Why You Should Use Cloudflare - Even if You're on Shopify

You’ve probably heard me go on about this in our sessions, but I swear by this simple, free way to optimise my clients’ ecom stores.

For all of us, website performance and security directly impact revenue. And while Shopify is by far the best platform to be on, it never hurts to give it a little extra help - especially when it’s free.

Cloudflare provides a powerful content delivery network (CDN) that accelerates page load times globally, helping reduce cart abandonment and improve conversion rates.

Beyond speed, Cloudflare shields your store from DDoS attacks, bot traffic, and malicious actors that could take your site offline during peak sales periods.

With free SSL certificates, automatic HTTPS encryption, and intelligent caching, Cloudflare enhances both customer trust and search engine rankings.

Whether you're processing hundreds or thousands of transactions daily, Cloudflare's infrastructure scales with your business while maintaining 99.99% uptime, ensuring your customers can always complete their purchases.

This guide will walk you through setting up a Cloudflare account and connecting your website’s domain through your domain registrar. Cloudflare provides security, performance optimization, and protection for your ecommerce site.

What you’ll need:

Access to your domain registrar account (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains)
Your website’s domain name
15-30 minutes to complete the setup

Part 1: Creating Your Cloudflare Account

Step 1: Visit Cloudflare

Open your web browser and go to cloudflare.com
Click the ‘Sign Up’ button in the top right corner

Step 2: Enter Your Account Information

Enter your email address (use a business email you check regularly)
Create a strong password
Click ‘Create Account’

Step 3: Verify Your Email

Check your email inbox for a verification message from Cloudflare
Click the verification link in the email
This will confirm your account and log you in

Part 2: Adding Your Website to Cloudflare

Step 4: Add Your Site

Once logged in, you’ll see the ‘Add a Site’ option
Enter your domain name (e.g., yourstore.com - don’t include www or https://)
Click ‘Add Site’

Step 5: Select a Plan

Cloudflare will display available plans
For most ecommerce sites, the Free plan is a great starting point
Select your preferred plan and click ‘Continue’

Step 6: Review DNS Records

Cloudflare will automatically scan and import your existing DNS records
Review the list to ensure all important records are present
You should see records for your main domain, www subdomain, and any email records
Click ‘Continue’ once you’ve reviewed the records

Part 3: Connecting Your Domain (Changing Nameservers)

This is the most important step. You’ll need to update your nameservers at your domain registrar to point to Cloudflare.

Step 7: Copy Your Cloudflare Nameservers

Cloudflare will display two nameservers (they look like: abel.ns.cloudflare.com and lily.ns.cloudflare.com)
Copy both nameservers or keep this page open - you’ll need them in the next steps

Step 8: Log Into Your Domain Registrar

Open a new browser tab
Go to your domain registrar’s website (where you purchased your domain)
Log into your account

Step 9: Find Nameserver Settings

The location varies by registrar. Here’s where to find it for popular registrars:

GoDaddy:

Go to ‘My Products’ or ‘Domains’
Click on your domain name
Scroll down to ‘Additional Settings’ and click ‘Manage DNS’
Look for ‘Nameservers’ section and click ‘Change’

Namecheap:

Go to ‘Domain List’
Click ‘Manage’ next to your domain
Look for ‘Nameservers’ section
Select ‘Custom DNS’ from the dropdown

Google Domains (now Squarespace Domains):

Select your domain
Click ‘DNS’ in the left menu
Scroll to ‘Name servers’ section
Click ‘Switch to custom name servers’

Bluehost:

Go to ‘Domains’ section
Click on your domain
Find ‘Name Server’ section
Click ‘Change’ or ‘Edit’

Step 10: Update Nameservers

Remove or replace the existing nameservers
Enter the two Cloudflare nameservers you copied in Step 7
Click ‘Save’ or ‘Apply Changes’

Important: Some registrars may show a warning that changing nameservers will affect your website. This is normal - Cloudflare is taking over DNS management, which is exactly what you want.

Step 11: Confirm Changes in Cloudflare

Return to your Cloudflare browser tab
Click ‘Done, check nameservers’ or ‘Continue’
Cloudflare will begin monitoring for the nameserver change

Part 4: Waiting for Activation

Step 12: Wait for DNS Propagation

Nameserver changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours to fully propagate
Most changes complete within 2-4 hours
Your website will remain online during this process
Cloudflare will send you an email when your site is active

Step 13: Verify Activation

Log into your Cloudflare dashboard
Your site’s status should show as ‘Active’
Visit your website to confirm it’s still loading properly

Part 5: Recommended Initial Settings

Once your site is active, configure these essential security and performance settings:

Step 14: Enable SSL/TLS Encryption

In your Cloudflare dashboard, click on ‘SSL/TLS’
Set encryption mode to ‘Full’ or ‘Full (strict)’ if your hosting provider has an SSL certificate
If unsure, start with ‘Flexible’ and upgrade later
Turn on ‘Always Use HTTPS’ to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS

Step 15: Configure Firewall Settings

Go to ‘Security’ > ‘Settings’
Set ‘Security Level’ to ‘Medium’ (good balance for ecommerce)
Enable ‘Browser Integrity Check’

Step 16: Enable Performance Features

Navigate to ‘Speed’ > ‘Optimization’
Enable ‘Auto Minify’ for JavaScript, CSS, and HTML
Turn on ‘Brotli’ compression
Consider enabling ‘Rocket Loader’ (test your site after enabling to ensure compatibility)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Website not loading after 24 hours:

Double-check that you entered the Cloudflare nameservers correctly at your registrar
Verify you saved the changes at your domain registrar
Check your Cloudflare DNS records to ensure your A record or CNAME is correct

SSL errors or certificate warnings:

Wait 15-30 minutes after activation for Cloudflare’s SSL certificate to provision
Verify your SSL/TLS encryption mode is set correctly
Clear your browser cache and try again

Email stopped working:

Check that your MX records were imported correctly in Step 6
Add any missing email DNS records in Cloudflare’s DNS settings
Make sure the ‘Proxy status’ (orange cloud) is turned off for MX records

You’re All Set!

Congratulations! Your website is now protected and optimized by Cloudflare. Your site should load faster, be more secure, and have better uptime. Monitor your Cloudflare dashboard regularly to see analytics and adjust settings as needed.

Need Help?

Cloudflare has extensive documentation at support.cloudflare.com
Their community forum is active and helpful
Contact your web developer or hosting provider if you encounter technical issues