Why Is My Website Not Loading After a DNS Change?

If your website stopped loading after you changed its DNS records, do not immediately change the records again. First determine whether the domain is still pointing to the wrong server, whether the DNS change has not reached your current resolver, or whether the DNS is correct but the hosting configuration is causing the problem.

The fastest way to troubleshoot the problem is to work through DNS first, then hosting, then SSL and caching.

Check Whether Your DNS Records Are Correct

Start with the DNS records you changed. Depending on your hosting setup, you may have changed an A record, CNAME record, or nameservers. Compare the current configuration with the exact DNS values provided by your hosting provider. Do not guess the values.

If your host tells you to point the domain to a specific IP address, verify that the A record matches it. If your host gives you a CNAME target, verify the CNAME instead.

Check the Nameservers

If you changed nameservers rather than individual DNS records, verify that the domain is using the correct nameservers. This is important because changing nameservers changes which DNS provider controls the domain's DNS zone. You could have perfectly configured records in one DNS dashboard while your domain is actually using another provider's nameservers.

Check the Domain and www Version Separately

Test both example.com and www.example.com. They may not be configured identically. One may point to the new server while the other still points somewhere else. This is especially important after moving a website between hosting providers.

Check Whether DNS Has Updated

DNS information can be cached. That means your computer may continue receiving an older DNS response even after the authoritative record has been changed. Test your domain from your normal internet connection, a mobile connection, a different device, and a DNS lookup service. If different networks produce different results, caching or propagation may be involved.

Check Your Hosting Account

If DNS is pointing to the new server, make sure the domain is actually configured there. A common mistake is that DNS points to Server B but Server B has not been configured for the domain. Your hosting provider may require you to add the domain to your account before it can serve the website.

Check HTTPS

If DNS is correct but HTTPS fails, check the SSL certificate. Try opening https://example.com and inspect the browser's security error. The certificate may not yet cover the domain or may not have been issued correctly.

Do Not Keep Changing DNS

Repeatedly changing DNS records makes troubleshooting harder. Instead, record the current DNS settings, compare them with your hosting provider's instructions, confirm the nameservers, check the DNS result, check the hosting configuration, check SSL, and only then make another change.

When Is It Actually a DNS Problem?

DNS is more likely to be the problem when the domain resolves to the wrong IP, the nameservers are incorrect, www and the root domain resolve differently, different networks see different destinations, and DNS lookup tools show the old hosting server. If DNS resolves correctly but the website still fails, investigate the hosting server instead.

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