Understanding and changing your DNS records

Most people never need to think about DNS until a new tool asks them to "add a record to your domain". This article explains what that means, where your DNS is managed, and exactly what to send us so the change can be made quickly.

What DNS actually does

Your domain name (for example, yourbusiness.com.au) does not do anything on its own. It needs a set of instructions telling the internet where to send different types of traffic. That set of instructions is your DNS.

DNS is what tells the world:

• where your website lives, so visitors reach the right server
• where your email should be delivered, so messages land in your inbox
• which third-party services are allowed to send email or act on your behalf

If DNS is wrong, your website or your email stops working. That is why changes are made carefully rather than casually.

Where your DNS is managed

There are two separate things that often get confused.

Your domain registrar is where the domain is purchased and renewed each year. This is usually in your name, and you keep control of it.

Your DNS host is where the actual records live. For your domain, DNS is managed by Peabody Digital through Cloudflare. We set it up this way so that hosting changes, SSL certificates, email routing and security settings can be handled straight away rather than waiting on access to a third-party control panel.

In practice this means you do not need a login to make DNS changes. You send us the details and we make the change for you, usually the same day.

The record types you are likely to come across

When a service gives you setup instructions, it will nearly always ask for one of these.

A record. Points a domain or subdomain to a server's IP address. This is what makes your website load.

CNAME record. Points one name at another name. Commonly used for subdomains such as shop.yourbusiness.com.au or for email tracking links.

MX record. Controls where your email is delivered. These should only be changed when you are moving email providers.

TXT record. Holds plain text used for verification and email authentication. This covers Google Search Console verification, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.

You do not need to know which one you need. The service you are setting up will tell you, and we will check it before it goes live.

When you might need a change

The most common reasons clients come to us are:

• connecting an email marketing or capture tool such as Mailchimp, Kit, Klaviyo or ActiveCampaign
• verifying ownership of the domain for Google Search Console, Google Business Profile or Meta
• setting up or moving business email, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
• connecting a booking system, online store or landing page tool on a subdomain
• adding email authentication records to improve deliverability

How to request a DNS change

When a service asks you to add records, it will show you a setup screen with the exact values. The easiest and most reliable approach is to take a screenshot of that screen and send it to us, or copy the values into an email.

Please do not retype the values by hand if you can avoid it. Most DNS values are long strings of characters where a single missing letter causes the whole thing to fail.

Send your request to [support email] with the following:

Domain:
Service I am setting up:
Records to add (copy and paste or attach a screenshot):
Type:
Name / Host:
Value / Points to:
Priority (MX records only):
Deadline, if any:

If the service has a help page for the setup, a link to it is genuinely useful. It lets us confirm the records are correct and complete before anything goes live.

What happens next

We review the records, check that nothing conflicts with your existing website or email setup, and add them. Most requests are completed within one business day.

Once added, DNS changes are usually live within a few minutes, although some services can take up to 24 hours to recognise them. If the service you are setting up still shows an error after a few hours, let us know and we will investigate rather than you adding anything further.

A few things worth knowing

Do not add a second SPF record. A domain can only have one. If a new service asks you to add SPF, we merge it into your existing record instead of creating another one. Adding a second is one of the most common causes of email suddenly landing in spam.

Changing MX records will affect your email immediately. If a service asks you to change these, tell us what you are trying to achieve rather than sending the records through as a routine request.

Removing records is as significant as adding them. If you are cancelling a service, let us know so we can tidy up the records that are no longer needed.

If you ever want to manage DNS yourself

You are welcome to. Your domain is yours, and DNS can be moved to your own account or your registrar at any time. Let us know and we will export the full record set and coordinate the change so your website and email keep working through the transition.

Still not sure?

If a service has sent you instructions and you are not certain what they are asking for, forward the email or send us a screenshot. Working out what is needed is part of what we do, and it is far quicker than guessing.