Pointing a Domain from a Third-Party Registrar (like GoDaddy) to Your Hosting Print

How to Connect an Externally Registered Domain to Your Hosting

Welcome to Eastern Shore Web Services! If you registered your domain name somewhere else (like GoDaddy or Namecheap) but purchased your web hosting through us, you need to connect the two.

⚠️ CRITICAL WARNING BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
If you already have an active website or custom business email (such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) attached to this domain, changing your nameservers will take them offline. If you want to keep your current email hosting exactly as it is and only move your website to our servers, please skip to Method 2: Using an A Record.

Method 1: Changing Your Nameservers (Recommended for New Domains)

Updating your nameservers hands over full control of your domain's DNS to our servers. This is the easiest method if your domain is brand new and does not have existing emails attached.

1. Locate your Eastern Shore Web Services nameservers in your welcome email. They typically look like this:
   • Nameserver 1: ns1.eshorews.com
   • Nameserver 2: ns2.eshorews.com
2. Log in to your third-party domain registrar (e.g., your GoDaddy account).
3. Navigate to your domain's DNS Management or Domain Settings page.
4. Locate the Nameservers section and choose the option to enter custom nameservers.
5. Copy the existing nameservers down somewhere safe in case you would like to revert them in the future.
6. Delete the existing nameservers, paste in the two provided above, and click Save.

Method 2: Using an A Record (Best for Preserving Existing Email)

If you already have email hosting set up at your registrar and want to keep it there, do not change your nameservers. Instead, you can simply point your website traffic to our server using an A Record.

1. First, find your Eastern Shore Web Services server IP address. Log in to your cPanel, look at the right-hand sidebar under General Information, and copy the Shared IP Address.
2. Log in to your third-party domain registrar (e.g., your GoDaddy account).
3. Navigate to your domain's DNS Management page to view your DNS Records.
4. Locate the existing A Record that has the Name/Host set to @.
5. Edit this record and replace the existing IP address in the "Value" or "Points To" field with the Shared IP Address you copied from cPanel.
6. Click Save.

Understanding DNS Propagation

Whether you change your nameservers or your A Record, the internet needs time to recognize the update. This process is called DNS Propagation.

Please note that this change is not instant. It can take anywhere from 1 to 48 hours for the changes to fully update globally. During this time, your website might be temporarily unavailable, and AutoSSL may need some time before it can secure your site.

We Are Here to Help

DNS can be tricky! If you are unsure which method to use, or if 48 hours have passed and your website is still not loading from our servers, please open a ticket with our support team. We will be happy to help verify your settings.