Set Your Primary Domain
Your primary domain is the single address customers end up on, whichever of your domains they arrive through. This covers what changes when you set one, how to pick between the domains you hold, and why a new store already has a primary before it has bought anything.
On this page
Your primary domain is the single address customers see when they browse your storefront. When more than one domain points at your store, you pick one to be primary, and the others send visitors to it. This gives your store one canonical web address, which keeps your branding consistent and stops your search ranking from being split across several addresses. This article explains what a primary domain is, how to choose one, and where you set it.
You manage this on the Domains page in Settings.
Before you begin
- Your role includes Domain settings.
- You have connected at least two domains, so there is a choice of which one is primary. If you have only one domain, it is already the only address customers use.
- Open Settings > Domains in the admin sidebar.
Why your primary domain matters
When two or more domains all load the same store, search engines and customers can treat them as separate sites. Choosing one primary domain avoids that.
| Without a primary domain | What happens |
|---|---|
| Several domains serve the same store | Search ranking is divided across the different addresses |
| Customers see different addresses | Your brand looks inconsistent from one visit to the next |
| Links point at whichever address was used | Harder to measure traffic and share one clean address |
Choosing which domain to make primary
You usually have one clear candidate, but if you are unsure, weigh these points.
| Prefer the domain that | Because |
|---|---|
| Is shortest and easiest to remember | Customers type and recall it more easily |
| Matches your social and email addresses | Your brand reads the same across every channel |
| You intend to keep long term | Changing the primary later can unsettle your search ranking |
Set your primary domain
Open the Domains page.
Before you connect anything of your own, the primary is the Tanqory subdomain the store was created with, tagged Primary Domain and marked Connected, as shown. There is nothing to decide yet: the choice only becomes real once a second address exists.
Connect the domains you want to choose between. A domain has to be on this page before it can be made primary.
- Buy a Domain registers a new one through Tanqory.
- Connect Existing Domain points one you already own at the store.
Set your chosen domain as the primary. Open the options for the domain you want customers to see and set it as primary.
From that point it is the single address for your storefront, and your other connected domains send visitors to it rather than serving the store themselves.
Check that the others forward. Open one of your other domains in a browser. It should take you to the primary. If it loads the store on its own address instead of forwarding, the switch has not taken effect yet.
From here on, the primary is the address your store hands out: it is what appears in the browser bar, in the links you share, and in the emails your store sends. Everything else you have connected keeps working, but only as a way in, not as an address anyone is shown.
Verify the result
- Your chosen domain is marked as the primary on the Domains page.
- Opening a different connected domain sends the visitor to your primary domain.
- The address in the browser bar on your storefront is your primary domain.
- Links you share in marketing and social profiles resolve to the primary domain.
Best practices
- Pick your primary once and keep it. A stable canonical address helps your search ranking settle, so avoid switching back and forth.
- Update your marketing to the primary address. Point ads, email links, and social profiles at the primary domain so your published links match it.
- Choose the address that carries your brand. The domain customers see should be the one they recognize and can recall.
Common mistakes
- Changing the primary domain often, which unsettles how search engines rank your store.
- Leaving marketing links on an old address, so published links do not match the domain customers now see.
- Setting a domain you do not intend to keep as primary, which forces another change later.
If you change it later
Nothing stops you changing the primary domain again, and stores do it, usually after a rebrand or when a better name becomes available. It is worth knowing what moves when you do.
Customers with the old address bookmarked still reach you, because the domain you demoted keeps pointing at the store and sends them on. What takes longer to settle is search: the ranking a page has built up is attached to the address it was found on, and search engines need to see the new address in place for a while before that transfers. That is why the advice above is to pick the domain you expect to keep, rather than the one that suits you this month.
Anything printed or already sent carries the old address for good. Packaging, business cards and emails you have already sent cannot be updated, so those keep working only for as long as you keep the old domain connected. Remove a Domain covers what breaks if you take it off the store.
Next steps
Related articles
Still stuck?
- Ask Tanqory AIAsk in your own words. It answers from these articles and links the ones it used.
- Ask in your adminThe assistant in your Tanqory admin answers and makes the change for you once you confirm.
- Contact TanqoryWrite to our privacy, security or legal teams, or talk to sales about a plan or a move.