Instructions on how to update your DNS records
1. Finding your DNS records
First, you should log into the DNS hosting provider that holds your website's domain and navigate to the section where you manage the DNS records. This will vary site to site, but you can expect it to have a name along the lines of "DNS Records".
2. Updating your DNS records
The "A" record
The most important record to change is the "A" record. This is what tells your customers' devices which server to connect to. Without this, they will not find your site.
You should search for any records that already exist that have a type listed as "A" and that have a value equal to the old server IP. You should then edit these records by replacing the old server IP with the new one.
If you are struggling to find these, you can expect the host to be yourdomainname.co.uk or www.yourdomainname.co.uk or *.yourdomainname.co.uk
It is important that ALL records with the old server IP are updated to the new one
Email records
When adding the sending record that starts with k=rsa; if the record with the same host does not exist, simply add the type, host, and value to a new record.
If it already exists, replace the current value with the new one provided.
When adding the sending record that starts with v=spf1, DO NOT simply replace the contents of the old value with the new one. Instead, ensure that include:mailgun.org is written in between v=spf1 and ~all. separate each of the records (include:website.com) with a space. If you delete any existing records in this value, then it may negatively affect your emails.
If the record does not exist, then create a new record and copy the type, host, and value as given.
When adding the tracking CNAME record, you can make a new record and add the type, host, and value.
If a record with the same type and host already exists, replace the current value with the new one provided.
When adding the authentication record with host: _dmarc.[your website domain], replace the value with the new one.
If no DMARC record exists already, create a new record and copy the type, host, and value as given.
Why Updating DNS Records is Important
DNS records are used to tell users computers which server to go to in order to find your website. When migrating servers, we change which server your website is on. Therefore, new signposts are needed to tell users where to go.
During our migration process, we put up a digital signpost on our old server with directions for the computer on how to get to the new server's location. This means that users are currently being directed to the old location and then the new one.
This may seem fine, however, soon the old server will be removed, and with it the directions to our lovely new server. When this happens, if the records have not been changed, users will be turning up to where the old server was, seeing that nothing is there and not know what to do.
We therefore need to change the DNS records, which will put the new location on signposts throughout the road network of the intenet, so your users devices can easily find the new server hosting your website.
Additional Assistance
If while following these instructions, you are still struggling to manage these records, please contact us so we can assist in making these changes with you.