button it'll instantly reset the domain. You can re-enter your custom domain and save it to get your custom domain back again.
🤔If I create the custom domain after going live with Toggle (or create a new one), what happens if customers use my default Toggle domain (or previous custom domain) to access the webshop?
Your customers will be automatically re-directed to your new custom domain. So even if they manually type in your old Toggle domain or have it saved as a favourite, they'll still find your webshop.
🤔Does creating a custom domain cost anything?
Your domain host might charge you a monthly or yearly fee for a custom domain. Check on their website what this might be for you.
🤔Is a custom domain referred to as anything else?
Yes, some people call it a "vanity URL".