Troubleshoot a website problem in layers: active nameservers, authoritative DNS answers, cached results, hosting configuration and HTTPS. Checking in that order is more useful than repeatedly changing records or assuming every failure is normal propagation.
Before you begin
- Record the exact error and hostname.
- Verify the authoritative zone.
- Check hosting and HTTPS after DNS.
Write down the symptom and change
Record the full address that fails, the time the settings changed and the browser error. Note whether the problem affects the root, www, HTTPS or only a particular page. A screenshot without passwords or personal account data can help support understand the symptom.
Keep the previous DNS values if available. Identify whether you changed one record or moved nameservers. That distinction tells you whether to inspect a specific website destination or the whole new DNS zone.
Check DNS before the website application
Confirm the domain is delegated to the intended DNS host. Then inspect the authoritative A, AAAA or CNAME answers for the failing hostname. If the active zone is wrong, fix that specific error rather than waiting for caches to refresh.
If authoritative answers are correct but one network still sees an older answer, caching may explain the difference. Compare another network and the previous TTL. Avoid switching destinations repeatedly while you are trying to establish which answer is being used.
Once DNS is correct
Move to the website service rather than continuing to edit the zone.
- Check that the host has the custom domain assigned to the right site.
- Verify both root and www configuration.
- Check HTTPS certificate status and hostname coverage.
- Look for redirect loops or an old destination.
- Test a known page and inspect any platform error message.
Escalate with evidence
Tell the relevant provider the exact hostname, expected DNS value, observed result and time of the change. If email also stopped after a nameserver move, mention it: missing records in the new zone may be affecting more than the website.
Do not purchase the domain again to fix a connection issue. Check its registration status and expiry separately, then deal with the service that is failing. NameUK support can help identify the registration side while your host resolves website-specific configuration.
Prepared with AI-assisted drafting and illustration, then checked against the linked sources and NameUK’s current service. The artwork is conceptual; setup values must come from your own provider.
Further readingCloudflare: how DNS works ↗Cloudflare: time to live ↗Let’s Encrypt: getting started ↗NameUK registration and renewal prices ↗Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
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