Setting up Miva Multi-Domain

This guide outlines the steps to configure the Miva Multi-Domain feature. It will teach you how to navigate your Miva Multi-Domain admin. It will walk you through things to consider now that you have decided to combine all your sites under one admin.

Before you start, decide on your approach:

Option 1: Unified Stores fronts under one Primary Store

Sell a subset of your catalog from your main Miva store on a new domain.

With Multi-Domain configuration set to Catalog Subset, the secondary site sells only a select subset of your primary store’s products.

This setup is perfect if you want to creatively target niche markets or campaign-specific domains (e.g. holiday shop, clearance outlet) while avoiding duplicating inventory management and backend setup. You get multiple branded storefronts, but only one master catalog and operational backend.

You can also assign the secondary domain a completely different Template Branch, so it can have a totally different design or look (i.e. new theme, templates, navigation) even though it’s backed by the same database.

Option 2: Individual Stores with different store licenses

Build additional stores (separate store managed in the same admin; requires an extra store license). This setup lets you create multiple separate stores, each on its own domain (or subdomain), each with its own catalog, settings, and design—but all managed through one Miva Admin panel.

Each of these additional stores behaves like a full independent storefront: they can have different products, pricing, shipping rules, marketing, and customer interfaces. They don’t share inventory or storefront look-and-feel with the primary store.

Important setup note: You’ll need to request a separate Miva store license for each additional store you create under the same admin.

After deciding what approach is right for you,

1. Open a support ticket with Miva
   Ask Support to prepare the new domain on their side (they’ll confirm the domain isn’t in use elsewhere and enable Cloudflare if needed). If you’re building a separate store (not just a subset of your main catalog), request an additional store license for your admin.
2. If you’re still on Legacy SEO, migrate to URI Management first 
   Multi‑Domain relies on URI Management. If your store uses Legacy SEO, follow Miva’s migration guide linked here, then proceed.

Configuring the Miva Multi-Domain Feature

Step 1: (Option 1): Create a new branch for your additional site

If using Multi-Domain Option 2 continue to Step 2.

Path: User Interface > Production Primary > Create Branch

1. Click User Interface on the left side bar menu

2. At the top of the side bar menu Click on the Production button. This is the Miva branch feature. To learn more about Miva Branches read the Branch documentation here.

3. From here you can select Create New Branch and Merge Branches, select Create New Branch

4. Choose a color to distinguish your new branch, fill in your branch name (i.e. Second Store's Name), select the template you want for your store. 

Step 2: Enable Multi Domain in the Admin

Path: Settings > URI Management > Runtime > Link Source > Module: Multi-Domain

1. Navigate to Settings in the bottom left of the screen of your admin

2. Click URI Management

3. Navigate to the section called Runtime

4. Click the drop down for Link Source and select Module: Multi-Domain  

5. Click Update

Note: that after you update the URI Management page a new Multi-Domain tab has been added to the URI Management Screen Header. We will come back to this in the next step.

Step 3: Add your new domain

Path: Settings > URI Management > Multi‑Domain > (+) Add Domain

1. If using Option 1 and you have not created a branch for your site, first create a new branch with the name of your new store following the steps from step 1.

2. Navigate back to the URI Management page

3. Click the new Multi‑Domain tab we just created

4. Click Add Domain button at the top right of the page.

5. Fill in the key fields:

• Name and Code: Choose a name similar to the same as your store name and branch so that you know it is not the primary store (letters, numbers, underscores, dashes).
• HTTP Host: Enter the domain exactly as it should appear in a browser (e.g., www.example2.com).

6. If using Option 1 Select the your original, primary store from the Store dropdown and select the branch you created for your new store from the Branch Dropdown.

6. If using Option 2 Select your new domain from the Store dropdown and Select the branch you created for your new store from the Branch Dropdown  .

7. Toggle Limit Category, and/ or Limit Products when setting up Option 1.

The primary domain is not added here—only additional domains belong in the Multi‑Domain list.

Important: If you later change HTTP Host, some auto‑generated advanced URLs won't update themselves you'll need to adjust them manually.

Store and Branch

If choosing Option 1 you would select the primary store from the Store dropdown. Then assign a Template Branch (more information about Template Branches can be found here). Branches let the domain have a different look/theme without affecting your live site. You can keep using your main branch or switch later once design work is ready. The Template Branches feature is what allows a Multi-Domain Catalog Subset site to look completely different to your primary site.

Option 1 Multiple Domains — Single Store (Catalog Subset, same store, different site): Point the domain at your existing store but show only selected products/categories.

