You registered your domain. You pointed it to your hosting. Everything should work.
But here's what you don't realize: Your DNS configuration is incomplete. Critical records are missing. Settings are wrong. Your website and email are vulnerable.
According to DNS research, over 50% of small business websites have DNS configuration issues. The result? Email delivery failures, website downtime, security vulnerabilities, and lost business.
The DNS Blind Spot
Most business owners think DNS is technical and complicated. They let developers handle it. They assume it's set up correctly. They never check it.
But DNS is the foundation of your online presence. It controls where your website points, how email works, and your security. Incorrect DNS breaks everything.
Recent data shows that DNS misconfigurations cause 30-40% of website and email issues. The problems are often invisible until something breaks—then they're critical.
12 Critical DNS & Domain Setup Issues You're Probably Missing
1. Nameservers Pointing to Wrong Hosting
The Problem: Your domain's nameservers are pointing to old hosting, wrong hosting, or nowhere. Your website doesn't load, or loads the wrong site.
How to Check: Use WHOIS lookup to check your nameservers. Do they match your current hosting provider?
How to Fix: Update nameservers at your domain registrar to point to your current hosting provider. Get correct nameserver information from your hosting company.
Impact: Wrong nameservers mean your website doesn't load or loads the wrong site. This causes complete website failure.
2. www vs Non-www Not Configured
The Problem: Your website works at both www.yourdomain.com and yourdomain.com, but they're not properly redirected. This creates duplicate content issues and confuses search engines.
How to Check: Visit both www and non-www versions. Do they both work? Does one redirect to the other?
How to Fix: Choose one version (www or non-www) as primary. Set up 301 redirects from the other version. Configure canonical URLs. Update all internal links to use the preferred version.
Impact: Duplicate www/non-www versions dilute SEO value, confuse search engines, and split link equity between two URLs.
3. Subdomain Setup Missing
The Problem: Common subdomains (mail, ftp, cpanel, www) aren't configured, or they're pointing to wrong locations, causing email and service failures.
How to Check: Test common subdomains: mail.yourdomain.com, ftp.yourdomain.com. Do they resolve correctly?
How to Fix: Configure necessary subdomains with proper A or CNAME records. Point mail subdomain to email servers, www to website, etc. Document all subdomain configurations.
Impact: Missing subdomain configurations break email access, FTP access, and other services that depend on subdomains.
4. Domain Transfer Lock Enabled
The Problem: Your domain is locked, preventing transfers. If you need to change registrars or recover your domain, you can't.
How to Check: Check your domain registrar settings. Is the domain locked? Do you have the unlock code if needed?
How to Fix: Unlock your domain if you need to transfer it. Keep it locked for security, but ensure you can unlock it when needed. Document the unlock process and authorization codes.
Impact: Locked domains prevent transfers, which can be a problem if you need to change registrars or if your account is compromised.
5. DNS Propagation Not Understood
The Problem: You make DNS changes and expect instant results. When changes don't appear immediately, you think something is broken.
How to Check: Do you understand that DNS changes can take 24-48 hours to propagate globally?
How to Fix: Understand DNS propagation: changes can take 24-48 hours (sometimes up to 72 hours) to propagate globally. Plan changes accordingly. Use DNS propagation checkers to monitor changes.
Impact: Not understanding propagation leads to unnecessary panic, repeated changes that cause conflicts, and confusion about what's working.
6. A Record Missing or Incorrect
The Problem: Your domain's A record (pointing to your website's IP address) is missing, incorrect, or pointing to the wrong IP.
How to Check: Use DNS lookup tools to check your A record. Does it point to the correct IP address?
How to Fix: Set correct A record pointing to your website's IP address. Get the IP from your hosting provider. Ensure it's the correct IP (IPv4).
Impact: Missing or incorrect A records mean your website doesn't load or loads from the wrong server.
7. CNAME Records Not Configured
The Problem: CNAME records for subdomains (www, mail, etc.) aren't configured or are pointing to wrong locations.
How to Check: Check CNAME records for subdomains. Do they point to correct locations?
How to Fix: Configure CNAME records for subdomains that need them. Point www to your main domain or hosting. Point mail to email servers. Document all CNAME configurations.
Impact: Missing CNAME records break subdomain functionality, causing email, FTP, and other services to fail.
8. MX Records Missing or Wrong
The Problem: MX (Mail Exchange) records aren't configured or point to wrong email servers, causing email delivery failures.
How to Check: Use MX lookup tools to check your MX records. Do they point to correct email servers?
How to Fix: Configure MX records pointing to your email hosting servers. Get correct MX records from your email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or hosting provider). Set priority values correctly.
Impact: Missing or incorrect MX records mean email doesn't work—you can't send or receive business emails.
9. TXT Records Missing (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
The Problem: TXT records for email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are missing, causing emails to go to spam or be rejected.
How to Check: Use DNS lookup to check for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC TXT records. Are they present and correct?
How to Fix: Add SPF, DKIM, and DMARC TXT records to your DNS. Get correct records from your email provider. Ensure they're properly formatted and don't exceed DNS record length limits.
Impact: Missing email authentication records cause 30-50% of emails to be marked as spam or rejected, losing customer communications.
10. TTL Values Too High
The Problem: DNS TTL (Time To Live) values are set very high (24+ hours), making DNS changes take days to propagate and preventing quick fixes.
How to Check: Check your DNS record TTL values. Are they reasonable (300-3600 seconds for most records)?
How to Fix: Set appropriate TTL values: 300-600 seconds (5-10 minutes) for records you might change, 3600 seconds (1 hour) for stable records. Lower TTL before making changes, then raise it after.
Impact: High TTL values make DNS changes take days to propagate, preventing quick fixes and causing extended downtime during changes.
