DNS Connection Issues

Symptoms

• “Status: Not Connected” warning in WordPress® admin
• ⚠️ Orange warning triangle icon in DNS settings
• Checkout redirects fail after attempting DNS cutover
• Custom checkout domain not resolving

What “Not Connected” Means

The “Status: Not Connected” warning indicates:

1. DNS records have been provided by the plugin
2. DNS records have NOT yet been configured in your DNS provider
3. WordPress® cannot verify connection to BigCommerce checkout domain
4. Checkout will NOT work until DNS is properly configured and propagated

Critical: This status must change to “Status: Connected” (green checkmark ✓) before migration cutover is complete.

Common Causes

1. DNS Records Not Added

Problem: CNAME record was never added to DNS provider.

Check:

• Log into your DNS provider (WP Engine DNS, Cloudflare, Route53, etc.)
• Look for CNAME record pointing checkout subdomain to BigCommerce
• If record missing, add it now

2. Typo in CNAME Value

Problem: CNAME target was entered incorrectly.

Expected format:

checkout.yourdomain.com → store-xxxxxxx-1234567.mybigcommerce.com

Common mistakes:

• Missing store- prefix
• Incorrect store hash
• Trailing period added (some DNS providers auto-add this)
• Wrong subdomain (e.g., www.checkout instead of checkout)

Fix: Double-check CNAME value matches exactly what plugin provided.

3. DNS Propagation Not Complete

Problem: DNS changes can take time to propagate globally.

Symptom: CNAME record exists, but still shows “Not Connected.”

Why this happens:

• Different geographic regions see different DNS values during propagation
• Your DNS provider may show updated record, but WordPress® server hasn’t seen it yet
• Customer browsers in some regions may see old DNS while others see new

Solution: Wait and verify propagation (see Diagnostic Workflow below).

4. Cloudflare Proxy Enabled

Problem: If using Cloudflare, the proxy (orange cloud icon) can interfere with CNAME verification.

Fix:

1. Log into Cloudflare
2. Find the checkout.yourdomain.com CNAME record
3. Click the orange cloud icon to disable proxy (turn it gray)
4. Wait 5-10 minutes for DNS to update
5. Re-check connection status in WordPress®

Diagnostic Workflow

Follow this step-by-step troubleshooting process:

graph TD
    A[Status: Not Connected] --> B{DNS Records Exist?}
    B -->|No| C[Add CNAME to DNS Provider]
    B -->|Yes| D{CNAME Value Correct?}
    C --> D
    D -->|No| E[Fix CNAME Target Value]
    D -->|Yes| F[Check Propagation]
    E --> F
    F --> G{Propagated Globally?}
    G -->|No| H[Wait 30min-2hr, Recheck]
    G -->|Yes| I{Cloudflare User?}
    H --> G
    I -->|Yes| J[Disable Proxy Orange Cloud]
    I -->|No| K[Contact Support]
    J --> L[Wait 5-10min]
    L --> M[Refresh WordPress® Page]
    M --> N{Status: Connected?}
    N -->|Yes| O[✓ Success - Cutover Complete]
    N -->|No| K

Step-by-Step Verification

Step 1: Check DNS Records Exist

1. Log into your DNS provider (WP Engine DNS, Cloudflare, Route53, GoDaddy, etc.)
2. Navigate to DNS management for your domain
3. Look for CNAME record matching:
   • Name/Host: checkout.yourdomain.com (or just checkout if base domain auto-appended)
   • Type: CNAME
   • Value/Target: store-xxxxxxx-1234567.mybigcommerce.com (exact value from WordPress® plugin)

If record missing:

• Add CNAME record now
• Wait 5-10 minutes for DNS provider to publish
• Proceed to Step 2

Step 2: Check CNAME Value

Copy the CNAME target from WordPress®:

1. Go to WordPress® admin → BigCommerce → Settings → DNS Cutover
2. Copy the exact CNAME value provided (e.g., store-cbuwve7hg-1851563.mybigcommerce.com)

Compare to DNS provider:

1. Log into DNS provider
2. View CNAME record details
3. Value MUST match exactly (case-insensitive)

Common errors:

• Missing store- prefix
• Wrong store hash (cbuwve7hg in example)
• Wrong store ID (1851563 in example)
• Trailing period (.) at end (some DNS providers auto-add this — it’s usually okay)

