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Have you ever moved to a new house? You have to tell the post office, your friends, and your bank your new address so they don’t keep sending letters to your old place.
Pointing your domain name to a new server is exactly like that. Your domain (like www.yourflowershop.com) is your “mailing address,” and your server (where Cloudways lives) is your “new house.” If you don’t update the address, the internet won’t know where to find your website.
Here is how to connect them in simple steps.
1. The “GPS” of the Internet
Every computer on the internet has a unique numeric address, sort of like a GPS coordinate. In the technical world, we call this an IP Address. Before you do anything else, you need to find this “GPS coordinate” inside your Cloudways account.
It is usually a string of numbers that looks like 192.0.2.1. Copy that number down; you will need it in a moment.
2. Going to Your “Registrar”
You bought your domain name from a company (like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google). This place is called your “Domain Registrar.” Think of this as the office where your official records are kept.
You don’t make changes at Cloudways; you make them at the company where you bought your name.
• Log in to the website where you bought your domain.
• Look for a button or tab that says “DNS Management” or “Manage Domains.”
3. Adding Your New Address
Once you are in the DNS area, you will see a list of rows that look a bit like a table. This is where you tell the world, “My website is now living at this new IP address.” You will specifically look for something called an “A Record.”
• Click “Add New Record.”
• In the “Type” box, choose “A Record.”
• In the “Host” or “Name” box, type @.
• In the “Value” or “Points to” box, paste the IP address you copied from Cloudways earlier.
4. Directing the “www” Traffic
Many people still type “www” before a website name. To make sure your site works whether they type it or not, you should add one more simple instruction:
• Click “Add New Record” again.
• This time, choose “CNAME” as the type.
• In the “Host” box, type www.
• In the “Value” or “Points to” box, type your domain name (e.g., yourflowershop.com).
5. The Waiting Game
After you hit “Save,” your work is done! However, the internet is massive. It takes a little bit of time for all the computers around the world to learn that your website has moved.
This process is called “Propagation.” * Usually, it happens in a few minutes.
• Sometimes, it can take up to 24 hours.
• During this time, your website might appear on some computers but not others—this is completely normal!
6. Checking Your Work
If you are worried about whether it worked, you don’t have to guess. There are simple, free websites like DNSChecker.org where you can type in your domain name.
It will show you a map of the world. If you see your Cloudways IP address showing up in different countries, it means your “moving notice” has successfully reached everyone!
Stay connected for more digital lifestyle tools, apps, and website guides.
— Happy Reading from Tia —
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