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Separate the responsibilities
The registrar manages ownership of the domain, DNS publishes service records, web hosting serves the site and email hosting handles mailboxes. They may be provided by one company, but understanding each role makes troubleshooting much easier.
Record DNS before changes
Export or screenshot current A, AAAA, CNAME, MX and TXT records. Confirm which nameservers are authoritative. Avoid replacing an entire DNS zone when only one record needs to change, because unrelated verification and email records can be lost.
Connect the website
Point the root domain and www host to the destination specified by the host. Confirm both versions resolve and redirect consistently to the preferred HTTPS URL. Do not remove the old record until the new destination is ready.
Configure professional email
Create named mailboxes and functional addresses such as support or billing. Publish the exact MX records provided by the email service. Avoid mixing MX values from two providers unless the configuration explicitly supports it.
Add email authentication
SPF states which systems may send for the domain, DKIM signs messages and DMARC defines handling and reporting. Start DMARC with a monitoring policy, review reports and strengthen the policy after legitimate senders are authenticated.
Test end to end
Send messages in both directions using major mailbox providers, verify replies and inspect authentication results. Test website forms separately because they may use a different sender. Keep registrar recovery details and multi-factor authentication current.
An email DNS checklist with verification steps
Know which provider controls each service
Your registrar manages domain registration; DNS hosting publishes records; a web host serves the website; and an email provider delivers mail. These can be four different systems. Changing nameservers may affect all records, so export the existing zone before making a switch.
Records worth checking
- MX: where incoming mail is delivered. Verify the targets and priorities supplied by the chosen mail provider.
- SPF (TXT): which systems are authorized to send mail for a domain. Avoid publishing multiple conflicting SPF records.
- DKIM (TXT/CNAME): the public information used to verify signatures added by the sending system. The exact record name is provider-specific.
- DMARC (TXT): policy and reporting settings for authentication alignment. Start with a policy suited to your verified sending setup.
- Website A/AAAA/CNAME: these are separate from MX records and may point to a different provider.
Example migration check
Suppose a website is moved to a new host while email stays with the old provider. You may need to change only the web A or CNAME records; moving or deleting MX and email-authentication records can interrupt email unexpectedly. Export the full zone first and verify both the website and mail afterward.
After configuration
Send an email to an external mailbox and reply back. Check the recipient's authentication headers for SPF, DKIM and DMARC results; a successful send alone does not prove authentication is correct. Record which service is responsible for each DNS record so future updates do not break the setup.