If value wrong:

• Update CNAME record with correct value
• Wait 5-10 minutes
• Proceed to Step 3

Step 3: Check DNS Propagation

Use DNSChecker.org to verify global DNS propagation:

1. Go to: https://dnschecker.org
2. Enter: checkout.yourdomain.com
3. Select: CNAME record type
4. Click: Search

What you’ll see:

• World map showing DNS propagation status across global DNS servers
• DNS server list showing CNAME value by region/country
• Green checkmarks (✓) = propagated in that region
• Red X or ”-” = not propagated yet

What to verify:

• All major regions show green checkmarks:
  • North America (US East, US West, Canada)
  • Europe (UK, Germany, France)
  • Asia Pacific (Australia, Singapore, Japan)
  • South America (Brazil)
• CNAME value matches BigCommerce target across all regions

Propagation timeline:

• Typical: 5-30 minutes for most DNS providers
• Maximum: Up to 48 hours (rare, but possible)
• TTL impact: Lower TTL = faster propagation (check your DNS provider’s TTL setting)

Best practice: Wait for green checkmarks across all major regions before declaring cutover complete.

If not fully propagated:

• Wait 30 minutes to 2 hours
• Re-check DNSChecker.org
• If still not propagated after 24 hours → Contact your DNS provider for support

Step 4: Check Cloudflare Proxy (If Applicable)

If you use Cloudflare for DNS:

1. Log into Cloudflare
2. Select your domain
3. Go to DNS settings
4. Find the checkout.yourdomain.com CNAME record
5. Check the cloud icon:
   • Orange cloud (☁️) = Proxy enabled (can block CNAME verification)
   • Gray cloud (☁️) = DNS-only mode (correct for checkout subdomain)

If orange cloud enabled:

1. Click the cloud icon to toggle from orange → gray
2. Save changes
3. Wait 5-10 minutes for DNS update
4. Refresh WordPress® DNS settings page
5. Check if status changed to “Connected”

Why disable proxy: BigCommerce needs direct CNAME resolution to the checkout domain. Cloudflare proxy interferes with this verification.

Step 5: Verify Connection Status in WordPress®

1. Go to WordPress® admin → BigCommerce → Settings → DNS Cutover
2. Refresh the page (hard refresh: Cmd+Shift+R on Mac, Ctrl+F5 on Windows)
3. Check the connection status:
   • ⚠️ “Status: Not Connected” (orange) = Still not working
   • ✓ “Status: Connected” (green) = Success!

If still “Not Connected” after:

• DNS records exist ✓
• CNAME value correct ✓
• Propagation complete ✓
• Cloudflare proxy disabled (if applicable) ✓

→ Contact support (see below).

Success Indicators

You know DNS cutover is complete when:

1. WordPress® shows: ✓ “Status: Connected” (green checkmark)
2. DNSChecker.org shows: Green checkmarks across all major regions
3. BigCommerce Control Panel shows: Custom checkout domain configured
4. Test checkout works: Customer can complete purchase end-to-end

Safe to proceed: Once all four indicators are green, checkout traffic will successfully route to BigCommerce.

Still Not Working?

If you’ve completed the diagnostic workflow and status is still “Not Connected”:

Contact Support

Provide the following information:

1. WordPress® site URL: https://yourdomain.com
2. Checkout subdomain: checkout.yourdomain.com
3. DNS provider: (e.g., WP Engine DNS, Cloudflare, Route53)
4. CNAME target value: store-xxxxxxx-1234567.mybigcommerce.com
5. DNSChecker.org screenshot showing propagation status
6. DNS provider screenshot showing CNAME record configuration
7. WordPress® screenshot showing “Status: Not Connected” warning
8. When DNS record was added: (date/time)
9. How long since DNS record was added: (hours/days)
10. Using Cloudflare? Yes/No (if yes, proxy enabled or disabled?)

Where to get help:

• WP Engine Support (if hosted on WP Engine)
• BigCommerce Support (for BigCommerce-side verification)
• Plugin developer (for WordPress® plugin issues)

Related Documentation

• DNS Cutover Guide — Complete setup and migration workflow
• Checkout Errors — Post-cutover checkout debugging
• Migration Overview — Full migration process end-to-end