Overview
Congratulations! Your new site is well-branded, your team has completed content management training, and you're ready to set your site live—woohoo! Our team will guide you through this process. Below are the key steps and important considerations for launching your new website successfully.
Key Terms to Know
As you prepare for your go-live, you may hear your implementation manager refer to the following terms:
Domain
A domain is the website address you type into a browser to access a site (e.g., treez.io).
Domain Registrar
A domain registrar is a company where you purchase and register a domain. Common examples include GoDaddy and Cloudflare.
Subdomain
A subdomain is a subdivision of a main domain, added at the beginning of the domain name (e.g., shop.treez.io or orderonline.treez.shop). Subdomains help organize content, improve navigation, and separate different areas of a website.
Domain URL Format
Your domain URL format is the base URL for all pages on your website (e.g., www.treez.io or treez.io). For Treez Ecommerce, it is important to confirm whether your URL format includes www or not.
DNS (Domain Name System)
DNS converts domain names into IP addresses, allowing devices to locate websites online. Think of it as a phonebook for websites.
DNS Hosting Provider
The company that maintains your DNS service. Sometimes, your domain registrar and DNS provider are the same, but not always. Common DNS providers include Cloudflare and Google.
CNAME Record
A CNAME (Canonical Name) record points from an alias domain to your primary (canonical) domain.
A Record
An A Record maps a domain name to an IP address, directing internet traffic to the correct host server.
Web Hosting Platform
A company that provides the infrastructure to store and serve website files, making them publicly accessible. Treez Ecommerce includes web hosting as part of the service.
How to Publish Your Website
To avoid downtime, make DNS changes outside of business hours. DNS updates can take several hours to propagate globally. Best practice: schedule the change at night to ensure proper propagation by the next business day.
Option 1: Using Treez Ecommerce as Your Entire Website (Recommended)
Provide your implementation manager with your DNS hosting provider and domain URL format.
Agree on a go-live date and time (outside business hours).
Our team will issue a new DNS certificate and provide you with the necessary CNAME & A Record.
Update your DNS records as follows:
Updating DNS Settings
Access DNS Settings: Navigate to the DNS Management or Zone Editor section.
Update A Record:
Locate the A Record for your root domain (e.g.,
example.com).Change the IP address to the Value on the A record
Save changes.
Update CNAME Record:
Locate the CNAME Record for
www.example.com(or any subdomains).If a CNAME record for
wwwexists, edit it. Otherwise, add a new record.Type: CNAME
Name: www
Value: Provided by the Treez team on the CNAME record
Save changes.
TTL Considerations
Lower the TTL (Time to Live) to 300 seconds before making changes to speed up propagation.
After confirming the setup, increase TTL to its original value.
Verify the Update
Use tools like
nslookup,dig, or whatsmydns.net to check propagation.Ensure your website loads correctly with the new settings.
Remove Old Records (If Needed)
Delete any outdated A or CNAME records no longer required.
Once you have updated the above details with your DNS provider, notify your implementation manager for verification. Your Treez Ecommerce site is now live!
Option 2: Using Treez Ecommerce as a Subdomain
Provide your implementation manager with your DNS hosting provider and preferred subdomain (e.g.,
shop.treez.ioormenu.treez.io).Agree on a go-live date and time (outside of business hours).
Our team will issue a new DNS certificate and provide the necessary CNAME.
Update your DNS records as follows:
Updating DNS Settings for a Subdomain
Log in to Your Hosting Provider’s Dashboard
Go to your hosting provider’s website and log in.
Navigate to the DNS Management Section
Look for "DNS Settings," "Domain Management," or "DNS Zone Editor."
Select the Domain to Update
If managing multiple domains, choose the relevant one.
Locate the CNAME Records
Find the section listing existing DNS records.
Add or Edit the CNAME Record
If adding a new CNAME record:
Click "Add Record" or "Create New Record."
Type: CNAME
Name: Enter the subdomain listed under the Name on the DNS certificate we provided (e.g.,
shopforshop.xyz.com).Value: Provided by the Treez team on the CNAME record
TTL: Set to 300 seconds for faster propagation.
If editing an existing CNAME record:
Locate the current CNAME record for your subdomain.
Click "Edit" or "Modify" and update the Value field.
Save changes.
Verify the Update
Use tools like
nslookup,dig, or whatsmydns.net to check propagation.Ensure your subdomain loads correctly with the new settings.
Update Main Website Links
Update the “Shop” or “Order Online” links on your main website to point to the new Treez Ecommerce subdomain.
Once you have updated your DNS settings, notify your implementation manager for verification. Your Treez Ecommerce subdomain is now live!
FAQ
How do I know who my DNS hosting provider is?
You can lookup your DNS hosting provider using a free service like ICANN's lookup tool (https://lookup.icann.org/en).
How do I manage my DNS records? (CNAME and/or A Record)
First, you'll need to login on your DNS hosting provider's website and navigate to DNS settings. There you should find an option to create, edit, or delete DNS records.
Exactly how this is done will vary by provider. Here are links to instructions to manage DNS records for some of the most common DNS hosting providers:
Why do you not recommend using Treez Ecommerce as a subdomain solution?
The use of subdomains limits the effectiveness of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features. This means that the SEO features that come out-of-the-box with Treez Ecommerce will have less impact on your ranking in search results.
When you use Treez Ecommerce as your entire website, you maximize the impact of SEO benefits. You also consolidate the management and hosting of your website to a single platform, nixing the need to use multiple platforms to edit content and reducing the level of effort required to maintain your entire site.