How do I set up a URL for my store?

For your customers to access the store, the store must be accessible via URL. In the Swiss21.org portal you can compose your own URL by determining a prefix and selecting a Swiss21.org domain name. You can also set up a custom domain by forwarding it with a so-called CNAME record with the registrar.

URL setup

Go to the Swiss21.org portal dashboard and click on 21.SHOP. A window for setting up the URL will open.

Determine prefix & domain

In the first step you can determine a prefix e.g. the company name as well as a Swiss21.org domain name for your store. The prefix can be chosen freely.

CNAME entry

You can additionally assign your store to an individual domain. The setup of an individual domain is done by a forwarding with a CNAME entry at the registrar. A registrar is a company that offers the registration of domains. In most cases, they also offer other services such as web hosting. However, you do not need this with Swiss21.org, because your store is hosted on our servers. You can find a list of available registrars here: https://www.nic.ch/de/registrars/.

There are many registrars in Switzerland, with different offers and services. We cannot give you a recommendation for a single provider. But when choosing a registrar, do not only compare the price. We also recommend considering the following things:

• Is it possible to adjust the DNS zone independently?
• Is it possible to register a domain even if hosting is not ordered?
• Does the registrar offer support during setup? If yes: under what conditions?

You can now optionally press the "ADD CNAME" button to redirect to an individual domain.

Add new domain

With a click on the button "ADD CNAME" a window for the setup of the CNAME entry for your store opens.

For the CNAME entry you need the current store URL. This is the address to which the CNAME record at your registrar must redirect. Copy the part marked in red and then log in to your registrar (cf. Chap. add CNAME entry to DNS zone).

In the "desired (sub)domain" field, after adding the CNAME record to DNS zone, you can enter the domain or subdomain for which you created the CNAME record.  

Add CNAME entry to DNS zone

Once you have logged in to your registrar, find the domain you want to use for your store and then select "edit DNS zone" (or similar). If you don't know how to do this, ask your registrar's support. Then add a new entry to the DNS zone and select the type "CNAME".

When you enter a name in the field, the CNAME record you create will be for the subdomain. As the setting in the graphic is, the subdomain would be: "onlineshop.21shops.org". In the "Hostname" field, paste the value you copied in the previous step. Then save the new entry. Note: For the customization to take effect, you must publish the change. As soon as you have done this, switch back to the Swiss21.org dashboard and enter the desired (sub)domain (cf. chapter Add new domain).

Shop Link

The system will now make the necessary changes. This process may take a few minutes. Once the setup is complete, you will be able to access your store under your chosen domain.

Settings

If you want to change your domain or adjust the CNAME record, you will get to the same setup window in the Swiss21.org portal under Settings.