How to connect your domain name to your hosting

You have bought a domain name and you have hosting. Now you need to connect them so that typing your domain into a browser shows your website. This is where a lot of people get stuck, so here is exactly how it works.

First, understand what you are actually doing

Your domain name is an address. Your hosting is the building. Connecting them means telling the internet's address system — the DNS — which building your address points to.

There are two common ways to do this, and picking the right one saves confusion.

Method 1: Change your nameservers (recommended)

This hands over all DNS management to your host, which is simpler for most people.

1. Get your host's nameservers. They look like ns1.yourhost.com and ns2.yourhost.com and are usually in your welcome email or control panel.
2. Log in to the registrar where you bought the domain (this may be a different company from your host).
3. Find the section called Nameservers, DNS Settings or Domain Management.
4. Choose "Use custom nameservers" and replace whatever is there with your host's two nameservers.
5. Save.

That's it. Your host now controls the DNS, so email, subdomains and website all follow automatically.

Method 2: Point an A record

Use this if you want to keep DNS with your registrar — for example if your email is handled elsewhere and you do not want to disturb it.

1. Get your hosting account's IP address from your control panel.
2. In your registrar's DNS settings, find the A record for @ (which means the bare domain).
3. Set its value to your hosting IP address.
4. Add or edit a CNAME record for www pointing to your domain name.
5. Save.

Then: add the domain in your hosting panel

Pointing the domain is only half the job. Your host also needs to know it should serve your website for that name. In DirectAdmin or cPanel, go to Domain Setup (or Addon Domains) and add the domain there. Skip this and you will see a default placeholder page instead of your site.

Waiting for propagation

DNS changes are not instant. They spread across the internet over a period called propagation, which usually takes between one and six hours, though it can take up to 24.

Finally: turn on SSL

Once your domain resolves to your hosting, issue an SSL certificate so the site loads over https:// with a padlock. Most hosts offer free Let's Encrypt certificates in one click. Do this after DNS has propagated — the certificate authority needs to verify the domain points at your server, which fails if it does not yet.

Then enable "Force HTTPS" so visitors always land on the secure version.

Common problems

• Still seeing the old site: propagation is incomplete, or your browser is caching. Try a different network or device.
• "This site can't be reached": the domain is not added in your hosting panel, or the A record is wrong.
• Site loads but email stopped: you changed nameservers and the MX records did not carry over. Re-add your mail records in the new DNS.
• SSL will not issue: DNS has not fully propagated yet. Wait and retry.