11. DNS Security Not Configured
The Problem: Your DNS isn't protected against attacks (DNS hijacking, cache poisoning). You're vulnerable to DNS-based attacks.
How to Check: Do you have DNSSEC enabled? Is your domain registrar account secured with 2FA?
How to Fix: Enable DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) if your registrar supports it. Secure your domain registrar account with strong passwords and 2FA. Use reputable DNS providers.
Impact: Unprotected DNS is vulnerable to hijacking attacks that can redirect your website or email to malicious servers.
12. DNS Records Not Documented
The Problem: You don't have documentation of your DNS configuration. If you need to make changes or recover from issues, you don't know what records exist or what they do.
How to Check: Do you have a list of all your DNS records? Do you know what each record does?
How to Fix: Document all DNS records: A, CNAME, MX, TXT records. Note what each does, when it was added, and why. Keep documentation updated when changes are made.
Impact: Undocumented DNS makes troubleshooting difficult, changes risky, and recovery from issues slow or impossible.
The Cost of DNS Issues
DNS problems have serious business costs:
- Website downtime: Wrong DNS means your website doesn't load, costing $500-$2,000+ per day
- Email failures: Incorrect MX records mean no email delivery, losing customer communications
- Security breaches: DNS hijacking can redirect your site to malicious servers, stealing customer data
- SEO damage: DNS issues cause downtime and duplicate content, hurting search rankings
- Extended outages: High TTL values make DNS changes take days, extending downtime
Quick DNS Setup Checklist
Essential DNS Records
- ✓ A record pointing to website IP address
- ✓ CNAME for www subdomain (or A record)
- ✓ MX records for email delivery
- ✓ TXT records for email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
DNS Configuration
- ✓ Nameservers pointing to correct hosting
- ✓ www vs non-www redirect configured
- ✓ TTL values set appropriately
- ✓ DNS records documented
DNS Security
- ✓ DNSSEC enabled (if supported)
- ✓ Domain registrar account secured (2FA, strong password)
- ✓ Domain lock status known and manageable
How to Fix Your DNS Configuration
Step 1: Audit Current DNS
Use DNS lookup tools to check all your DNS records. Document what exists, what's missing, and what's incorrect.
Step 2: Verify Nameservers
Ensure nameservers point to your current hosting provider. Update if they're wrong. Get correct nameserver information from your hosting company.
Step 3: Configure Essential Records
Set up A records for your domain, CNAME for www, MX records for email, and TXT records for email authentication. Get correct values from your hosting and email providers.
Step 4: Set Up Redirects
Configure www vs non-www redirects. Choose one as primary and redirect the other. Update all internal links to use the preferred version.
Step 5: Optimize TTL Values
Set appropriate TTL values for your DNS records. Lower TTL before making changes, then raise it after changes are complete.
Step 6: Enable Security
Enable DNSSEC if your registrar supports it. Secure your domain registrar account with 2FA and strong passwords.
Step 7: Document Everything
Document all DNS records, their purposes, and when they were added. Keep documentation updated. This is critical for troubleshooting and recovery.
Step 8: Get Professional Help
DNS configuration can be complex and mistakes can cause extended downtime. Our website development service includes proper DNS setup, and our maintenance plans include DNS monitoring.
Common DNS Record Types Explained
- A Record: Points your domain to an IP address (where your website is hosted)
- CNAME Record: Points a subdomain to another domain name (www to main domain)
- MX Record: Specifies mail servers for your domain (where email is delivered)
- TXT Record: Stores text data (SPF, DKIM, DMARC for email authentication)
- NS Record: Specifies nameservers for your domain
The Verdict
DNS is the foundation of your online presence. Most business owners never check it, assuming it's configured correctly. But DNS issues cause website failures, email problems, and security vulnerabilities.
Don't ignore DNS. Understand it. Configure it properly. Monitor it.
Your domain is your online identity. Make sure it's set up correctly.
Need Help With DNS Setup?
Our website development service includes proper DNS configuration. Our maintenance plans include DNS monitoring to catch issues before they cause problems.
Don't let DNS issues break your website. Get it configured correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do DNS changes take to propagate?
DNS changes typically take 24-48 hours to propagate globally, though they can take up to 72 hours in some cases. Changes often appear faster (within hours) in some locations. The time depends on TTL values and global DNS cache. Lower TTL values before making changes can speed up propagation, but don't expect instant results—plan for 24-48 hours.
What's the difference between A record and CNAME?
An A record points directly to an IP address (e.g., yourdomain.com → 192.168.1.1). A CNAME record points to another domain name (e.g., www.yourdomain.com → yourdomain.com). Use A records for root domains and CNAME records for subdomains that point to other domains. You can't use CNAME for root domains in most cases—use A records instead.
Do I need to configure DNS myself?
If you have a developer or hosting provider handling DNS, they may configure it for you. However, you should understand what's configured, have access to make changes if needed, and verify configurations are correct. Never be completely dependent on others for DNS access—you need to be able to fix issues if your developer disappears or hosting changes. Basic DNS knowledge is essential for website owners.
What happens if my DNS is wrong?
Wrong DNS can cause: website doesn't load (wrong A record or nameservers), email doesn't work (wrong MX records), subdomains don't work (missing CNAME records), emails go to spam (missing SPF/DKIM/DMARC), or security vulnerabilities (DNS hijacking). DNS issues can cause complete website and email failure. Always verify DNS configurations are correct and test after making changes.
Can I change DNS without downtime?
Yes, if done correctly. Lower TTL values before changes (to speed up propagation), make changes during low-traffic periods, test changes in staging first, and have a rollback plan. However, some DNS changes (like nameserver changes) may cause brief downtime during propagation. Plan DNS changes carefully and have a rollback procedure ready. Most DNS changes can be made without significant downtime if planned properly.
