Imagine you’ve moved your website to a new web host, a faster host with better customer support.
Which means you need to update your domain records to point to your new host.
You log into your domain registrar and update the records for the new host.
And wait.
You know it can take a while for the changes to propagate (the time it takes for your changes to take effect).
Read on to learn about DNS and steps you can take to help propagation to go faster.
Domain Name System (DNS)
Every time you use a domain name on your computer, for example, google.com or bing.com, the DNS (Domain Name System) records are stored in cache.
It can be cache in your browser, operating system, Internet service provider, or DNS servers.
The records are stored in cache to improve performance.
When you update your domain records—when you move your site to a new web host—you want the changes to be updated quickly.
Which is why I recommend lowering the Time to Live (TTL) for your domain when you make a domain record change.
And why I explain the importance of resetting the TTL after the domain name change to avoid any security issues.
But there’s one more step you can take to improve the speed of the changes.
Flush Cache at DNS Hosts
After you confirm your domain record changes have completed successfully, take the steps to flush (or refresh) the cache at DNS hosts.
Why?
Because flushing the cache at DNS hosts will make your changes go faster and smoother.
Here are the three hosts I recommend:
Shoutout to my friend Chris Wiegman for the recommendation to flush cache at DNS hosts.
Wrapping Up
Flushing the cache on your domain name at DNS hosts helps propagation go smoother and faster. Be sure to add the task to your “moving to new web host” checklist.
Do you have any tips or other suggestions for making a domain name change go smoothly? Share your experiences in the comments.
