Get the DNS instructions from your website provider, then make the requested changes at the host for your current nameservers. You can often connect a website without moving the domain registration.
Before you begin
- Access to your domain and current DNS host
- The website provider’s exact domain-connection instructions
- A copy of the working DNS records
- A plan to test both website addresses and email
Find where your DNS is managed
Check the nameservers shown by your registrar. The provider serving those nameservers normally publishes the DNS records that matter. Editing an unused zone elsewhere will not connect the site. The registrar, DNS host and website host can be separate services.
Sources: Cloudflare: DNS concepts and authoritative nameservers ↗
Get the exact records from your website provider
Add your domain to the website provider’s account and follow its current custom-domain instructions. It may supply an IP address, an alias target or a verification record. Use those account-specific values rather than copying an example from a guide.
| Type | What goes in the value |
|---|---|
| A | The website host’s IPv4 address |
| AAAA | The website host’s IPv6 address |
| CNAME | A hostname supplied by the website host |
| TXT | The provider’s domain-verification text |
Sources: Cloudflare: DNS record types ↗ · Cloudflare: managing DNS records ↗
Check the root address and www separately
Your domain without www and the www subdomain are separate names. Check both in the provider’s instructions. Many editors use @ for the root; some show the full domain instead. A CNAME target is a hostname, not a URL with https:// or a page path. Root-domain alias handling depends on the DNS host.
Sources: Cloudflare: DNS concepts and authoritative nameservers ↗ · Cloudflare: DNS record types ↗
Preserve working email and other services
Review an existing record before replacing it. Do not delete unrelated MX or TXT entries to connect a website. If a CNAME conflicts with a record using the same name, ask the host which configuration it supports. Keep a copy of the old values so you can identify exactly what changed.
Use a separate plan for a nameserver move
If the website provider requires different nameservers, prepare the complete replacement zone first, including mail and verification records. Check the DNSSEC migration with the current and new DNS hosts. Changing nameservers switches the service answering for the domain; adding one website record is a smaller change. Do not combine the move with an unrelated registrar transfer.
Sources: Cloudflare: DNS concepts and authoritative nameservers ↗
Allow caching time, then test the result
TTL is the cache lifetime for an answer. Previously cached values can remain visible after a correct update; reducing TTL now does not erase copies already cached. Keep the previous service running during the agreed transition. Check the root address, www, HTTPS and existing email. A saved DNS record alone does not confirm the website host or certificate is ready.
If the website still does not connect
Compare the live DNS host, record name, type and value with the website provider’s instructions. Check its domain-verification and HTTPS status too. Avoid making repeated different changes while diagnosing the same result. For NameUK support, include the domain, provider and request reference where available. Never send account passwords or API keys.
- Wrong DNS host: check the current nameservers
- Wrong name: check root versus www
- Wrong value: copy the provider’s exact target
- Uncertain request: check its history before trying again
Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
Find your domain controls
Open your account to check the domain’s current nameservers and DNS records. The sample dashboard lets you explore the controls before registration opens.