What you will check
You just moved your site to a new host, so your domain needs to point at the new server. The change doesn’t reach everyone at once — it spreads across the world’s DNS caches over time. This tutorial shows you how to push that along and how to confirm it worked.
Do one step at a time. Make the change, check what computers actually see, then wait. Don’t panic if your friend in another country still sees the old site for a while — that is completely normal.
Before you start
The goal: point your domain at the new server and confirm the change has spread — without visitors hitting a dead site.
Write down your old IP and new IP. You will need both. Keep a small notes file with the time of each change so you can track progress.
- Keep your domain/DNS panel login ready.
- Know your old server IP and your new server IP.
- Make sure your site fully works on the new server before you switch the domain.
- Have
digready (it comes with thednsutils/bind-utilspackage on Linux and Mac).
How DNS propagation actually works
Think of DNS like a giant phone book. When someone types your domain, their computer asks “which IP address is this?” To save time, computers and internet providers remember the answer for a while instead of asking again every time. That saved answer is a cache.
When you move hosts and change the IP, those caches still hold the old answer until they expire. How long they keep it is set by a number called the TTL (time to live), measured in seconds. A short TTL means caches refresh sooner. That is why “propagation” is not instant — you are waiting for caches all over the world to drop the old answer and ask again.
The steps
Step 1: Lower your TTL a day before you migrate
A day before the move, go into your DNS panel and lower the TTL on your records (the A record especially) to 300 seconds (5 minutes). This tells caches to refresh quickly. Do it early, because the old long TTL has to expire first for this to take effect.
Check: in your DNS panel, the A record TTL now reads 300. You can confirm it spread with the TTL command in the next section.
Step 2: Switch the A record, then check what your computer sees
On migration day, change the A record to your new server IP and save. Then ask DNS what it returns for your domain right now.
dig +short yourdomain.comCheck: the IP shown should be your new server IP. If it still shows the old one, your local cache hasn’t refreshed yet — give it the TTL time and try again.
Step 3: Check from multiple places around the world
What you see is only one location. To see the bigger picture, open a global “DNS checker” website (search for “DNS checker” — these query many countries at once) and enter your domain. You can also trace the full lookup path from the root servers down to yours.
dig yourdomain.com +traceCheck: most locations on the global checker show the new IP. A few stragglers are fine — they will catch up as their caches expire.
Step 4: Keep the old server online for 24–48 hours
Do not delete or shut down the old server right away. Some visitors and providers still hold the old IP in cache, so they keep landing on the old box until it updates. Leave it running for a day or two so nobody hits a dead site.
Check: after 24–48 hours, the global checker shows the new IP almost everywhere. Once it does, you can safely retire the old server.
Extra commands you may need
Run these only on your own server. If your server uses a managed panel, check with support before changing system-level settings.
Check the www version too
dig +short www.yourdomain.comPeople reach your site both with and without www. Make sure both point where you expect.
See the current TTL on your record
dig +nocmd yourdomain.com +noall +answer +ttlThe number before IN A is the seconds left until that cached answer expires. Watch it count down to know how long stragglers will keep the old IP.
Keep short notes as you go
While you work, jot down each change: the old value, the new value, the time, and whether the test passed. For example: “Old IP 1.1.1.1, new IP 2.2.2.2, A record switched 10:30, dig shows new IP from home 10:40, global checker mostly green 12:00.” It sounds small, but it saves a lot of confusion if something looks off.
If you run commands, paste the output into your notes too. Then if you ask support for help, you can show the exact command, the exact result, and the exact time.
If a step goes wrong, how to undo it
Always have a way back. If the new server has a problem mid-switch, point the A record back to your old IP — because you lowered the TTL and kept the old server running, visitors return to a working site within minutes. Don’t delete the old server or raise the TTL again until everything is confirmed stable. Once it is, you can set the TTL back to a longer value like 3600.
How to test after the switch
- Run
dig +short yourdomain.comand confirm the new IP. - Open your site in a private browser window and load the homepage.
- Open an inner page, a blog post, and a service page.
- Check the HTTPS padlock — there should be no browser warning.
- Enter your domain on a global DNS checker and confirm most locations show the new IP.
- Send and receive a test email to confirm mail still works.
Quick troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Still seeing the old site | Your local or ISP cache hasn’t refreshed | Flush your DNS cache or just wait for the TTL to expire |
| Some users see new, some see old | Normal mid-propagation — caches refresh at different times | Keep both old and new servers up until it settles |
| Email broke after the switch | The MX record wasn’t carried over to the new DNS | Re-add the correct MX record in your DNS panel |
Final checklist
- TTL lowered to 300 a day ahead.
- A record switched to the new IP.
digshows the new IP from your machine.- Global DNS checker mostly shows the new IP.
- Old server kept online for 24–48 hours.
- MX (email) records confirmed working.
OffshoreKaka offers privacy-friendly offshore web hosting with real support to help you migrate smoothly and keep your site online.
FAQ
How long does DNS propagation take?
Usually a few minutes to a few hours if you lowered the TTL ahead of time. Worst case it can take up to 24–48 hours for the last caches to update, which is why you keep the old server online.
Can I make it spread faster?
Lowering the TTL before you migrate is the main lever. After the switch, flushing your own DNS cache helps your machine, but you cannot force other providers’ caches — they refresh on their own TTL.
Will a clean migration help my Google ranking?
It supports it — no downtime, fast loading, and HTTPS all help Google. But hosting alone won’t rank you; your content and links still decide that.