Managing Your Domain Name(s)
Unfortunately for budding online entrepreneurs, the startup phase requires some exposure to ugly technical details. There terms at the top of the page probably mean nothing to most, even experienced online publishers. However, they must be set properly to take advantage of the power of Google Apps and to take advantage of key website features.
In brief,
- DNS is used when someone types your domain name into their browser. It is the system which tells the routers that control internet traffic where to find the computer which is hosting your website. If you change hosting companies or move to a different server with the same company your DNS needs to be changed. There are several technical nuances of DNS that must be understood if you want to prevent your site from being unavailable during a server move.
- CNAME is involved in the technical magic that makes the features of Google Apps look like they are coming from your domain when they are actually being handled by Google. Think of it as a black box with instructions to answer with this when they ask for that.
- MX Records are used to keep track of your email. They handle problems like a server being down for a while and other issues.
Paul and Erik take care of this for you. We set them initially, and make changes as needed. If a server change is required, we move your site in a way that minimizes downtime.