# Custom store domain for the checkout process ## Overview Use a custom domain to increase your conversion rate: * Provide your shoppers with a seamless transition from your store or website to checkout. * Give customers a sense of extra security during the checkout process by purchasing a store domain and SSL certificate. * Enhance the shopping cart experience with your custom branding elements. A custom store domain allows you to change the URL of your checkout pages from secure.2checkout.com to mystore.mycompany.com. ## Requirements Contact [2Checkout](https://secure.avangate.com/cpanel/contact.php) for availability. ## Set up a store domain To set up a custom store domain, follow these steps: {% stepper %} {% step %} #### Contact 2Checkout to request a custom domain and choose a domain name Contact our [Sales team](mailto:info@2checkout.com) to discuss the terms of your custom domain agreement. Don't forget to choose a domain name for your online store. Most common examples of online store web addresses are: * * * * {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Provide your company details Following your discussion with our Sales team, send the following company information to our [Merchant Support team](mailto:supportplus@2checkout.com). This information is used by 2Checkout to generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on your behalf, as the certificate will be hosted on our server. Make sure that the data sent is correct, as it will be included in the CSR file. The information will be **validated** by the Certificate Authority before the SSL certificate is sold to you. {% hint style="info" %} * Certificates shall be purchased from Certificate Authorities trusted by your customer’s browsers. Such authorities are commonly referred to as “Public” Authorities. Some examples are listed [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_authority#Providers/). * Certificates shall contain the full hostname of the target, such as store.yourdomain.com. “[Wildcard” certificates](https://www.sslshopper.com/article-the-risks-in-wildcard-certificates.html) are not supported. * Certificate validity should be for 1 year, as browsers have started to not trust certificates with a longer duration. {% endhint %} | Information | Details | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 2Checkout merchant code | 2Checkout generated merchant code. Can be found in Cpanel > [System settings](https://secure.avangate.com/cpanel/account_settings.php). | | Company name | Your company name. | | Address | The address of your company. | | City | City in which your company is located. | | Zip code | Zip code corresponding to the area in which your company is located. | | Country | Country in which your company is located. | | State | State in which your company is located. Use N/A if it doesn’t apply. | | **Desired URL** | Your desired custom store domain name. E.q.: | | {% endstep %} | | {% step %} #### 2Checkout generates private and public keys and the CSR 2Checkout uses the information mentioned above to generate the private and public keys as well as the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) necessary to acquire a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate from a Certificate Authority. The CSR file generated by 2Checkout will be e-mailed to you by our Vendor Support team, together with instructions on your next steps. SSL certificates act as a method of securing data transmissions, including sensitive details such as payment information.\ \ While the public key and CSR are shared with you, the private key will be stored only inside 2Checkout’s secure environment, ensuring that SSL security cannot be compromised. 2Checkout ongoing investment in security is reflected by the **PCI DSS Certification** received yearly. {% hint style="info" %} 2Checkout does not accept and will not use SSL certificates purchased based on private/public keys and CSRs you generate yourself or which have been previously used. Custom domains and associated SSL certificates can be used only if 2Checkout is the sole keeper of private keys. {% endhint %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Purchase the SSL certificate using the 2Checkout generated CSR Use the CSR file provided by 2Checkout to acquire an SSL certificate from your preferred CA. If at any time during the purchase process you’re asked about the server platform type, choose **Apache**. When purchasing an SSL certificate you are responsible for: * Deciding which Certificate Authority to buy it from. We recommend one of the following providers: * [Symantec](https://www.websecurity.symantec.com/ssl-certificate) * [Thawte](https://www.thawte.com/) * [Verisign](https://www.verisign.com/) * [GeoTrust](https://www.geotrust.com/) * [Digicert](https://www.digicert.com/) * [Entrust](https://www.entrustdatacard.com/products/categories/ssl-certificates/) * [GoDaddy](https://uk.godaddy.com/) * Choosing the type of SSL certificate: * **Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate** – complex and extensive vetting of your company per the EV Guidelines. Provides visual feedback to browser users (green address bar for valid EV SSL certificates). * **Organization Validation (OV) SSL Certificate** – CA verifies that your company is a legitimate business and that you have the right to use the domain name. * **Domain Validation (DV) SSL Certificate** – only name and contact information are checked to confirm the right to use the domain name. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Send the SSL certificate to 2Checkout Send the SSL certificate by email to [supportplus@2checkout.com](mailto:supportplus@avangate.com). 2Checkout will finalize the setup of the custom domain and install the certificate. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Update the DNS and buy-links Update your DNS with a CNAME (Canonical Name) record (host alias) for the chosen custom domain name so that YourSHOP.YourCompany.com points to YourCompany.2checkout.com. Once the DNS update is propagated, traffic from YourSHOP.YourCompany.com will be guided to YourCompany.2checkout.com. You’ll need to confirm the availability of YourCompany.2checkout.com with 2Checkout before updating your DNS records. Once our Vendor Support team confirms the installation of your custom domain, you can create new buy links from the [Generate links](https://secure.avangate.com/cpanel/integration.php) area. The new links generated from our interface will contain your custom domain name. Your older links having the format secure.2checkout.com remain functional, so both link types can be used for the ordering process. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.2checkout.com/shopping-carts/default-flows/custom-store-domain-for-the-checkout-process.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.