One morning your email stops arriving. Or on the day you launch your new site, the old one keeps opening. Most problems like these come from DNS settings. DNS looks technical, but the part a business owner needs to know comes down to a few record types.
What is DNS?
DNS is the internet's phone book. When someone types yourdomain.com into a browser, the computer doesn't know which server the name belongs to. It asks DNS, and DNS returns the server's IP address. Like looking up a name in a phone book to find the number.
Your domain's DNS records are kept wherever its nameservers point. That is usually your domain registrar, your hosting provider or a service like Cloudflare. The first thing to do is find where your records are managed right now. Look at the nameservers section in your registrar's panel; the address there shows where you edit DNS records.
A mix-up we see often: the client adds records in the registrar's panel, but the nameservers point elsewhere, so the change does nothing. Records only take effect when edited on the active nameserver.
The main record types
An A record links the domain to an IP address. It says yourdomain.com lives on this server. It is the record you will use most when connecting your site.
A CNAME record points a subdomain to another domain name. For instance, www.yourdomain.com goes to the same place as yourdomain.com. Some hosted site platforms also ask you to add a CNAME for www pointing to their own address.
An MX record says which server receives your email. Your site can be in one place and your email in another; the MX record makes that possible.
A TXT record carries text information. Google Search Console verification and the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for email security are this type.
An AAAA record is the IPv6 version of an A record; add it if your hosting provider gives you one.
Connecting your site
There are two ways to connect your site to a new server or a hosted platform.
The first is changing nameservers. The hosting provider gives you two nameservers like ns1.provider.com, and you enter them in your registrar's panel. All DNS management then moves to the hosting provider. It looks simple but carries a real risk: MX and TXT records from the old DNS don't move over on their own. The moment you change nameservers, your email may stop too.
The second is leaving the nameservers alone and changing only the A and CNAME records. You enter the IP address from your host in the A record and a CNAME for www. Your email records stay in place. In most cases, this is the safer option.
After entering the records, check that both yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com open, that one redirects to the other, and that the SSL certificate works for both.
Connecting email
Whether you use Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or hosting mail, the service gives you the MX records to add. Delete the old MX records and add the new ones. Leaving old and new together can send part of your email to the old server.
Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records along with MX. Without them, your email may land in the recipient's spam folder. Our business email article explains which service to pick and what these records do in detail.
Propagation time and common mistakes
A DNS change doesn't reach everywhere instantly. Each record has a caching time called TTL, and DNS servers around the world keep the old information for that long. A change can spread in minutes or a few hours. Nameserver changes can take 24 to 48 hours. If you are planning a big switch, lowering the TTL a day ahead makes it faster.
During that time, your site may load from the old server for some people and the new one for others. That is normal.
The mistakes we see most:
- Changing nameservers without moving MX records. The site works, email stops.
- Adding two separate SPF records to the domain. They must be merged into one.
- Forgetting the record for www. yourdomain.com opens, the www version doesn't.
- Editing records in the wrong panel. If the active nameserver is elsewhere, the change has no effect.
- Letting the domain expire. However correct your DNS settings are, an unrenewed domain stops everything. Turn on auto-renewal.
Before touching the DNS panel, take a screenshot of the current records. If something goes wrong, it is the only reliable source you have to restore things. If you haven't bought a domain yet, we explained the .com.tr registration process step by step in a separate article.
Frequently Asked Questions
I changed DNS but the old site still opens. What should I do?
Propagation is most likely still under way. Wait a few hours, clear your browser cache or try on mobile data. If the old site still opens after 48 hours, check that you edited the record in the right panel.
Will I lose my DNS settings if I transfer my domain to another registrar?
If your nameservers point to the old registrar's DNS and change during the transfer, records can be lost. Before transferring, list all records and make sure the same records are set up at the new registrar.
Blog posts are for general information only and are not a substitute for legal, financial or technical advice.
