How to Point Your Domain to a New Website Host Without Downtime

To point your domain to a new host without downtime, set up and test the website on the new host first. Then lower your DNS records’ TTL, switch the A record or nameservers, and keep the old host running until the change has fully spread. Done in that order, visitors land on a working site whichever server they reach.

The risky part isn’t the website. It’s the email and the small records nobody remembers. Here’s how to move without losing either.

What are you actually changing when you “point” a domain?

Your domain’s DNS is a list of records telling the internet where things live. Google’s Workspace help explains the key ones in plain terms (Google Workspace, DNS basics):

• A record: “links a domain to the physical IP address of a computer hosting that domain’s services”. This is where your website lives.
• MX records: “direct a domain’s email to the servers hosting the domain’s user accounts”. This is where your email lives.
• NS (nameserver) records: “determine which servers will communicate DNS information for a domain”. This decides who holds the list itself.
• TTL: “the number of seconds before subsequent changes to the record go into effect”. It’s how long other computers remember the old answer.

Should you change the A record or the nameservers?

If your email is with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and you’re happy with your current DNS provider, the A record route is the simplest. If you’re consolidating everything with one provider, change the nameservers, but only after the new DNS zone is complete.

How do you switch hosts step by step?

1. Record what you have. Screenshot or export every DNS record: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX and TXT. TXT records often hold email security settings (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and verification codes for Google or Microsoft.
2. Lower the TTL at least a day early. A record’s current TTL decides how long your change takes. Google notes a TTL of 86400 seconds “will take up to 24 hours to go into effect” and suggests 3600 while you’re making changes. Lower it, then wait out the old TTL.
3. Build and test on the new host. Copy the site and check it on a temporary address or preview link. Test forms, logins, checkout and contact emails.
4. Make the switch at a quiet time. Update the A record, or change the nameservers at your registrar. Avoid Friday afternoons.
5. Keep the old host running. Some visitors will still reach the old server for a while. Don’t cancel it, and freeze content changes on the old site so nothing gets lost.
6. Check the SSL certificate. Free certificates are often issued by Let’s Encrypt, whose common check fetches a file from your domain over the web. So the certificate usually can’t be issued until the domain points at the new host (Let’s Encrypt). Load the site with https:// and look for the padlock.
7. Test email both ways. Send to and from your business address, including from an outside account like Gmail.
8. Raise the TTL again. Once everything is stable, set it back up. Google suggests 86400 for records that are configured correctly.

How long does the change take to work?

For an A record, roughly as long as the old TTL. If you lowered it to an hour the day before, most people will see the new site within the hour.

Nameserver changes can take longer, because the switch also has to update at the registry level. In our experience it’s often a few hours, occasionally up to a day or two. That’s why you keep the old host running and avoid changing anything else during that window. Our guide to domain management covers keeping track of these settings across several domains.

How do you keep email working during the move?

Email breaks in two common ways. Either MX records weren’t copied before a nameserver change, or the email accounts lived on the old host and nobody moved them.

If your email runs on the old host’s mail server, it’s moving too. Create the mailboxes on the new host, move existing mail across, then switch. If your email is with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, leave the MX records exactly as they are. Our guide to setting up a business email address explains how those records fit together.

When should you get help?

Get help if your DNS has dozens of records, runs a shop or booking system, or you’re not sure where your email lives. A missed record can quietly stop invoices or enquiries arriving for days.

That’s exactly why our hosting includes a free website migration. We copy the records, move the site and email, and handle the switch. You can also manage it yourself with our domain and DNS management tools.

Prefer one account for everything? Register your domain with WMS and we’ll look after the DNS with your hosting.

Frequently asked questions

Will my website go down when I change hosts?

It shouldn’t, if you test the site on the new host first and keep the old host running during the change. Visitors reach whichever server their network still remembers, and both servers show a working site. Downtime usually comes from cancelling the old hosting too early or a missed DNS record.

What TTL should I use before moving hosts?

Google suggests 3600 seconds, one hour, while you’re making changes. Some people go lower for the switch itself. The key is to lower it at least one full old-TTL period before you switch. Then raise it again once everything works.

Do I need to change my nameservers to move hosts?

No. You can leave your DNS where it is and only update the A record, and the www record, to the new host’s IP address. Change the nameservers only if you want the new host to manage all of your DNS. If you do, copy every record across first.

Will changing hosts affect my email?

Only if your MX records change or your mailboxes live on the old host. If email is with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, leave the MX records alone. If email is on the old host, move the mailboxes before the switch and test sending and receiving afterwards.

Sources

1. DNS basics, Google Workspace Admin Help, accessed 13 November 2026
2. Challenge types, Let’s Encrypt, accessed 13 November 2026