How to connect your domain to your website hosting

You have a domain and you have hosting. Now you need to tell the internet that one goes with the other. There are two common ways to do this, and choosing the right one depends on where you want to manage your settings.

Option 1: Change the nameservers

Nameservers decide which company manages all of your domain's DNS records. When you point your domain's nameservers to your hosting provider, that provider takes over the domain's DNS completely.

How to do it:

1. Find your hosting provider's nameservers. They're usually in your welcome email or your hosting dashboard, and they look like two or more addresses such as ns1 and ns2 at the host's domain.
2. Log in to your registrar and open the domain's settings.
3. Find the nameserver setting, choose "custom" nameservers, and enter the host's nameservers.
4. Save.

Good for: people who want everything in one place. Your host sets up the records the website needs, often automatically.

Watch out for: if you already have email or other services on the domain, their records have to be recreated at the host, or they'll stop working when the nameservers change.

Option 2: Keep your DNS where it is and add records

Instead of moving everything, you can keep the current DNS provider, often your registrar, and add just the records your website needs.

How to do it:

1. Ask your host for the IP address of your site, or the target hostname for a CNAME record.
2. In your current DNS settings, add or edit an A record for the main domain, using "@" as the host, pointing to the host's IP address.
3. Add a record for www: either another A record with the same IP address, or a CNAME pointing to the main domain or the address your host gave you.
4. Remove any old A or AAAA records for the same names that point elsewhere, so they don't conflict.
5. Save.

Good for: domains that already have email or other services set up, because you only change what the website needs.

How long does it take?

DNS changes often start working within minutes to a few hours. Nameserver changes can take longer to reach everyone, sometimes up to a day or two, because they're cached in many places. During that time, some visitors may see the old setup and others the new one.

If you're moving an existing website, keep the old hosting running until the change has fully taken effect.

Don't forget HTTPS

Once the domain points to your host, set up an SSL certificate so your site loads securely over https. Most hosting providers offer free certificates and can issue them automatically once the domain is pointing correctly. If your site shows a security warning, the certificate usually just hasn't been issued yet; give it a little time, then check your host's SSL settings.

Checking that it worked

• Visit your domain in a private browser window, to avoid seeing a cached version.
• Use an online DNS lookup tool to check that the records show the values you set.
• Try both the plain domain and the www version.

Common mistakes

• Typing nameservers with a typo, or leaving an old nameserver in the list.
• Having two A records for the same name pointing to different places.
• Changing nameservers without recreating email records, so email stops arriving.
• Forgetting the www version, so only one of the two addresses works.

Not ready for a website yet?

That's fine. A domain can sit unused safely, as long as it's renewed. If you have domains you're not planning to use at all, you can point them at a free for-sale page instead and list them on our marketplace, so the names can find a buyer.