Moxy Web Studio / Client help

Moxy Web Studio · Client guide

Connect your domain to your new website

Your new site is already live on a temporary address. To put it on your own domain you change two entries at the company that manages your domain's DNS, and delete any old IPv6 entries. About ten minutes. Nothing is transferred and your email keeps working.

Watch it first

54 seconds, with narration. The steps below say the same thing in writing.

STEP 1

What you change

DNS is your domain's address book. It lives at one company (often where you bought the domain, sometimes your old web host). You change:

  1. A record for @ (your domain itself) → 2.25.245.213
  2. www → a CNAME to yourdomain.com (or an A record to 2.25.245.213)
  3. Delete any AAAA records on @ and www

The www entry usually exists already as a CNAME, so you change it rather than add a new one: most screens refuse a second www entry.

Why delete AAAA? They are your old host's IPv6 addresses. Left in place, some visitors still see the old site and the padlock certificate can't be issued.

The three record changes: A for @, CNAME for www, delete AAAA; email records stayYour domain's DNS recordsThree changes. Everything else stays.TYPENAMEVALUEA@2.25.245.213was 192.0.2.101CNAMEwwwlarkspurvane.compoints to the name above2AAAA@2001:db8::10delete: old host3MX@your email providerleave aloneKEEPTXT@v=spf1 include:...leave aloneKEEPEmail records (MX, TXT) are not touched,so your email keeps working exactly as today.
Three changes. Email entries are not touched. Enlarge
How it works: your DNS company points the website at our server; email entries stay as they areSomeone typeslarkspurvane.comYour DNS companythe address bookOur serveryour new websiteYour emailunchangedA + wwwMX (untouched)You change two entries in the address book. Nothing moves, nothing is transferred.
Only the website entries move. Email keeps its own entries. Enlarge

Find your company

Type your domain. We look up who manages its DNS and whether the records already point at us.

Step-by-step guides

These nine companies run the DNS for most small-business domains.

GoDaddyCloudflareWixSquarespaceincluding domains moved over from Google DomainsAmazon Route 53Network Solutionsalso Register.com and Web.comNamecheapBluehostSiteGround

Protect your email

  • Never change MX or TXT records. They run your email.
  • Your MX record points to your own domain (yourdomain.com or mail.yourdomain.com)? Then your email lives on your web host and is tied to the record you'd change. Reply to our email first: we'll send exact steps that keep it working.
  • Don't cancel your old web host until the new site is live and you've checked your email still works. If your mailboxes are with that host, keep the plan.

Any other company

  1. Sign in where your domain's DNS is managed. Look for DNS, DNS records, Zone editor or Advanced DNS.
  2. Take a screenshot of the records.
  3. Edit the A record for @ (sometimes shown blank or as your domain) to 2.25.245.213. Delete other A records on @.
  4. Edit the www record: CNAME to yourdomain.com. If the screen only allows an A record there, use 2.25.245.213.
  5. Delete AAAA records on @ and www. Turn off any domain forwarding or "parking".
  6. Save. Leave everything else alone.

Send it to your web person

An agency, a freelancer or a relative set up your domain? Copy this and send it to them.

Hi,

We've had a new website built for our business by Moxy Web Studio. To put it on our domain, could you please make these DNS changes for yourdomain.com:

  1. A record for @ (the root):  2.25.245.213
     Replace the current value; remove any other A records on @.
  2. www:  CNAME to yourdomain.com
     (or an A record to 2.25.245.213 if a CNAME isn't possible).
  3. Delete any AAAA records on @ and www.
  4. If the domain is proxied (Cloudflare orange cloud) or forwarded, set those records to DNS only and remove the forwarding.

Please leave MX, TXT and any other email records exactly as they are.

Moxy Web Studio watches for the change and confirms when the site is live. Questions: hello@moxywebstudio.com

Thank you!

Common problems

You seeDo this
"A record with that host already exists", or the www CNAME is refusedAnother record already uses that name. Edit the existing one, or delete it first and then add yours.
The A record can't be edited or is greyed outDomain forwarding, parking or a connected site builder is locking it. Turn that off first (each guide shows where).
No records, or "DNS is managed elsewhere"Your domain uses another company's nameservers. Use the checker to find which.
Cloudflare: the domain still shows the old site or an errorSet both records to DNS only (grey cloud).
Some people see the new site, some the old oneAn AAAA record is left, or the change is still spreading. Delete AAAA records and give it a few hours.
It's been more than 48 hoursRun the checker and reply to our email with what it says.

Leaving Wix, Squarespace or another site builder

  • Point the domain first (the Wix and Squarespace guides). Cancel the builder only once the new site is live.
  • The website plan, the domain and your business email are separate subscriptions. Cancelling the website plan doesn't cancel the others: keep the domain and email renewing.
  • A Shopify store or online booking built into the builder: tell us before you cancel, so nothing your customers use disappears.

After you save

  • Most changes work within an hour; a few companies take up to 48 hours.
  • We check every hour and email you the moment your site is live on your domain, padlock included.
  • If something is in the way we email you once with the exact fix.