Why Recon needs your store's own domain

Recon protects your store's own domain, such as yourbrand.com. If your store only has a myshopify.com address, Recon asks you to connect your own domain before setup. Shopify owns myshopify.com, so most of Recon's checks have nothing of yours to look at.

Why your own domain matters

• Email checks read the email settings on your domain. On myshopify.com, those settings belong to Shopify, and you cannot change them.
• Trust checks look at your security certificate, blocklists and renewal date. Shopify owns these for myshopify.com too.
• Lookalike domains are addresses with a name like yours. Recon builds them from your domain name, so a myshopify.com address gives it little or nothing to check.

Connect a domain during setup

When your store only has a myshopify.com address, setup opens on Connect your store’s own domain.

1. Click Open domain settings. Your Shopify domain settings open in a new tab.
2. Buy a new domain, or connect one you already own. Shopify guides you through it.
3. Come back to Recon and click Check again.

When Recon finds your domain, setup goes on to Brand. See Getting started with Recon for the rest of the steps.

Continue without a domain

If you are not ready to connect a domain, click Continue without a domain. You can finish setup and use Recon now.

Clone detection in your theme still works without your own domain. The checks that need a domain wait:

• The Email and Trust pages show a Needs your own domain badge.
• A Connect your own domain first banner has a Connect a domain button.
• Each check says After you connect a domain instead of a result.

After you connect a domain

1. Connect the domain in Shopify. In Recon, click Connect a domain on the Email or Trust page to open your Shopify domain settings.
2. In Recon, open Overview and click Run scan.

Recon picks up your new domain and checks it on that scan. It is also checked on every scan after that.

Related articles

• Getting started with Recon: the four setup steps, from install to your first scan.
• Email checks: what Recon checks in your email settings once you have a domain.
• Trust checks: the certificate, blocklist and renewal checks for your domain.