Pointing a domain at new hosting sounds simple: change the nameservers or update the A record and wait. The danger is email. A website can usually tolerate a short interruption; missed email is harder to notice and more awkward to recover from. Before you change DNS, make a note of what already exists.
Know What You Are Moving
A domain can use several services at once:
- Website: usually controlled by A, AAAA, or CNAME records.
- Email delivery: controlled by MX records.
- Email authentication: usually SPF, DKIM, and DMARC TXT records.
- Verification records: TXT or CNAME records used by Google, Microsoft, Stripe, Mailchimp, and similar services.
If you replace nameservers without copying these records first, the website may move successfully while email or third-party verification breaks.
Option 1: Change Only the Website Record
The safest route is often to leave nameservers where they are and update only the website record. If the existing DNS provider is reliable and you only need to point the website to TekLan, update the domain's main A record to the hosting IP address we provide.
Leave the MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and verification records untouched. This moves the website without changing who handles email.
Option 2: Move Nameservers Carefully
If you want TekLan to manage DNS, copy the existing DNS zone before changing nameservers. At minimum, record:
- All MX records.
- All TXT records, especially SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and verification records.
- Any CNAME records used by email, tracking, CDN, or app providers.
- Subdomains such as
mail,webmail,shop, orportal.
Create the matching records in the new DNS zone before switching nameservers. Once the new zone is ready, change nameservers at the registrar.
Lower TTL Before the Move
TTL controls how long DNS answers can be cached. If your current DNS provider allows it, lower the TTL for records you plan to change before the move. Do this ahead of time, not five minutes before the switch, otherwise old cached answers may still be used for a while.
Check Email Before and After
Before the change, send a test email to the domain and from the domain. After the change, check that:
- MX records still point at the correct email provider.
- SPF still includes the services allowed to send mail.
- DKIM records are still present.
- DMARC is still present if you had it configured.
- Mail client settings still connect correctly.
When to Ask for Help
If your domain uses Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, a CRM, mailing list software, or several verification records, ask us to review the DNS before switching. A five-minute check is better than an afternoon chasing missing email.
Open a support ticket with your domain name and current DNS records if you want us to sanity-check the move.
