Get rid of "samcart.com" in your checkout page URL by using a custom domain!
Connecting your Domain to SamCart
SamCart gives you the freedom to connect a Custom Domain and discard the .samcart.com suffix on your checkout pages. You can use a Custom Domain for one page, a few of your pages, or all. You can also setup multiple Custom Domains within the same SamCart marketplace and use them for separate checkout pages.
With SamCart’s new simple custom domain setup you can say goodbye to any additional Cloudlfare steps!
Step 1 - Get a Registered Domain
If you don't already have a domain, you'll need to purchase one for your business. You can obtain a domain name from Google Domains, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or the domain registrar of your choosing.
Once you have a registered domain, you are ready to move to Step 2!
Step 2 - Connect your Domain Registrar to Your SamCart Marketplace
There are two ways to connect a custom domain to your marketplace. You can use either option, or both.
- You can point your root domain at your marketplace (an example of a root domain is mycustomdomain.com). Do not use this method if you already have an existing website at your root domain.
- You can point your subdomain at your marketplace (an example of a subdomain is shop.mycustomdomain.com). This method is recommended if you have an existing website outside of SamCart.
The reason for the two different processes is the restrictions in DNS for record types that can be created for root domains.
Option 1: Point Your Root Domain at Your Marketplace
To start, log in to your DNS hosting provider and add or update the A record for the root domain to contain the following IP addresses: 54.87.111.129 and 107.23.163.128
(Do not change your A records if you have a website outside of SamCart)
It should look something like this:
Your domain registrar screen may be different than the above screenshot, however the process will be the same regardless of your hosting provider.
Save the changes made on your DNS hosting provider before leaving the page.
Option 2: Point your subdomain at your marketplace
If you are going to be using a URL with a subdomain such as ‘www’, or ‘shop’, log in to your DNS hosting provider and add a CNAME record for the subdomain to contain the following value: custom-lu4rid0t27xh1ppv.samcart.com
Save the changes made on your DNS hosting provider before leaving the page.
Step 3 - Add Your Custom Domain to SamCart
Now for the super easy part! After you've configured your DNS settings, you're ready to link your SamCart Products to a Custom Domain.
Click the +Add New button, enter the Custom Domain, and select which Product you'd like to link the Custom Domain to.
Click Save, and that's it! The Default Product you selected can now be accessed by your shiny new Custom Domain!
Note: this article contains videos that utilize a previous navigation bar design. Most functions have remained unchanged, but you can always reference this guide which covers the update and differences.
Note: the above gif is using Option 2 as detailed in Step 2 previously, which is why the "www" is included in the entered Custom Domain. If you are instead using Option 1, the "www" should not be included, but the rest of the process shown in the gif is correct.
Step 4 - Add a Custom Domain to Additional Products (optional)
After a Default Product has been selected in your SamCart Marketplace Settings, you can add additional Products to a Custom Domain by going to any product settings page and clicking the Advanced Settings tab:
Scroll down to the Advanced section, click Default Custom Domain, and select the Custom Domain you'd like to use for the Product.
Once you save changes, go back to the Product Details tab, and the Checkout Page URL will now reflect the Custom Domain:
Save your changes and you're done!
Step 5 - Add your Custom Domain to Referral Links inside your Affiliate Center (optional)
Once the Custom Domain is connected to SamCart, you can use it for your referral link inside the Affiliate Center.
When you create or edit a Link, it will be available as an option in the Custom Domain dropdown.
When you add the Custom Domain to the Link, it will appear in your affiliate's dashboard like this:
If you use a Custom Domain for the referral link, it will only track SamCart checkout pages that use that same Custom Domain as well. This is because the affiliate's tracking cookie uses the domain in the referral link.
So, if you are using a Custom Domain for all your SamCart pages, be sure to use it on all the referral links. If you are not using a Custom Domain for your SamCart checkout, stick with the default URL for the referral link.
Check out the chart below for examples.
For more information on the Affiliate Center, check out this support article.
If you would like to discontinue using a Custom Domain in your marketplace, remove the domain from the affiliate link first. Then remove the Custom Domain from your General Marketplace Settings. If you do not remove the custom domain from the affiliate link beforehand, the referral link will no longer show inside your affiliate's dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I completed every step but my Custom Domain still is not working. What do I do?
A: Keep in mind that changes made in your DNS provider can take hours to update. We recommend waiting for about 24 hours to pass and checking over the steps above again. If there are still issues with connecting the custom domain after this time passes, reach out to SamCart support.
Q: Can I setup multiple CNAME records for one Custom Domain?
A: Yes. Repeat the steps for pointing your subdomain at your marketplace and you can create multiple subdomains with the same root domain.
Q: I already have shared my SamCart URL without a custom domain. If I add a custom domain, will users still land on my checkout page?
A: Yes! Adding a custom domain will not deactivate the checkout page URL with the samcart suffix. If a user clicks a previous link, they will still land on your checkout page even if a custom domain has been added.
Q: Can I use a custom domain to edit the URL of my courses?
A: No. Custom domains are applicable to checkout pages only.
Q: Does invisible reCAPTCHA work with my Custom Domain?
A: Invisible reCAPTCHA is on by default for every Sales Page. We have also enabled invisible reCAPTCHA for every Custom Domain.
Q: I have multiple Marketplaces. Can I use the same domain for both?
A: Unfortunately, you cannot user the same domain with multiple Marketplaces. Alternatively, you can create a subdomain to use for each additional Marketplace.