Change Your Shopify Store Name in Four Simple Steps

So, you used a placeholder name to set up your account.

Since then, you’ve had a few brainwaves and, instead of “ABC Clothing”, you’ve thought of something more descriptive, more in keeping with the brand you want to portray to customers, and… well…just better all round.

So, how do you change your Shopify store name?

Fortunately, you don’t need a degree in genetic engineering to do that. It’s really easy and the following four steps break down exactly what you need to do.

Shopify store name vs. Shopify username

When you create a Shopify account, the store name you provide is used to create your Shopify sub-domain in the following format:

https://yourstorename.myshopify.com

Think of this as little more than your Shopify username. It will stay with you for as long as you have the store. It cannot be changed.

You can use this URL to log in, set up and manage your online store. It’s not intended for your target audience to use to access your store but there is no technical reason why you can’t use it as your public-facing Shopify address.

However, it’s generally not very good for branding.

Your first thoughts about a name often change when you understand more about exactly what you will offer, the main interests of buyers, and so on.

So, it’s not generally recommended to promote the original URL address provided by Shopify once you’re truly up and running. The idea is to start building trust, credibility and all those wonderful qualities that will drive more online sales.

So, consider using your own custom domain and select this as your primary domain. You can buy this from Shopify or a third party like Godaddy.com.

If you buy the domain from Shopify, it is automatically configured to work as your primary domain. This helps promote your brand to customers and is more memorable for shoppers.

The only person who ever sees your myshopify sub-domain is you – and anyone with admin rights to your store. So, it does not need to match your actual store name.

Remember, the only way to change your myshopify sub-domain to match your actual store name is to set up a new store, which most store owners are understandably reluctant to do.

By using a custom domain, you can change the name of your Shopify store as many times as you like without it affecting your custom domain or your myshopify sub-domain.

Before you jump in and change your store name…

Changing your Shopify store name is easy but it is a significant move and not a decision to make lightly.

Before you jump in and change the name, ask yourself the following questions:

• How long has my domain been active?
• Has it been successful? Has it generated the revenue you expected?
• How do customers respond to your marketing and your branding?
• What is the main reason for changing the name?
• Are you prepared to lose the data from the old domain?

In the case of a store that has been under-performing over a long period, gained a bad reputation or has technical performance issues, it might be an idea to draw a line under the old store and start afresh with a new name – or a completely new store.

Just be sure to inform customers about any changes you make so that they remain in the loop. It doesn’t usually take much of a gripe for a shopper to head on over to a competing store and change allegiances.

So, how do you change your Shopify store name?

You can change your Shopify store name easily either using the mobile Shopify app or from the desktop.

The following steps are for desktop but the steps for mobile are similar (Note: we use the Acquire Convert Demo Store in the examples).

Step 1: Go to Shopify Admin

Click Settings on the main page (lower left side of the panel):

Step 2: Click on General

From the Settings panel click on General:

Step 3: Edit the Store Name and Save

The first box you will see on the General page is the store name. It will feature the current store name like this:

In the example below, I am looking to change “Acquire Convert” to “Shopify Mega Marketing”. I just type the new name into the box and click on Save.

Step 4: View the Change

Once you have saved, click the eye icon next to Online Store in the left-hand panel. This will take you to your store, where you can view the results of the name change in the bottom right of the page like this:

One simple change to improve branding

Changing your store name is so easy if you have set up everything correctly on Shopify.

The bottom line? Get your own custom domain to ensure that your customers always see the name that you want them to see, regardless of what your Shopify username is.

Finally, remember to always inform customers about any changes that you do make to your store that will affect them.