How to Point Your Domain to Your Website

How to Point Your Domain to Your Website

After registering a domain name and purchasing a hosting plan, you need to connect the two so visitors can reach your website by typing your domain into their browser. This process is called “pointing” your domain to your hosting server.

There are two common methods: changing your nameservers or updating your DNS records.

Method 1: Change Your Nameservers

This is the simplest and most common approach. When you change your nameservers, you’re telling the internet that your hosting provider is now in charge of all DNS records for your domain.

Steps:

1. Get your hosting nameservers. Your hosting provider will give you at least two nameserver addresses (e.g., ns1.yourhost.com and ns2.yourhost.com). Check your hosting welcome email or control panel.

2. Log in to your domain registrar. Go to the website where you registered your domain (e.g., your 10Corp account).

3. Find the nameserver settings. Navigate to your domain management area and look for “Nameservers,” “DNS Settings,” or similar.

4. Replace the existing nameservers with the ones provided by your hosting company.

5. Save the changes.

6. Wait for propagation. DNS changes can take 24–48 hours to fully propagate worldwide, though they often take effect within a few hours.

Method 2: Update DNS Records (A Record)

If you want to keep your nameservers with your domain registrar but still point your domain to your hosting server, you can update the A record instead.

Steps:

1. Get your hosting server’s IP address. Find this in your hosting control panel or welcome email.

2. Log in to your domain registrar and navigate to the DNS management area.

3. Edit the A record:

   • Host/Name: @ (represents your root domain)
   • Type: A
   • Value/Points to: Your server’s IP address (e.g., 192.0.2.123)
   • TTL: 3600 (or leave as default)

4. Add or edit the www CNAME record (optional but recommended):

   • Host/Name: www
   • Type: CNAME
   • Value/Points to: yourdomain.com

5. Save the changes and wait for propagation.

Which Method Should You Choose?

General Recommendation

If your domain and hosting are with different providers, changing nameservers is the easiest approach. If you need precise control over individual DNS records or use third-party services, updating A records gives you more flexibility.

Troubleshooting

• Website not loading after changes? Allow up to 48 hours for propagation. Clear your browser cache and try again.
• “Site not found” error? Double-check that your nameservers or A record IP address is correct.
• Email stopped working? If you changed nameservers, make sure your MX records are properly configured at your new DNS host.
• Use DNS lookup tools (like nslookup or online checkers) to verify your records are propagating correctly.

Summary

Pointing your domain to your website is a straightforward process — either change your nameservers to your hosting provider’s or update your A record with your server’s IP address. Both methods achieve the same result: connecting your domain to your hosting so visitors can access your website.