What does Domain Parked mean? : EKM

[intro]In the most basic sense, the Domain Parked page is seen when the visitor has arrived on a shop server using a domain that the server does not recognise. There are many different reasons for this, and in this guide, you’ll learn how to troubleshoot any issues to ensure that your domain points correctly in your EKM online shop.[/intro]

Before you begin this Guide, you must know your domain provider. If your domain is provided by a third-party, such as GoDaddy, 123 Reg or Ionos for example, you will need to log into your account with them in a separate browser tab as you may need to make changes to the settings of your domain. However, if EKM Domains provide your domain, follow the steps to troubleshoot any issues.

[remember] When making any changes to the settings on a domain with any provider, you have to wait between 24-36 hours for those settings to update and any changes you've made to become visible online. This is called propagation, and although sometimes it can occur a lot faster than 24-36 hours, you will need to wait for it to take place before you can see the result of any changes made to your domain settings.[/remember]

How to find out the IP Address of your EKM online shop

You’ll also need to open a tab on your browser to log into your EKM online shop and discover the IP address of your EKM online shop. The IP Address is required to point a domain at your EKM online shop correctly.

1. From the Dashboard page, click the Settings tab:

2. Click Domain Name on the left-hand side, beneath the Shop Settings header:

3. On this page, click Use Existing Domain Name on the far right-hand side:

4. In the window that appears, you need to click ‘The domain name is currently in use’, before clicking the green button:

5. Then click ‘Use the domain name just for my new site’ and again, click the green button:

6. On this page, the highlighted number is the IP Address of your EKM online shop. Note this down - you will need it to check against the settings on your domain:

Pointed to the wrong EKM online shop server

Check to see if the IP Address of your EKM online shop matches the settings on the A Records set up on your domain. If your domain has two A Records set up, but these do not match the IP Address of your EKM online shop, you must amend them accordingly.

EKM Domains:

If you have claimed your free EKM domain name, then your domain name should already be pointed at your EKM online shop. However, if you have purchased an additional domain name on EKM Domains, you may need to check its settings. Click here and follow this Guide.

Third-Party Domain:

If you click here, you'll be taken to a page where you can select your domain provider from one of our existing Guides. If your domain provider is not listed, look up instructions on your domain providers' support centre for setting up A-Records.

Cancelled the shop but the domain is still pointing to the shop

If you have cancelled your EKM online shop account, you will need to point your domain to a new destination otherwise your customers will see the Domain Parked page. The providers of your new website/online shop can advise what settings you need to adjust to point your domain correctly.

Domain not added to Domain Name page in EKM online shop

1. You must first check that your assigned domain has been pointed to your EKM online shop. From the Dashboard, click Settings on the bottom of the left-hand menu:

2. On this next page, click Domain Name in the top left-hand corner:

3. This is the Domain Name page, where you can see a list of all of the domains that are pointed at your EKM online shop:

4. For each domain name, you’ll see two versions of it within this area - this is because when you point your domain at your EKM online shop, you need to create two A Records; one version is for the domain name including the ‘www’ part and one is the version without the ‘www’.

In this example, you’ll see a green Active symbol next to each domain, indicating that both A Records have been pointed correctly. ‘Primary’ indicates the domain name version which will be displayed when the customer visits my EKM online shop. Visitors will be redirected to my EKM online shop regardless of what version of the URL they type into their browser, but the primary version will be the one that is displayed when they’re viewing any pages of the shop.

5. If you don’t see your domain name listed on this page but are confident that you have set up the two A Records on your domain required to point it correctly, click Use Existing Domain Name on the far right-hand side:

6. Then you need to click ‘The domain name is currently in use’:

7. Then click ‘Use the domain name just for my new site’:

8. Here, you need to add your domain name - with the ‘www’s - into the field provided before clicking the green Add Domain button:

What to check for:

Do you have one version of your domain name set as the Primary?
Is there an Active symbol underneath each version of the domain name?

If your domain has been pointed correctly, you will now see both versions of your domain listed with the 'Active' symbol. If the text remains grey and there's no Active symbol, you need to amend the settings on your domain and point it correctly.

The Domain has been set up with a Forwarder instead of A-Records

If a third party hosts your domain, you need to log into your account and check that your domain is using A-Records to point, and not a Forwarder instead. A Forwarder looks like a single field, which, when used, will redirect the visitor to a single page. Whilst this is useful for forwarding an old domain name elsewhere whilst you wait for it to expire, it’s not what you use to link your domain name to your EKM online shop. Please refer to this Guide to set up A-Records on your domain.

Not paid an outstanding balance on EKM Domains

If EKM Domains hosts your domain, you must pay renewal fees. You will be sent emails reminding you of this to the email address saved in the Your Details page of your EKM Domains account, so ensure that that email is a personal email address and not one built onto one of your domains, as those reminder emails may not be seen.

1. From the Dashboard page, click Settings at the bottom of the left-hand menu:

2. Click Domain Name on the left-hand side, beneath the Shop Settings header:

3. Click to log into your EKM Domains account:

4. Once you’re into your EKM Domains account, click the Billing icon on the top right-hand side:

5. If there are any outstanding payments, these will be highlighted in red on this page. Click the button provided to pay the outstanding amount, and your domain name will be active again within a couple of hours.

Still using legacy default domain instead of an actual domain name

If you’ve never pointed a domain name directly at your EKM online shop and have used the default domain name instead, you will eventually see the Domain Parked page instead of the front end of your EKM online shop. To rectify this issue, you need to point a domain name at your EKM online shop by claiming your free one from EKM Domains (if you haven’t claimed it already) or purchasing one.