How to change a website's DNS address(es)
When you purchase your Domain Name, the registrar (the company that you purchased your Domain Name from) sends you an email that contains more information than most of us know what to do with... but an important piece of the puzzle is the addresses where your Domain Name is to be found.
Typically, when you purchase your Domain Name, your domain name resides on their Domain Name Server (DNS). There are at least two address lines that typically look something like this:
ns1.your_registrar_company.com
ns2.your_registrar_company.com
After you purchase Hosting space for your website, your hosting company will send you an email that tells you the NEW address(es) that you should "Point" your domain name to... and you, or your webmaster, can log in to your personal Domain Name account, at the company where you purchased your domain name and use their online domain management interface (your Control Panel) to change from their DNS addresses to the new DNS addresses that your Hosting Company sent you in their email. That is what the phrase "Pointing your Domain Name" refers to.
Once you have made these changes and submitted them, the change-over appears to occur immediately. Typically, it takes some time for the entire internet to share that information so that everyone in the whole wide world can enter your URL in their browser bar and have your website display on their screen. The process of the internet sharing your new address location is referred to as RESOLVING your website address. This can sometimes take as much as 24 to 48 hours. However, with the evolution of technology, this lengthy process is rapidly becoming shorter and shorter.
We agree that the explanation we've offered here is a bit lengthy. However, it should help you understand "What's Happening" when your webmaster mentions that you can't find your website because it is "Resolving," O.K?
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If you need a domain name... it's suggested that you buy from a REPUTABLE source. Why? If the company that you buy your domain name from goes out of business, which is something that does happen online, these days, you could have a horrible time transferring your domain name to another company. You might even loose it! And if that happens, there goes your "Name Recognition!"
So Who's a Reputable Source? We will leave that up to you. Our suggestion is to do a search online for Domain Name Sellers (or resellers) and choose from those whose links tell you that they are ICANN accredited. ICANN is short for: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. You can find a complete list of ICANN accredited sellers HERE.
FAQ:
Q: Is there any reason I might leave my domain name resident on the Name Server of the company I purchased it from?
A: We find that many people purchase domain names for speculation. That means they buy a name and hope someone will offer them "big bucks" for it! In that case, they might leave the domain name right where it came from... until someone buys it.
Also, another reason to leave your domain name resident there would be if you were purchasing hosting from the same company that you got your domain name from. That is something that is offered by more aggressive domain name resellers.
Q: Who is a reputable company to buy my domain names from?
A: We can say from our experience that NameCheap.com has provided us with excellent service and their prices are very reasonable.
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