You have registered a domain and purchased hosting. The next step is to connect the name to the server that delivers your website. That connection is managed through the Domain Name System (DNS).

The two main ways to point a domain

Option A: change nameservers

Your hosting provider may give you a set of nameservers. Entering those at your domain registrar delegates DNS management to the nameserver provider. This is often convenient if the host manages the relevant DNS zone.

Option B: change individual DNS records

If you want to keep DNS managed by your registrar or another provider, you can often add an A record pointing the root domain to your hosting server’s IPv4 address. An AAAA record is used for IPv6 where supported.

A CNAME record can point a subdomain such as www to another hostname, subject to DNS provider rules. Your hosting company should explain which records your specific service requires.

Step-by-step setup

1. Find the exact DNS instructions for your hosting plan, including the correct IP address or nameservers.
2. Sign in to the account where your domain is registered.
3. Open DNS management or the nameserver settings, depending on your chosen approach.
4. Update only the records required for the website, then save your changes.
5. Allow time for DNS caches to refresh and test the domain from more than one network.
6. Enable or verify the TLS certificate and confirm that https:// works correctly.

If the domain already handles email, do not remove MX, SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records unless you fully understand the impact. Website and email services can be connected to different providers.

What is DNS propagation?

DNS changes are not instantly visible everywhere. Resolvers may cache older answers until their time-to-live (TTL) expires, and nameserver changes can also depend on registry updates and cache behavior.

The exact delay varies. Avoid promising a fixed number of hours; instead verify the current public records and allow time for caches to expire.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Wrong IP address: make sure the address comes from your current hosting account.
• Conflicting records: remove outdated website records only after verifying they are not needed.
• Missing www setup: test both the root domain and the www hostname.
• Broken email: preserve the records needed by your email provider.
• HTTPS not ready: the DNS connection and the TLS certificate are separate configuration steps.

How to confirm it is working

Visit the domain over HTTPS and check that it loads the intended website rather than a default hosting page. Verify a few internal pages, images, and forms. If you have access to DNS lookup tools, confirm that the publicly returned records match the expected values.

Takeaway: Domain setup is easier when you change one thing at a time and keep a copy of your previous DNS records in case you need to undo a mistake.

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