When you connect a custom domain to your site, you'll be asked to add one or more DNS records at your domain registrar. If DNS sounds intimidating, don't worry — this article explains the few terms you'll actually meet in plain language.
What DNS is
DNS, the Domain Name System, is the internet's address book. Computers find websites using numeric addresses, but people use names like yourbusiness.com. DNS translates the name a visitor types into the place your site is actually served from. The small entries that do this translating are called DNS records, and they live with whoever manages your domain — usually your registrar.
The records you'll use
A record
An A record maps a domain name directly to an IP address — the numeric location of a server. When you point the root of your domain (for example yourbusiness.com with no www) at your site, you'll often set an A record to the address the platform gives you.
CNAME record
A CNAME record (canonical name) points one name at another name rather than at a number. It's commonly used for subdomains such as www.yourbusiness.com, telling DNS that this name should follow another address. CNAMEs are handy because if the underlying target changes, the name still resolves correctly.
Which one you'll set
When you connect a domain, the platform tells you exactly which records to add and what values to use — typically an A record for the root domain and/or a CNAME for the www version. You don't have to decide on your own; just copy the values shown into your registrar exactly.
How DNS propagation works
After you add or change a record, the update doesn't take effect everywhere instantly. Networks around the world cache DNS data for a period of time (controlled by a setting called TTL, or time to live), so it takes a while for the new record to spread. This delay is called propagation.
- Propagation often completes within minutes to a few hours.
- In some cases it can take up to 24–48 hours to finish worldwide.
- During this window, some visitors may reach your site at the new address while others still hit the old one — that's normal and resolves itself.
Tips for setting records
- Copy values exactly, with no extra spaces, and don't add a record type the platform didn't ask for.
- Remove any conflicting old records that point the same name somewhere else.
- After saving, wait a little before expecting changes — propagation isn't instant.
Ready to connect? See Connecting a custom domain for the step-by-step flow, or Troubleshooting domain and SSL issues if something isn't resolving.
Still need help? If you're unsure which record to add, open a support ticket from your support page with your domain name and a screenshot of your registrar's DNS page.