In essence, your Shopify store name is what you call your e-commerce site. A Shopify store name is like any other shop name. It’s the name on the sign outside the front entrance. When people refer to your business, they’ll use this name.

When you first create your Shopify account, you’ll be asked to enter your store’s name. For example, our new Shopify store will be called Happy Joe Flowers. Upon entering your store’s name, Shopify will create a subdomain with your store’s name. It’ll look something like this: https://www.happyjoeflowers.myshopify.com. 

Please note that a subdomain is the physical location where Shopify stores your shop’s files and data. This subdomain will remain the same even if you purchase a custom domain (more about that in a minute).

You now have two options:

You can keep the Shopify subdomain as your public-facing URL (your shop’s internet address). This decision means you don’t purchase a custom domain and use the one Shopify creates for you. Doing so is perfectly fine. However, using Shopify’s URL doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence. It might make your shop look amateurish and unprofessional. 

The alternative is to purchase a custom domain. A custom domain is a URL that contains your shop’s specific name. You can also create any other custom domain your like. For example, you can purchase the domain name happyjoeflowers.com. You can use any other domain name you like. However, we recommend using domain names related to your shop’s name as much as possible.