Option 2 Multiple Domains — Multiple Stores (Additional Storefronts): Point the domain at a different store in the same admin (requires that extra store license you requested).

Catalog When selected, additional product and category management options become active in the Catalog administration section.

Advanced Settings for adding a new domain:

Miscellaneous URLs: Miva allows advanced control of URLs for your front-end store and admin, but usually the proposed default URLs are appropriate.

Note: that if you change the domain in the HTTP Host setting of a Multi-Domain, these URLs will not be regenerated and will require manual adjustment.

Invalid URI Destination Screen: This is the Miva equivalent of the a "Page Not Found." You can configure which Miva page is displayed if someone hits a URL that doesn't map to anything. By default, this loads the NTFD page.

HREF Language: This is an advanced setting that allows support for Localization if you have built Localization into your store. Managing localized versions is not a native feature of Miva, and this would only be appropriate if you have built custom localization functionality. See https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLLinkElement/hreflang for more information.

Importing Multi-Domain URIs:

The Multi-Domain URI Import Module allows a Miva Merchant to manage all URIs and redirects for Multi-Domain storefronts in Data Management. For more information on Importing Multi-Domain URIs see the Documentation titled: Multi-Domain URI Import Module.

Google reCAPTCHA:

reCAPTCHA Warning: Add all domains to Google reCAPTCHA v3, even for Option 1. If you're using Option 1, you still need to add each new domain to the Domains list in your Google reCAPTCHA admin dashboard.
Otherwise, CAPTCHA checks may silently fail on forms and checkout pages.

Step 4: Control Catalog Visibility (Option 1: setting up catalog subset)

If you have checked limit categories or products:

Path: Catalog > More > Multi-Domain

After you enabled Multi-Domain in URI Management a Multi-Domain tap is created for you under the More dropdown tag on the Catalog page 

If you Toggle Limit Category, and/ or Limit Products when adding your new domain under URI Management you will be able to select what products are sold on each of your sub domain sites. 

Use it to assign Categories, Products, and Collections specifically for this domain.

Save your selections.

1. In Catalog → Multi‑Domain, pick which Categories, Products, and Collections this site should include.
2. Use Collections to build dynamic product groupings (powerful for brand/region lines).

Wherever a URIs tab exists in the admin, you'll also see a Multi‑Domain URIs tab for per‑domain URL work.

Step 5: Redirect Storefront Landing Page (Option 2: Additional Stores only)

When using the multiple store setup, Option 2. The following steps will help you avoid the store selection page on the primary domain. This will make the experience more seamless for your shoppers.

Path: Settings > URI Management > URIs

1. In the Miva admin, go to Settings > URI Management > URIs.

2. Search for SFNT in the search bar to locate the correct record in the URI batch list.

3. Select the record that has the / as the URI and SFNT as the Screen.

4. Update that record to use Page as the destination.

5. Click Save.

Things to be aware of when, additional updates, and gotchas:

1. reCAPTCHA Warning: Add domains to Google reCAPTCHA v3

   Be sure to add every domain/subdomain you plan to use to the Domains list in your Google reCAPTCHA admin panel, so CAPTCHAs work across all sites. This step is required for both Option 1 and Option 2 setups.

   If you skip this, reCAPTCHA may silently fail on your storefront’s forms and checkout pages.

2. Apple Pay: In Payment Settings, register each Multi‑Domain so Apple Pay buttons work on all sites.

Ready Theme Navigation Sets

The previous version of Multi Domain required a special Scheduled Task to update Ready Theme Navigation Set Item URLs, but that task is NOT used in the version released with 10.09. If that task exists, it will prevent the upgrade with the following error message.

“All scheduled tasks referencing the Multi Domain module must either be manually removed or updated to reference the “Ready Theme: Update Navigation Set Item URLs” prior to upgrade.”

Users receiving this error should delete any Multi Domain Scheduled Tasks and then re-enable the original “Ready Theme: Update Navigation Set Item URLs” task.

Order Source Indication

Orders placed on a Multi Domain site are noted in a custom field called “Origin Multi Domain” which denotes which domain the order originated from. This may be used from the UI, API or Order Workflows to separate orders on a Multi Domain basis.

Emails 

If Multi Domain is used in the different branch configuration like in Option 1: Multiple Domains — Single Store, you can have order confirmation emails that are tailored to the Multi Domain where the order was placed. However, it only applies to emails sent when an order is placed. Emails sent through a scheduled task, for Abandoned Baskets for example, are always sent using the configuration from the primary branch.

URI Management

Note that wherever a URIs tab exists in the admin, you will now find a corresponding Multi Domain URIs tab offering the same functionality to give full access to URI management of Multi Domains.