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Renewing Your Domain and Making Safe Domain Changes

Keeping your domain active and correctly configured is essential to keeping your storefront online and your admin backend accessible. This article explains who is responsible for renewing your domain and how to avoid a common mistake that can accidentally lock you out of your own store.

Note: This article covers domain renewal and safe domain/forwarding changes. If you want to switch to an entirely new domain name, see "How do I change my domain name?" For editing DNS records, see "Managing DNS Records for Your WSM Domain."

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Who Is Responsible for Renewing Your Domain?

Domains must be renewed periodically or they will expire. When a domain expires, your website can go offline — even if nothing else about your store has changed.

Who handles the renewal depends on where your domain is managed:

    • If WSM hosts/manages your domain, the renewal is handled on our end. You don't need to take any action.
    • If your domain was purchased through an outside registrar (such as GoDaddy, eNom, or similar), you are responsible for renewing it directly with that registrar.

Don't Ignore Renewal Notices

If your domain is with an outside registrar, watch for renewal notice emails from that provider. These emails are easy to overlook, but ignoring them can allow your domain to lapse — which can take your entire site offline until the domain is renewed and restored.

Not Sure Who Manages Your Domain?

If you're unsure whether WSM or an outside registrar manages a particular domain, contact WSM Support before it expires. We can confirm who is responsible so nothing falls through the cracks.

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A Caution About Domain Forwarding and Redirects

Domain forwarding (also called a redirect) lets you send visitors from one domain to another. This is a useful tool, but it must be set up carefully.

The Risk: Locking Yourself Out of Your Admin

Forwarding a domain to the wrong destination — or forwarding it in a way that also changes how your admin backend is reached — can accidentally lock you out of your own admin panel. This can happen even when your storefront still appears to work normally, so the problem may not be obvious right away.

In short: a forwarding change that looks harmless on the surface can quietly cut off your access to the admin area.

Before You Make a Forwarding Change

To avoid this problem:

    • Confirm the exact destination you want the domain to point to before saving any changes.
    • Consider how the change affects admin access. If the domain you're forwarding is also the one you use to reach your admin backend, forwarding it could block that access.
    • When in doubt, contact WSM Support first. We can help you set up the forwarding correctly, or make the change for you, so you don't risk losing access.
Warning: If you've already made a forwarding change and can no longer reach your admin backend, contact WSM Support right away. Our team can investigate and help restore your access.

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Need Help?

If you have any questions about domain renewal, forwarding, or who manages your domain, please reach out to the WSM Support Team. We're happy to confirm the details and help you make changes safely.