After you add the DNS records from your GUDHOST account at your registrar, you can check whether the change has reached you.
Check with ping
- Open Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on a Mac.
- Type
ping example.com(with your own domain) and press Enter. - Do the same with
ping www.example.com. - Compare the IP address in the reply with the one shown under Websites in your GUDHOST account.
If both match, your computer is reaching GUDHOST. If you see a different address, your network is still using the old answer. Don't worry if ping says the request timed out; only the IP address matters.
You can also use an online DNS checker, which looks up your domain from many places around the world at once, so you can see where the change has arrived.
Why www works but the domain doesn't (or the other way round)
Each name is looked up and remembered separately. If you visited www.example.com before the change, your network may still remember its old address, while example.com was looked up fresh and already points to GUDHOST. This sorts itself out once the remembered answer expires.
Why it takes time
Networks keep DNS answers for a while to speed up browsing. How long is set by each record's TTL (time to live). Changing records is usually fairly quick; changing nameservers takes longest. Overall, expect a few hours, and up to 72 hours.
To see the change sooner you can:
- Try another network, such as your phone's mobile data.
- Restart your router, which can give you a fresh connection.
- Keep working on your site through the temporary address in your account.
The quickest check is Check connection on your site's page under Websites: it shows each record as the internet sees it, and what to fix. Once both addresses point to GUDHOST, request your free SSL certificate under Security & HTTPS on the same page.
If the addresses still don't match after 72 hours, check the records at your registrar for typos, then contact support.