Client help

Point your domain at your new site

If Refresh Local is hosting your website, you (or whoever manages your domain) need to update two DNS records. Your domain and email stay yours — this just tells the internet where to find the new site.

The basics (30-second version)

Your domain name (like yourbusiness.ca) lives at a registrar — GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc. DNS records are the signposts that send visitors to your website.

How domain DNS connects visitors to your website Visitor types your domain.com Your registrar GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, etc. DNS records A + www (this guide) Your new site
Email warning: If you already get mail at [email protected], do not delete MX records. Only change the website rows below. Messing with MX can break email.

Changes usually show up within 15–60 minutes. Sometimes up to 24 hours.

Records you need

Dave will email you the real values. They look like this:

Example DNS records for a website Type Name / Host Value / Points to TTL A @ YOUR.SERVER.IP Auto CNAME www yourdomain.ca Auto MX @ (leave alone if you have email) — Dave will email you the real IP and domain values. Only edit the green rows unless your host says otherwise.
Type Name / Host Value / Points to
A @ (or blank, or your domain) YOUR.SERVER.IP (from Dave’s email)
CNAME www yourdomain.ca (your real domain)

If old A or CNAME rows point somewhere else (Wix, old host), edit them or delete the old ones and add these. Leave MX rows alone unless Dave or your email provider says otherwise.

Cloudflare

Common if you registered at Cloudflare or moved DNS there for speed/SSL.

  1. Log in at dash.cloudflare.com
  2. Click your domain name
  3. Open DNS → Records
  4. Find existing A record for @ — click Edit, set IP to Dave’s value, save
  5. Find or add CNAME for www → points to yourdomain.ca
  6. Orange cloud (proxied) is fine for website records
Tip: If you see a padlock on a record, click it to unlock before editing. Don’t proxy MX records — email uses grey-cloud / DNS only.

GoDaddy

Very common for small businesses. Menus get renamed sometimes — look for DNS or Manage DNS.

  1. Sign in at godaddy.com
  2. My Products → find your domain → DNS or Manage DNS
  3. Under DNS Records, find the A row with Name @
  4. Click Edit (pencil) → set Value to Dave’s IP → Save
  5. Find CNAME with Name www → Edit → Points to yourdomain.ca
  6. No www row? Click Add → Type CNAME, Name www, Value your domain

Remove or edit old A/CNAME rows that still point at Wix, Squarespace, or a previous host.

Namecheap

  1. Log in at namecheap.com
  2. Domain List → Manage next to your domain
  3. Open the Advanced DNS tab
  4. Host Records → edit A Record for @ → Dave’s IP
  5. Edit or add CNAME Record for www → yourdomain.ca
  6. Click the green checkmark to save each row

If you use Namecheap’s URL redirect for www, remove it and use the CNAME instead.

Squarespace Domains (formerly Google Domains)

Domains bought through Google Domains now live in Squarespace’s domain dashboard.

  1. Log in at domains.squarespace.com
  2. Select your domain → DNS or DNS Settings
  3. Under Custom records, edit the A record for @
  4. Set Data / Points to to Dave’s IP address
  5. Edit CNAME for www → yourdomain.ca

If Squarespace still hosts your old site, disconnect that site first or DNS may keep pointing there.

WHC (Web Hosting Canada)

If your domain is registered and managed at WHC (not just website hosting elsewhere):

  1. Log in at clients.whc.ca
  2. Domains → click your domain
  3. Open DNS Zone Editor or Manage DNS
  4. Edit A record for @ → Dave’s server IP
  5. Edit CNAME for www → your domain name

If WHC only hosts email but your domain DNS is at GoDaddy/Cloudflare, use that registrar’s guide instead — WHC’s zone editor won’t apply.

Still stuck?

That’s normal — DNS is fiddly the first time.

  • Forward this page to whoever “does your computers” — they’ll know what to do.
  • Call your registrar’s support and say: “I need to point my A record and www CNAME to a new web host.”
  • Email Dave at [email protected] with a screenshot of your DNS page — he can point at the right rows (Refresh Local doesn’t log into your registrar for you).

Contact Refresh Local