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DNS 11 min read

How to Update Your DNS Records

Understand A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and NS records—and how to update them in cPanel, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, and Namecheap.

DNS records tell the internet where to find your website, mail, and other services. Updating them correctly is essential when migrating hosts, pointing a domain to SerVee IT, or adding subdomains. This guide covers record types, where to edit them, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Understand DNS Record Types

Most website changes involve these record types:

  • A — Maps a hostname to an IPv4 address (e.g. @ or www → your server IP).
  • AAAA — Same as A, for IPv6.
  • CNAME — Alias; points one name to another (e.g. www → example.com). Cannot be used on the apex/root in all setups.
  • MX — Mail delivery; includes priority values.
  • TXT — Verification, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and other text data.

Reference: Cloudflare: DNS records explained.

Locate Your DNS Zone

DNS is managed wherever your domain’s nameservers point. Find them with:

dig NS example.com +short

Typical locations:

Tip: If you only change records at the registrar but nameservers point to Cloudflare (or Plesk), edits at the registrar have no effect until nameservers are moved or records are updated at the authoritative DNS host.

Update A and CNAME for Websites

Point Apex and www

For a site on a dedicated IP at SerVee IT:

  1. Set A for @ (apex) to your server IPv4.
  2. Set A for www to the same IP, or use a CNAME from www to example.com if your DNS provider supports it at www.

If using a proxy/CDN, follow the provider’s recommended record (often CNAME to their hostname). See Cloudflare proxied records.

Lower TTL Before Migration

24–48 hours before a cutover, reduce TTL on records you will change (e.g. from 3600 to 300 seconds) so stale caches expire faster.

Warning: Do not delete MX or existing TXT records (SPF, DKIM) unless you intend to reconfigure email. Removing MX breaks inbound mail.

Email and TXT Records

When moving mail to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or SerVee IT mail:

  1. Update MX records to the new provider’s values and priorities.
  2. Add or update TXT for SPF (e.g. v=spf1 include:...).
  3. Add DKIM CNAME/TXT as required by your mail host.

Verify After Saving

After saving in the DNS panel, confirm propagation from multiple resolvers:

dig example.com A +short
dig www.example.com A +short
dig example.com MX +short

Use public checkers only as a secondary view; authoritative answers come from dig @nameserver against your zone’s NS.

Nameserver Changes

Switching nameservers (e.g. to Cloudflare or Plesk) is a registrar-level change. Allow up to 48 hours for full propagation, though many updates complete sooner. During NS delegation changes, avoid editing records in two places at once.

Summary

Identify where your zone is hosted, lower TTL before migrations, update A/CNAME for web and MX/TXT for mail, then verify with dig. SerVee IT provisioning emails include the exact A record IP and any required hostnames—use those values in your DNS panel and confirm before closing a migration ticket.