Many store owners and consumers are confused by Myshopify so I’ll explain how it works.
How Does MyShopify Work
When you first create your Shopify store you are given a sub-domain that follows the format of yourstorename.myshopify.com. All Shopify stores are created this way, so every Shopify-powered website in the world has a myshopify.com sub-domain. Once it is created it can never be changed.
If you wish, you can then use this myshopify sub-domain as your live store address, so the URL customers see and use is yourstorename.myshopify.com e.g. neuralcandy.myshopify.com. However, this is a bad idea for the reasons I mention below.
What you are supposed to do is buy your own domain name e.g. yourstorename.com and point that at your Shopify store. When you do that, the myshopify.com sub-domain stops being publicly visible and your domain name becomes your public URL.
Myshopify.com still exists, but it is only visible to store owners inside the admin area of Shopify.
Is MyShopify Legit
In theory, there is nothing inherently wrong or suspicious about a Shopify store that uses the myshopify.com domain as its public URL. It just means they haven’t felt the need to buy their own custom domain name.
However, many consumers worry about the legitimacy of stores that trade this way and for good reason. A store that isn’t even willing to spend $10 a year on a proper domain name does not inspire much confidence. And just because a store is using Shopify, it doesn’t mean Shopify themselves have vetted the legitimacy of the store owner.
As with all things online, as a consumer, if you aren’t familiar with the store you are buying from (whatever domain name they use) do your due diligence. Check their physical address, look it up on Google Maps, call them or email them, check for independent reviews, etc., etc.
Should I Keep Myshopify as my Domain Name
No, is the simple answer here. To appear legitimate you should definitely buy your own domain name and use it as your store URL, your email address, and your legal trading name.
Myshopify.com just looks too strange to consumers, many of whom will have never even heard of Shopify. Would you buy from an online store you have never heard of, which has a different email address and a different legal trading name. I know I wouldn’t.
If you want to know how to get rid of myshopify.com and set up your own custom domain name, then please follow my guide.
For similar reasons, I would also suggest that you remove ‘powered by Shopify’ from your footer, which is there automatically on all stores.
Is Shopify and MyShopify the Same?
Basically, yes. Shopify is an e-commerce platform used by over 1 million merchants all over the world to sell their goods online. Merchants of all sizes, from very small to very large use Shopify. The myshopify sub-domain just happens to be what Shopify has used as the naming convention when creating a merchants store.
Can I Change My Shopify Store Name?
Whilst you cannot ever change your myshopify.com sub-domain (i.e. once you’ve created yourstorename.myshopify.com you’re stuck with it) you can easily change your actual store name and you can change your publicly facing domain name.
