gghelpdemo

System & store set-up

How to update your DNS

How to update your DNS settings

Before customers can visit your new online store, you need to connect your domain name to it. This guide will help you update your DNS settings so your website address points to the right place.

Step 1: Find where your domain is managed

Your domain (like yourstore.com) might be registered with one company but actually controlled somewhere else. Here's how to find out where to make changes:

  1. Go to https://lookup.icann.org and type in your domain name
  1. Look for the section called "Name Servers" - these tell you where your domain is currently being managed
  1. The company listed there is where you'll need to log in to make changes

Common scenarios:

  • If you see your domain registrar's name servers (like GoDaddy or Namecheap), log into that account
  • If you see a different company's name servers (like Cloudflare or your web host), you'll need to log into that service instead
  • If someone else set up your current website, they may have moved control to another service - you might need to ask them where

Step 2: Log into your domain management dashboard

Once you know where your domain is managed, log into that account. Look for sections called "DNS," "DNS Management," "DNS Records," or "Advanced DNS." The exact name varies by company, but it's usually in your domain settings.

Step 3: Add the A record for your main domain

We've given you an A record - this is a setting that connects your main domain (yourstore.com) to your store.

  1. Find the button to add a new DNS record
  1. Select "A" or "A Record" as the type
  1. In the "Host" or "Name" field, enter @ or leave it blank (this represents your main domain)
  1. In the "Points to" or "Value" field, paste the IP address we provided
  1. Set the TTL (time to live) to 3600 if asked, or leave it as default
  1. Save the record

Step 4: Add the CNAME record for www

We've also given you a CNAME record - this connects the www version of your domain (www.yourstore.com) to your store.

  1. Add another new DNS record
  1. Select "CNAME" or "CNAME Record" as the type
  1. In the "Host" or "Name" field, enter www
  1. In the "Points to" or "Value" field, paste the address we provided
  1. Set the TTL to 3600 if asked, or leave it as default
  1. Save the record

Step 5: Wait for changes to take effect

After saving both records, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours for the changes to spread across the internet. Most changes happen within a few hours. You can check if it's working by visiting your domain in a web browser.

Check your email before you change the A record

Changing the A record for your main domain does more than point your website to a new place. Any other DNS record that relies on your main domain will follow it to wherever the new A record sends traffic. Email is the thing that most often gets caught out here, so it is worth a quick check before you make the change.

Some domains route their email through a subdomain such as mail.yourstore.com. If that subdomain is set up as a CNAME record that points back to your main domain, it will move along with your main domain the moment the A record changes. When that happens, email that used to reach your mail server ends up pointing at your website server instead, and sending or receiving can stop working.

Here is what to look for before you change anything.

  • Look through your DNS records for any subdomains tied to email, such as mail, webmail, smtp, imap, or pop.
  • Check whether any of those subdomains are a CNAME that points to your main domain, which usually shows as @, your bare domain name, or a blank host. If one is, it will follow the A record change.
  • Write down the IP address your main domain currently points to before you change it, since your mail subdomain may need that value.

If you find an email subdomain set up this way, the safe fix is to give it its own A record so it keeps pointing at the correct mail server. For example, rather than a CNAME on the host mail that points to your main domain, add an A record with the host mail and the value set to the IP address your mail server actually uses. If you have any MX (Mail Exchange) records these need to point to the mail subdomain rather than your main root domain.

If you are not sure which IP your mail server used before the change, you can look up your domain's history at https://dnshistory.org to find the previous value.

When in doubt, send us your current DNS records before you make any changes and we will tell you which ones are safe to touch and which need to stay pointing where they are.

Tips

Already have DNS records? If you see existing A or CNAME records for your domain, you may need to delete or update them instead of creating new ones. Only one A record should exist for your main domain.

Not sure what we gave you? Look for an email from us or check your account dashboard for your DNS settings. They should be labeled clearly as "A Record" and "CNAME Record."

Changes not working after 48 hours? Double-check that you entered the records exactly as we provided them, with no extra spaces or characters.

Need more help?

Here are links to DNS instructions from common domain providers:

Did this answer your question?
😞
😐
🤩
Managing your website pages Product categories