Guide
How to point a domain name to your web hosting
You point a domain at your hosting by either changing its name servers to the ones your host gives you, or by editing its A record to your hosting server's address. The change usually takes effect within minutes to a day. If you register the domain with us in the same order as your hosting, it is connected for you and you can skip these steps.
Two ways
Name servers or an A record?
Change the name servers
- Your host manages all the DNS records
- The simplest option for a whole site
- Email records are set up with the hosting
- Best when moving everything to one host
Edit the A record
- The domain stays where it is managed now
- Good when email or other services are elsewhere
- You keep your existing DNS provider
- Needs the right records for email and www
Name servers
Pointing with name servers
Find your name servers
Look in your hosting welcome email or client area for the two or more name server names.
Log in where the domain is managed
That is the registrar or control panel where you bought it.
Replace the name servers
Remove the old ones and enter the new ones exactly as given.
Save and wait
Allow time for the change to spread. It is often quick, and can take up to a day.
A record
Pointing with an A record
Find your server address
Your hosting welcome email or control panel shows the server's IP address.
Open the DNS settings
Go to the DNS manager for the domain.
Edit the records
Set the A record for the main name to the new address, and make www point to the same place.
Keep the email records
Leave MX records alone unless you are moving email too.
Worked example
Pointing a domain bought elsewhere at new hosting
Priya bought priyabakes.co.uk from another company two years ago and has a website there. She orders a Small plan with us because she wants faster hosting, and she plans to keep the domain where it is.
First she builds the site on the new account and tests it. A few days before she plans to switch, she lowers the TTL on her DNS records so changes spread quickly. On the day, she changes the A record for the main name and for www to the new server's address, and checks her email records are untouched.
She tests from her phone on mobile data, sends a test email and checks that the padlock shows. The old hosting stays on for a week as a safety net. Nothing went offline, and her domain never moved.
Glossary
Terms in this guide
Name server: a server that answers questions about your domain. A record: links a name to an IPv4 address. CNAME: makes one name an alias for another. TTL: how long other servers may keep an answer. MX record: says where to deliver email. Propagation: the time taken for a change to reach everyone.
If you meet a term you do not know in your control panel, ask our live chat before changing anything. A wrong DNS record can take a site or email offline, but it is always fixable once you know what it should be.
Special cases
Pointing a subdomain or an addon domain
Sometimes you want only part of a domain to point at your hosting, such as shop.yourbusiness.co.uk, while the main site lives elsewhere. In that case you add an A record or a CNAME for that one name and leave the others alone.
If you are adding another domain to a hosting account as an addon domain, the steps are the same: point the new domain at the hosting by name servers or A record, then add it in the control panel so the server knows which folder to serve. Test it before you announce the new site.
If you run into a problem, tell our live chat the domain, what you changed and what you see. With those three facts, we can usually find the cause quickly.
Be patient
Give it time before you worry
Most people panic in the first hour. DNS changes spread at different speeds, so one device may show the new site while another still shows the old one. Test on more than one network, wait a few hours, and only then start looking for a mistake. It is rarely a fault, and usually just a cache that has not expired. If the old site is still showing after a full day, then check the records again, and ask for help with the exact values you see.
Skip the setup: register with hosting
Order your domain and hosting together, and they are connected for you.
Live sites
How to switch a live website without downtime
If the domain already has a working website, the switch needs a little care. First, set up the site on the new host and test it, using a temporary address or a local hosts file to view it before the domain points there.
Next, lower the TTL on the records you are about to change, a day or two before. When the new site is ready, change the records. Visitors will see the old site until the change reaches them, and the new one afterwards, with no gap, as long as both sites work.
Keep the old hosting running for several days. Only close it when you are sure everything, including email, works on the new host.
After the change
How to check it worked
| Check | How | Good result |
|---|---|---|
| Site loads | Open the domain in a private window | Your new site appears |
| www works | Try the address with and without www | Both load, one redirects to the other |
| HTTPS works | Look for the padlock | No warnings |
| Email works | Send and receive a test message | Delivered promptly |
| DNS looks right | Use an online DNS lookup | Shows the new address |
Problems
If the domain does not point where you expect
The most common cause is simply time. Wait a few hours and test from a different network, such as your phone on mobile data, which avoids your own device's cached answer.
If it still looks wrong, check that you changed the records in the right place. A domain can have its name servers at one company, and if you edit records at another, nothing changes. Check which name servers the domain really uses, then edit there.
If you see a certificate warning right after the switch, the new server may not yet have a certificate for the domain. This usually sorts itself out within a short time, and our live chat can help if it does not.
Safety
A pre-switch checklist
- The new site works and has been tested
- You have a backup of the old site
- All email accounts exist on the new host
- The TTL has been lowered a day ahead
- You know the new name servers or address
- You have chosen a quiet time to switch
- The old hosting stays on for a few days
- You will test email and forms afterwards
FAQ
Common questions
Which is better, name servers or an A record?
Name servers are simpler when moving a whole site. An A record suits cases where other services stay elsewhere.
How long does pointing take?
Often minutes, and up to about a day in some cases.
Do I lose email when I change name servers?
You can, if the new DNS has no email records. Recreate your MX records first, or keep email where it is.
Where do I find my name servers?
In your hosting welcome email or client area.
Can you do it for me?
Our live chat can help with the settings. Free migration is included on Small and higher yearly plans.
Keep reading
Related pages
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