Domain Not Working After Update: What to Check First

If your domain is not working after you updated nameservers or DNS records, there are a few common things to check first. In many cases, the issue is caused by an incorrect setting or normal DNS propagation delay.

First things to check

  1. Make sure your hosting account is active.

  2. Confirm that your domain was entered correctly.

  3. Double check that your nameservers or DNS records were updated correctly.

  4. Make sure you saved the changes with your domain provider.

  5. Give the change time to propagate across the internet.

If you changed nameservers

Check that:

  • Both nameservers match the values provided by SMWS

  • There are no spelling mistakes

  • Old nameservers were fully replaced

  • The domain is using only the correct nameservers

If you changed DNS records

Check that:

  • The A record points to the correct server IP

  • Any required CNAME records were added correctly

  • There are no conflicting old DNS records still active

  • You updated the records in the correct DNS zone

Other things to review

You may also want to check:

  • Whether your domain registration is active and not expired

  • Whether DNS propagation is still in progress

  • Whether SSL is still being issued or updated

  • Whether your browser is showing an old cached version

Common signs of propagation

During propagation, you may notice:

  • The site works on one device but not another

  • The domain works for some people but not for everyone

  • The old site or parking page still appears for a while

Notes

DNS updates are not always instant. It is normal for domain changes to take time to fully update across the internet after a change is made.

Need help?

If your domain still is not working after you have checked these items, contact support and include your domain name and the changes you made so we can help troubleshoot faster.

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