How to Point Your New Domain to Your Current Website

You found a better domain name. Easier to say, easier to spell, and it finally matches your trade and your city. But you already have a website you like. The good news: you don't have to build it again. You can point your new domain at your current website and keep everything you've got.

This guide walks through how to point a new domain to an existing website without breaking it. No code. You'll do most of it in two places: where you bought the domain, and where your site is hosted.

First, get one thing straight

There are two very different jobs people mix up:

• Pointing a new domain at your site so the new name loads your website. That's this post.
• Forwarding your old domain to the new one so old links and search results still land in the right place. That's a separate step, and we cover it in How to Set Up 301 Redirects From Your Old Domain to Your New One.

You usually want both. But do them one at a time. Start here.

Step 1: Find out where your site actually lives

Your website sits on a host. That might be a site builder like Squarespace or Wix, a WordPress host like Bluehost or SiteGround, or a server your web person set up. You need to know which one, because that's where you'll tell the site, "this new name is yours too."

If you're not sure, check your email for a monthly or yearly bill. The company charging you for "hosting" is the one you want. If someone built the site for you, ask them this one question: "Where is my site hosted, and can I add a domain to it?"

Step 2: Add the new domain inside your hosting

Before you change anything else, log in to your host and add the new domain there. Most hosts have a spot called Domains, Custom domain, or Connect a domain. You type in your new name, and the host tells you exactly what to do next.

This matters. If you point the domain at the host before the host knows to expect it, visitors get an error page. Tell the host first. Then point the domain.

Step 3: Change the DNS so the name points to the site

DNS is just the address book of the internet. It tells a browser which server to load when someone types your name. When you add a domain to your host, the host hands you one of two sets of instructions.

Option A: Update the records

The host gives you an A record (a number like 192.0.2.1) and maybe a CNAME. You log in where you bought the domain, open its DNS settings, and enter those exactly. This keeps your email and other services on the domain untouched.

Option B: Change the nameservers

Instead of records, the host gives you two or more nameservers (they look like ns1.yourhost.com). You paste those in where you bought the domain, and the host handles the rest. Simpler, but it moves all DNS control to the host, so only do this on a brand-new domain with nothing else attached.

Not sure which you were handed? Copy the exact wording from your host's setup screen and follow it line by line. If you want a plain explainer of what these records do, ICANN keeps a short one at icann.org.

Step 4: Wait a little

DNS changes don't flip on instantly. They spread across the internet, usually in an hour or two, sometimes up to a day. During that window, the new name might work on your phone but not your laptop. That's normal. Don't change anything else while you wait. Give it until the next morning before you worry.

Step 5: Turn on HTTPS for the new name

Once the name loads your site, check that it loads with a padlock, not a "not secure" warning. Your new domain needs its own security certificate, and most hosts set one up free and automatic. If yours doesn't appear within a day, go read Keep HTTPS Working: SSL Certificates After a Domain Change and you'll know what to check.

Step 6: Pick one name as the main one

Now your site may load under two names. Pick one to be the real address, and point the other one at it. This keeps Google from seeing two copies of your site and keeps your customers seeing one clean name. Set the main name inside your host or site settings, then forward the other.

Running WordPress? There's one extra setting that trips people up, and we cover it in Moving a WordPress Site to a New Domain Without Breaking It.

A quick sanity check before you're done

• Type the new name in a browser. Does your site load?
• Is there a padlock in the address bar?
• Do your email addresses on the domain still work, if you have any?
• Does the name you chose as "main" show up, not the backup one?

If all four are yes, you've pointed your new domain at your site the right way. The only thing left is making sure old links and search results follow you over, which is the redirect step linked above.

Not sure the better name is worth the trouble?

Fair question. The move above takes most owners under an hour, and your website stays exactly as it is. The part worth deciding is whether a name customers can actually say and spell is worth having at all.

Take one minute: browse names for your city and trade, or ask us about one specific domain you have in mind. No pressure either way.